The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-10-04
The Eastern Big Five Football
EleVens
Have Decided to Play the Old
Fashioned Game.
STICK TO THAT STYLE.
Harvard and Princeton In the
Best Shape.
Have More Seasoned Players to
Begin With.


New York. Oct. 4.-The football sea-
son Of 1899 has opened in earnest. From
now on the big teams will each play
an average of two games every week
that will test their strength. An in
teresting feature is that these four big
teams are all playing straight, old
fashioned football this season, and have
taeitly announced that they are going
to stick to that old style of play. Only
at Cornell does there seem to be a ten
dency to stick to summer practice, and
to use mass plays to hammer holes in
an opposing rush line. Yale. Harvard,
Princeton and Pennsylvania are all de-
voting special attention to kicking.
At Pennsylvania George Woodruff, n
former Yale player. is again acting as
head coach. Woodruff has undoubtedly
gotten better results in training foot
ball players single-handed than any
other one coach of recent years. Penn
sylvania's coaching is therefore in good
hands.
At Cambridge. Dibblee. the captain of
last season, justifies the belief that
Harvard's team viii be skillfully han
died.
At Yale unusual efforts have been
made to bring out the best possible
team that university can produce
Goaded by her defeats of last year,
Yale has made a heroic effort to regain
her lost prestige on the gridiron. j. o.
Rodgers has been made head coach
Captain Mcbride has obtained the
promise of practically every one Of
Ya1e's coaches to assist Rodgers.
Princeton has never been wanting in
coaches. The New Jersey university
has a record for always getting about
all she possibly can out of her football
material Situated close to New York
and Philadelphia, Princeton can always
IL -
her best coaches. The same men who
had most to do with the Tiger eleven
in 1898 are coaching again this fan.
In point of material all of the five
big teams seem to be well supplied,
with the possible exception of Yale.
This is not the customary hard luck
story from New Haven that usually
hides the fact that Yale is certain she
is going to win. There is certainly a
lack of good material at Yale this fall,
due to two facts: First, because of the
wretched handling Of the Yale team of
1898, which not only developed no extra
material for the present season, but
placed permanently on the cripple list
such splendid players as Dudley,
Townshead and Ely; second, because
Yale has gotten her usual quota of
players out of the freshman classes
Yale needs new center rush, a guard,
q tackle, quarterback and two half
backs to fill the holes made in her team
of last season through the graduation
of some players and the injuries of 9TH
ers.
To fill all these places out of a ma
terial that IS below the average is a
big contract even for Yale's best
coaches.
Harvard is really rich in frst-class
football material this fall, because
Forbes, the head coach, last season de-
velOped enough material for three aver
age good elevens. Harvard has lost Of
her victorious team of last season
Captain Dibblee, Donald. Houghton,
Cochran. Farley nv
ton, and Jaffrays by death. Harvard
can not ill all of these places without
a loss, with the possible exception of
the places left vacant by Dibblee and
HoughtOn, two of the best players that
wore the mOleskin in 1898.
Princeton seems to have captured all
the crack prep" school players this
fail and given Pennsylvania what was
left over. Princeton needed new ma
terial almost less than any of the other
big teams, for, of her victorious team of
1888, she has only lost Greer, Crowds
and Black. Haunted by the superstf-
ton that hOvers over the Tigers grid
iron that a Princeton captain never
leads two successive teams to victory
Hildebrand, last years captain, retired
and showed the responsibility upon Ed
wards, the big guard The Tigers have,
therefore, begun the season without a
hOOdOO' and with plenty of material.
Pennsylvania has lost Garrett. tackle;
Hedges and FOlweH. ends, and Walker,
full back. To fill these places George
W OOOTuH DelleNeS ne has already dis
covered as good, if not better, players.
Pennsylvania's outlook for the season
Is bright
It is difficult to estimate CornelPs
material. She has a lot of new players
who are being tried in different posi-
tons, and, although the wedding out
process has not yet been completed
Cornell has a big contract on her hands.
and unless her team is carefully han
died she viii stand a good chance to be
badly crippled.
On October g she will meet Prince
ton at Ithaca This will be the first
meeting of the season between two
teams of the sO-called big Five" Cor
nell and Pennsylvania will end the sea
son at Philadelphia on November 80.
On November Harvard will meet
pennsylvania. On November 8 Yale will
play Harvard at Cambridge, and on
NoVember25 7 ale will meet Princeton in
New Haven These are the meetings
that viii take place this season between
the elevens Of the Big Five" cornbiua-
ton.
NEW LEAGUE OUTLOOK.