New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-05
ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD.
HOW MUCH THE YALE AND PRINCETON
DEFEATS SIGNIFY PRESENT DENEL-
OPMENT OF THE LEAD
ING FIENE\S

corresponding victories or Columoia anu W
nell. are by far the most Interesting oe'e''p
inents Of the football season. when mas pee"
fuu OF interest from the start Yet there is dan
ger Of regarding the defeats OF Yale and Prince
ton as Of more significance than they really are.
They are. Of course. highly important proving
that at the present time both Of these eleVens
are in poor shape and also that Columbia ana
Cornell have reached a high state Of develop
ment. But no one can pretend that az the end
q the season Yale and Princeton must re-
snectivelv be classed as below Columbia ana
Cornell Columbia had trained for this particu-
lar game with Yale almost from the beginning
II the season and Cornell had made her Prince
ton game the same goal Roth Yale and Prince
ton. however. owing to their mere important
games later on, are prepared 10 regard the two
games played two Saturdays ago more or less
as passing episodes. simply 10 take their proper
part in preparation for the supreme struggles
later on. II may. OF course. be the case that
the Yale and Princeton teams this year are SO
poor that their form week ago last Saturday
represented their average ability; but no one
Will believe that this is the case until the END
Of the season has proved It so.
Many football enthusiasts have been talking
about the extraordinary complications that the
results Of the games this season have brought
about IN the standing OF the teams. and they
have been expressing the opinion that this year
It would be next TO impossible 10 classify the
elevens according 70 ability. They point out
that Cornell beaten by the University Of
Chicago pretty badly. and then beat Princeton
in turn; that Princeton beat Columbia decisively
but that Columbia in turn IS likely 20 prove VIC
torous over Cornell. and on. BY the time
the last gun has been fired at the end Of the
season. however it VIII not be so difficult TO
classify the teams II now seems. BY that
time the elevens Will have all shown their top
form and II will not be difficult matter prob
ably 10 rate them according TO the ability that
they show in their final tests.
YALE WEAK AT MANY POINTS.
SO far as the present form Of Yale and Prince
ton Is concerned. It certainly is about as poor
as It could oe I watched the work Of the Yale
team on Manhattan Field last Saturday from
every point Of view. and II shocking. one
IS accustomed. for instance. when looking at a
Yale team from behind IT, from the end Of the
field rather than from the side lines to witness
a compact we'll knit line which its very
face gives evidence Of defence. on Saturday,
however even before the Yale players became
exhausted they seemed TO have lost all Idea OF
the proper pastures for defence. and their line
presented a reeing, wabhling appearance that at
first glance meant defeat. The rushers We're not
elbow 10 elbow. but yawning gaps appeared be
tween them and these holes not infrequently ex-
listed long before the Columbia forwards got in
their fine work Two or three oldtime Yale
coaches with whom ! talked We're greatly dis
tressed about this particular feature Of Yale's
play to their mind Il showed a wonderful
lack Of the principles Of football. II they had
seen their men, although defeated. playing along
we'll established principles Of football they would
also was not what # should have been. and It
was especially faulty in the handling Of punts
The Yale ends this fan have been thought to
be pretty fair. but two Saturdays ago either
they We're slow as molasses. or else Mcbride
constantly puntol too fast and TOO far. one OF
the most encouraging features however. for
Yale is the loyalty with which the undereradu-
ate body hockei 20 the support OF the team
after the defeat. on the first day Of practice
on the return to New-Haven the college turned
out several hundred strong and. journeying TO
Yale Field. cheerod the defeated eleven TO the
echo. This is the sort 81 thing that inspires
team and makes 81 play beyond and above IT.
self. And It is this spirit that leads Yale men
10 believe that they have a good chance 10 re-
peat the performance OF the % team. which,
showing wretched work early I'm the season
rounded into shape in the last two weeks. tieing
counted upon as surely won, and after that de-
feating Princeton.
CASE OF SWELLED HEAD?
Princeton's play and her defeat at Ithaca were
simply part and parcel Of all her work in the
previous two weeks with the execution ~ the
temporary brace she took before the Lohigh
game. The trouble with Princeton this season
as has been remarked before in these columns
IL that she seems TO have had a bad case OF
oVerconhdence. The playing Of the team has
not warranted this but nevertheless such seems
70 be the case The Princetonian." the college
paper also complains rather bitterly that the
men have been playing for individual glory
rather than development OF team work II
seems almost toss-up between Yale and
Princeton now. for the form that they DISPLAYED
in their games last Saturday was equally bad
But at present writing. If anything I should
say that the disadvantage rested with Prince
ton. However. It win all be decided fin the next
three weeks.
A FEW HARVARD DEFECTS
Harvards victory over the Indians a week
ago seemed all the more brilliant 10y comparison
with the poor work Of Yale and Princeton Com
plete satisfaction however. by no means filled
the breasts Of the Cambridge coaches While
IL is true that their men scored four times
against the redoubtable Redskins. at the same
time two tallies We're made against the alleged
impregnabe bulwark Of the Crimson line. by
some the early touchdown made by the Indians
was declared 20 De in the nature Of fuke But
il was just this same sort Of fuke that gave
Harvard her first touchdown ia the Pennsyi-
vania game a year ago and made victory sure.
u has 10 be conceded that Harvard was
trife weaker on the defence than her adherents
had ovrecfed I{if an the other hand T2.a1 who
IS at left guard and usually regular rock Of
Gibraltar. absent. and also IL was through
the substitutes IN the second half that the Ind
fans made gains sufficient 20 enable little Hud-
son TO drop goal from the field Back % the
line IIarNara-a -.lN womb we a....rL -