Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-11-07

| Madison, Nov. 5.
! The western college football cham
pionship for this season clearly lies
between the Michigan team and he
game to be played at Camp Randall
one week from Saturday. A post-sea-
son contest between the wolverines
and the victors on Nov. 16 would
clearly decide the title, but the posi-
bility of such game is extremely
slight if not entirely absent. Flow
ever, the claims of either the badgers
or the gophers will be superior TO
those of the men at Ann Arbor pc
cause either of the former have met a
greater number of the western teams.
| The winner of the contest here ten
days hence will undoubtedly claim the
honors Of the western gridiron and the
counter claim that Michigan is almost
sure to put in will hardly receive any
backing by the chief critics.
| Such is the situation at present,
| but it may be entirely changed by the
| intervening games on the schedules.
Wisconsin has little to fear in this re-
gard for, aside from the Minnesota
game, she has only to meet and defeat
the team representing Ames college
next Saturday and the decrepit ma
rooms on Thanksgiving. The former
contest is looked upon merely Us a
practice brush in preparation for the
great battle with tho Minnesotans one
be said to promise nothing more than
poor sauce for the possible defeat at
the hands of the gophers or additional
| jollifcition in case the Minnesota team
is defeated.
Michigan meets neither of the big
teams this side of the lake, but must
down Chicago, Beloit and Iowa. She
| has also scheduled two post-seas0n
games with California and Stanford
in the far west on Christmas and new
years, but it is said this long trip will
not be taken. The defeat of Michigan
at the hands Of either Chicago, Deloit
or Iowa would send her championship
aspirations glimmering. Such an
event is extremely unlikely in the first
two cases, but the bare possibility eX-
lists that the hawkeyes will humble
the wolverines on the west side
grounds in Chicago on Thanksgiving.
The game will, certainly surpass the
one to be played the same day on
Marshall field between the marOons
and Wisconsin. Iowa having been de
| feated by Minnesota, her victory over
the maize and blue would put the
gophers ahead Of Michigan in the
championship figuring. But it still
seems that Michigan is safe.
When Wisconsin meets Ames next
Saturday Minnesota will defeat the
North Dakota team and after the bat
tie with the badgers she has to meet
Northwestern and Illinois, the latter
at Champaign on Thanksgiving. Seth
Of these games will be big and al
though the gophers have the best
chance of winning the two, an acc1
dent-one such as is always possible
on the gridiron in close games-w0uld
knock the championship claims OF the
maroon and gold into a cooked nat
even though Wisconsin be beaten in
the game a week from Saturday.
The chances of a Wisconsin victory
over Minnesota lie clearly IN the abil
ity of Coach King to work out a
suitable defence against the guards
back and mass formations that in the
Kansas and Nebraska games were
found SO effective against the badger
line and which Minnesota uses almos
exclusively. King must also brust
the cardinal team up in the way o.
getting into the game the moment th<
whistle blows for the first kick off
The way Wisconsin has 'laid OFF, ii
the beginning Of every hard conte5
this year and especially in the Ne
braska game last Saturday, has beer
enough to exasperate the most patier
rooter. Wisconsins offence, as Eyer-!
Wrenn said after the game in Milwau
kee, can be bettered wonderfully i
the line and backs will learn 70 fol
low the man with the ball when h
gets through the line. It is highl.
improbable that the man will &c
through the Minnesota line very FIRE
auently, however, considering the fac
that the gophers outweigh the badger
some 20 pounds to the man. Wiscon
: sins salvation lies in runs around tn
ends and Cochems, Larson and Drive
with either Fogg or Marshall as tn
back field quartet can be relied upo
to get together well and advance th
ball for steady gains providing Kin
can whip the linemen up to follow III
? plays with the push that will be ne'
Z essary in view of cae superior weigh
D of the gophers. In the kicking d
e partment Minnesota has probablye n
, best end of the stick and Knowlto
will cause the badgers annoyano
should they fail to hold the ball whe
in close proximity to the gopher goa
Knowlton is said to rival Pat Ode
as punter. which is more than IS VeI
tured in speaking of Driver, althoug
he is no novice.