The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-04
4 III.
ILLINI COME NEXT
Gophers Will Have Their Work Cut
Out for Them in Next Sat-
81 urday's Game.
Team From Champaign Is Speedy
and Minnesota Will Have No
Advantage in Weight.

Minnesotas next great football game is
with the speedy Illinois aggregation next
Saturday on Northrop field. The teams
have met three times In former years. The
first contest was in 1898. when Minnesota
had one Of the weakest teams in her his
tory, but nevertheless the visitors only
won the game by one point the final score
being II to 10.
In 1900 Minnesota scored three touch
downs ON the Illlni, and Knowlton kicked
q goal from the field. making the final
score % to 0. Last year the game was
played at Champaign and the score was
16 to 0. To make her three touchdowns
however, Minnesota had to play the best
football she showed during the year.
I This year Illinois is reported to have the
best team in the history Of the university.
Men who saw the game between Chicago
and Illinois Oct. %, say that Minnesota
will have her work cut out for her, and
that she has no better than an even
chance against the Illini.
T. No Advantage In Weight.
!, Minnesota this year has not the adj
vantage in weight which she enjoyed in
1900 and 1901. There will be little diff
ference between the avoirdupois of the
two teams when they line up Saturday
afternoon, and Illinois Is likely to have the
advantage Of what difference there Is In
this respect Consequently superior speed
and team play must do the trick If the
gophers win, and in view of the reports Of
the sped of the visitors, Minnesota has by
no means a decided advantage in these
points Of play.
& One advantage the gophers have, how
ever. Illinois is regarded by football men
who have seen her work as a one-man
team. Big Jake Stahl is the mainstay Of
both attack and defense. Minnesota on
the other hand, has lot of fairly good
men, especially in the backfleld, and If any
Of the gopher backs is injured, he can be
Replaced by almost another II not quite as
good. But If Stahl is laid out. he was
in the Chicago game, Illinois loses half
her strength
= A special from Illinois university says
that the students are very optimistic over
the result of Saturdays game. The eleven
made a splendid showing against Indi-
ana. scoring AZ points with half a dozen
substitutes in the game. AS Indiana is
about in a class with Iowa, against which
team the gophers made only "a, Illinois
seems to have pretty nearly an even
chance.
8 More than usual interest attaches to the
game, as it will show in measure about
what chance Minnesota has against Wis
consin. If the gophers beat Illinois by a
decisive score, they will have at least an
even chance to win from Wisconsin. II
Illinois wins, the result Of the badger
game the following week IS 1oregOne
conclusion.
Local Rioters Confident.
Local followers of the game express lit
tie fear over the result Of the contest.
One man offered even money yesterday
that Minnesota would exceed Chicago s
score Of six points against Illinois. Most
rooters while not so confident, predict a
victory for the local varsity eleven.
Chicago football scribes have more re-
for he ainco thair nf
102 against Grinnell. The Inter- Ocean
gives Minnesota more notice than the
other papers. Note the following ex-
tract:
- The big score mp by the gophers last Satur-
day gives their game with the badgers a some
ago. That Minnesota could roll up the enor
Minneapolis eleven must have increased its
speed greatly. week ago it looked as If Wis
eonsn would he able to defeat Minnesota without
any excessive labor. Just at present. however,
this does not seem to be the case.
.zMinnesotu will probably be prepared to give
Wisconsin the hardest kind of tussle Now
that the gophers have apparently added speed
to their weight, they should prove pretty Tor.
lnidanle organization Illinois, which faces Min:
nesota next Saturday should give a pretty go3d
line on the latter's strength.
1t will be noted that Chicago men find
1t impossible to get rid Of the notion
that all the Minnesota players stand six
feet three in their stockings, and average
$50 pounds In weight. AS matter Of fact
the gophers are, if anything, slightly
lighter than the average western univer-
sity team. Iowa, Nebraska and ever
Ames, equalled the gophers in weight
Beloit. Grinnell and Carleton showed .ur
lighter than Minnesota. Illinois will equa
the gophers in heft, Wisconsin and Michi-
gan will have a decided advantage ir
ayoirdupois.
~ Gophers In Good Condition.
Y Practice on Northrop field yesterday
vas spirited. None Of the men were kept
out of the play on account Of injuries
Minnesota. barring future injuries to play.
ers. will put in the field Saturday the
strongest team which has represented the
maroon and gold this year. The line will
probably be the same as at the beginning