The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-03

Michigan proved that she has a wonder
full ground gaining team in Saturdays
great game with Wisconsin at Chicago.
She demonstrated that her team was good
enough to beat Wisconsin. with ordinary
luck, by one or two more touchdowns than
were actually made.
Nevertheless Michigan, In the opinion
of many good football judges. is not as
strong a team many that have been
produced by western football coaches in
past years. The wolverines are hardly
strong as Wisconsin's team Of 1901: they
certainly would not have beaten the Min
,nesota team Of 1900 with the kind of foot
ball they played Saturday.
Michigans offense was her great point
of strength. That she held so we'll against
1.-The badger attack was due more to the
weakness Of WiscOnsins ground gaining
material rather than to the defensive
strength Of the wolverines. On offense,
however, Michigan showed up spelndidly.
She swept aside the much heralded Wis
Consin defense from the start, taking the
ball on the kickoff and carrying it 70 yards
up the field for a touchdown without los
ing possession Of the pigsl1in. In all this
ground-gaining, the longest run was one
of 10 yeards by HerrnsteL.
Wisconsin Takes a Brace.
After that first touchdown Wisconsin
braced splendidly. Her men seemed to
recover from their attack of stage fright,
VERNE attack. The forwards charged hard
and low, and while Michigan carried the
ball enough during the remainder of the
game to give her three or four touch
downs, had the spurts been punched,
Wisconsins line stiffened enough to pre-
vent another score. Once the badgers
held on the third down with the ball not
six inches from the goal line, and Michi-
gan claimed that Maddox was pushed
over the line and called down. but was
later showed back. Referee Hinkey would
not allow it, however.
Later Wisconsin managed from time to
time to gain a little ground, but not
enough at any time to- threaten Michi-
gan's goal Indeed. the ball was never
more than few yards in Michigans ter
ritory and in Wisconsin's possession. Ju-
neau round Reddens end. and Wander
boom off tackle or through the line, were
the badgers only successful ground-gain-
ing tricks.
=. The badgers had little variety in their
offense, and on straight football they were
powerless against Michigan's big line.
On the whole, Wisconsin's showing must
be judged disappointment 1t was said
before the game that the badgers had as
good a team as last years, but no one
would venture to assert that after seeing
the contest. Wisconsin has no ground
gamers who are in the same class with
Curtis, Larson or Cochems. At the be-
!. ginning Of the game, while Michigan was
making her rushes up the field for the
only score, the badger linemen seemed to
forget the first principles of football. They
stood straight up and walked into the
mass plays of their opponents, instead
OF charging low when the ball was
snapped. In short Michigan got the jump
on the badgers.
The fact that Wisconsin was able to
hold the wolverines at critical times indi-
Gates that Michigan's offepse is not in
vincible The fact that the badgers. with
scarcely one good Individual ground gain
err. were able at times to pierce Michi-
,gan's Defense indicates that A good strong
ground gaining team might give the VOL
verines all they wanted to do.
.. Michigan Not InvlncEbIe.
This seconds what was said before the
game in regard to Michigan's weakening
before good stiff team. AS q matter Of
fact however. Michigan had scored a
enough to furnish much opposi-
ton. The Badgers did not up the
fight they were expected to make, and
'Michigan's real strength Is almost as much
an unknwon quantity as before.
Mlnnesota's Chances.
Now to take up the question Of Mime
sota's chances to defeat either of the two
teams which played Saturday. With re-
gard to the Badgers. Minnesota should
have an excellent fighting chance The
Gophers' attack at its best is fully as
strong as Wisconsin's. Its defense may
not be so strong. The Badgers will play
just as hard a game against Minnesota
as they did against the Wolverines, and
they are likely to show Improvement in
several directions Their forwards will
probably show better form in stopping
mass plays as a result of the lesson they
learned Saturday, and If Driver can get