Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1903-11-02
NAVY PLAYS Bad BALL.
The Pennsylvania State College
Eleven Victorious BY
Heavy Score.

Football enthusiasts at the Naval
| Academy are busy trying TO account
for the lamentable slump of the mid
| dies IN the game against Pennsylvania
State College last Saturday afternoon.
1t was generally expected that the
contest would be easy" and the
coaches partook of this rosy view of
| the situation TO such an extent rs to
send ON the field n lot of men who had
scarcely played together once during
the season.
There may be reasons for regarding
Pennsylvania State College rs deli.
cate morsel for the local football ap-
petite, but these reasons are not ap-
parent ON the surface. For the past
half dozen years or more the Pennsyl-
vanians have had reputation for put
ting up sturdy fight against the best
eleyens in the East and while they
have not, perhaps, met with brilliant
success, they have always proved to
be formidable. Ii required very few
minutes of play TO show that the sailor
boys We're face TO face with n very
serious proposition.
On the very first kick-o by Navy
the ball was caught by Forkman,
States fullback, and, by clever inter
ference and nimble lodging, returned
it TO the center of the field From
this point, after n fairly equal ex-
change of punts, the ball was given TO
Captain Whitworth who, with the as
sistance of nearly every member of
his team, circled the Navy's right
wing and scored the first touchdown,
after running nearly half the length
of field. Forkman kicked the goal This
event occurred after about five min
utes of play, and, as result, the three
substitute backs, who had started the
game for Navy-Dicker, Dowell and
Keene, were soon withdrawn in favor
of Strassburger, Root and Halsey.
After the next kickoff, State again
forced the fighting, and advanced
steadily until within about twenty
two yards of the Navy goal. Here the
middies braced creditably and prob
ably would have held for four downs,
had not their opponents elected to try
for goal from field. The attempt
was beautifully successful, and the
score was State, IL Navy, 0. s-.~.
In the second half, State, though
handicapped by a heavy penalty Of
| twenty yards, was enabled TO score
with the kind assistance of some eyre
| gious blunders on the part of their
| opponents. On one occasion, after
Navy had been downed twice without
| gain, Needham, who had been sent in
| as quarter, attempted a quarter back
run. 1t was feeble and futile effort,
and the runner was pinned for loss
of about thirteen yards. A forward
pass then gave the ball TO State on
Navy's 15-yard line, from which point
a few hard plunges by the backs car
ried the ball over the line. Score,
State, II; Navy, 0.
Near the close of the half, and being
unable to gain, Gross passed to Hal
sey for kick. Halsey is fairly tall
| youngster, but the ball went yards
over his head, forcing him to run back
near the goal line. He made mas
terly attempt to recover and punt out,
but State got the ball, and would
| probably have scored again, but for q
second penalty of twenty yards for
some offense, visible only to the lynx
eyed umpire.
An unusually large and sympathetic
assemblage was present, and a victory
| by the middies would have been ex-
ceedingly popular. 1t was not to be,
however, and is not likely to be, until
some material change takes place in
the style of the Midshipmen's play.
1t is serious question whether such
change can be effected in time Ia
enable the team to put up an even
fight against West Point. 1t is hard
to say exactly where the admitted
trouble lies. The coaches come here
with excellent traditions, but with no
| great regulations. The middies, of
course, have but limited time for
practice, and they are not, on the
average, as old nor matured as their
civilian opponents. What they appear
to lack most, however, is what should
most easily be supplied concerted
action, aggressiveness and "dash. -