New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-21
NOW YALE AND HARVARD.
CANE ON NEW STADIUM.
Yale an Poor Condition, but Should
Hin EQSilV.

TO the new stadium al Cambridge to-day TO wit
ness the annual battle between the Blue and the
Crimson Il is getting TO be such a habit that
they cannot stay away. II they could, they
would this year. for circumstances have con-
spired 70 make il one Of the least interesting
matches ever disputed by Yale and Harvard
II the first place. the championship is already
decided. and Princeton wears the laurels. Even
should Harvard win it viii be a victory
team already dispirited by defeat. and OBJ
server OF experience would give the Cambridge
eleven a chance against the Tigers this year.
In short. IL is a battle between two disappoint-
ing teams. But. always making allowance for
the dispiriting effect OF the defeat by Princeton
il Is hard 10 see how Yale can fail 10 win to-
days game.
Harvard has not been so weak in years. It
is long. indeed. since she has been defeated by
a team OF the class Of Dartmouth or Amherst
mot 70 put these two in the same class ether.
The Cambridge players showed just one flash
OF form this fall and that was when they got
away with a slender victory from West Point
They defeated Pennsylvania. but the Quakers
play sad football this year. and it has ceased
10 be a distinction TO beat them
Encouraging stories have been coming from
behind the closed gates al Cambridge in the last
few days. We hear that 90 varsity has been
showing more like form than it has hitherto ex-
Harvard IN the Pennsylvania game cannot be
made into an effective team in a week and We
know that one week ago to-day Harvard played
football that the Yale scrubs OF 1903 would
surely beat.
Harvard's weakness has been the only con-
s.stent thing about the eleven this year. Il has
been general and inpartially distributed IN
every department Of the game. Il has mani
tested itself most vitality in the crucial position
Of quarterback. Carl Marshall the captain OF
the eleven. played. in both the Dartmouth and
The Quaker games football Of the most anaz-
ingIy Inferior quality. He ran of his plays
slowly. showed poor judgment in their selection.
uufed punts whenever he had chance, passed
badly and in short. put up game that would
surely exclude him from to-days match If he
were not captain Of the team
In Nichols and ShoelIkopf Harvard has pair
Of excellent individual backs Nichols IN par
ticula- put up a star game as a running haIt-
back against Pennsylvania. and is one Of the
best men behind the line on any Eastern team
But he has 70 work without any effective inter
ference. and Netcaf and Mitchell. Y2le's excep-
tiolzly strong defensive backs, whose defence
was the r=deen'ing feature Of Yale's play against
the Pige-s. may reasonably be expected to hold
him In check.
II the lire Harvard has only two first class
men. At right end is Bowdftch. who at his best
IS one OF the most formidable ends now playing.
The coaches insist that ne has recovered from
his injuries completely and = so. he viii give
Rafferty, tit for tat. At centre Sugden. Il ne
plays. viii give a good account Of himself The
rest 81 the line has never distinguished itself in
any way. but the weakness is general rather
than particular.
Dartmouth found no trouble in ripping the line
I'D for steady consistent gains The inferiority
n he a
mental The interference is not coherent nor
fast. II starts slowly and is deficient in impact
or course. many OF its flaws are easily traceahle
10 weakness at quarter. a deficiency almost fatal
10 the success OF any team
Turn. then 10 Yale: she VIII come upon the
Aeld IL is true. beaten team. but she has low
cred her colors only 20 an enemy long acknowl-
edged as a worthy and always dangerous rival.
II may be taken for granted that the utmost
has been done at NeT-Haven in the last six
avs IN get the eleven into the best Of physical
condition. The Yale coaches and players stoutly
maintain 20 q man that barring injuries. the
80 VAS il. good condition last Saturday. They
insist that Il was not overturned. The facts are
against them.
No impartial observer who saw the players
-o,,a uno1 Yale Field could fan 70 note symp-
toms OF staleness in half the team As the game
n-ooeeded one could fairly see the steam eVapo-
rate until ~ the finish there was scarcely
pound left II is likely. however, that there VIII
lie q better supply to-day
With the exception Of Boomer VINO appears
n have broken small bone IN his foo1' ia'e
wiz probably start the game with the same line
I'D that faced Princeton. But the chances are
that several substitutes vii be USED oeloie 'i'e
match has gone far
II may be that Soper VIII succeed f'0eA"e'' -