The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-02
HIGH CLASS TEAMS
Six Big Western Elevens Average
Much Stronger Than in For
mer Years.
Wisconsin and Illinois Not Out
classed by Their OPP
ponents.
New York Sun Special Service.

chicago, Nov. 2..-That famous day
IN western football has passed With
II three Of the most wonderful games
ever played have passed into history.
Perhaps not for a decade will the en-
thus1asts of the west be permitted to
I take their chance of watching one of
three such games. The games of last
Saturday all came up to expectations.
I Each team performed In its best form,
ana, Just as had been anticipated, all
the games were close.
In fact, the games brought out strik-
lngly the most noticeable and encour-
aging feature of western football this
autumn-the high class Of a large
number of the teams. Never before,
perhaps, have six teams in the west
appropriated so nearly to the same
class as do Michigan, Minnesota, Chi
cago, Wisconsin, Northwestern and IL
linois this year.
10 be sure, Illinois and Wisconsin
are decisively out Of the running for
the championship, but they were not
| outclassed by the teams directly re-
| sponsible for their defeat.
! Illinois demonstrated in the Chica-
go game that 1t was not far behind the
indicate an opposite view. Saturday
the Him showed that they are nearer
to Northwestern than they were to
| Chicago.
Northwestern won but by a single
point by showing remarkable staying
qualities. The purple may thank Col
tons ability as a goal-kicker for the
single point which gave them victory.
: Neither the score nor the story Of the
game shows that the Illini were much
joutplayed.
Gophers the Great Surprise.
The gophers and the wolverines, af-
ter a mighty struggle, quit with hon
ors even. The teams were perfectly
matched. It seems from reading the
account Of the game that Michigan real
| ly ought to have won. If Michigan
could only have held in the last few
minutes! But Michigan could not hold,
and Minnesota, by its splendid attack,
earned the tie. The wolverines and
the gophers hold the same relative
position now as before the game. Both
are unbeaten. Neither is better than
! the other. Only the later Develop
ments of the season can settle their
Irrespective claims for the champion
ship.
| Minnesota's tie was the largest sur
! prise of the day. 1t shows what has
{ not been shown before in two years.
! that Michigan lis not invulnerable.
Michigan's goal line has been crossed at
last by hard, straight football. Michigan
can be beaten. Either Yost's team is
mot as strong this year as during the
past two seasons, or the other teams
are a good deal stronger. Perhaps
both suggestions are in a measure
true.
Altho neithersteam could win, both
Michigan and Minnesota seem to have
reached higher state Of development
than any of the other teams. Their
offense is more effective than Chicago
and Wisconsin showed, while on de-
/ Tense they showed much greater
strength than Northwestern and I'LL
nois. i, SI1H!
b Wisconsin lost by the largest score.
This 1oes notTpnean that Wisconsin
straight football" the badgers were
the equals of the EmaroonsN Chicago
won because, besides playing Wiscon-
sin even, It had Eckersall to drop kick.
Wisconsin has very strong team,
and one that has great possibilities Of
Wrabetz have few. equals in the west
as aggressive line plungers and run
| ners. The Wisconsin style of play is
adapted to their peculiar abilities, and
it will be a wonderfully good line that
denies them a score.
When Curtis succeeds in strength
ening the right side Of his line and
improves his kicking department Wis
consin will be a dangerous foe for any
team. Wisconsin is not thru by any
means. The badgers ought to win
from Northwestern, and they have a
irst-class fighting chance against the
two leaders, Michigan and Minnesota,
both Of whom they play.
i They are game losers at Madison.
| No one is disheartened. The conf
dence Of the students in their team is
mistaken. They point with pride to
the fact that they gained more yards
on straight plunging that Chicago did
They believe they would not have been
beaten with Eckersall out Of the game.
| But they did not grumble on this ac-
count. They remember the years
when Phil King built up his team
around Pat O'Dea. They remembered
games the cardinals could not have
won but by the kicking Of O'Dea.
! Chicago is a stronger factor than
ever in the championship race. The
marooons are now thru their schedule
| to Thanksgiving day. No games with
strong western teams lie between them
and the annual struggle with the
orange and blue. Next Saturday they
play the Haskell Indians. The Satur-
day following they go against the army
at West Point. Between that and
Thanksgiving intervene ten DAYS,
which Stage will utilize to prepare his
men for Yost's machine
i'm A DESPERATE PLIGHT