The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-31
Kickers of Western Football Teams
Not Up to Standard Of Last
Year.
Harris of Minnesota One Of the Best
Chicago Paper Gives Rogers
a Bouquet.

scarcely any one as good as Knowl-
ton of Minnesota or Ellsworth OF chi
cago. In fact, it is hard to remember
a year when the average of the west
ern kickers was as low as 1t IS this
season.
Harris of Minnesota Is as good as
any in the west to-day. If O'Brien had
Harris kicking ability, or Harris had
O'Brien's ground-gaining power ana
speed in running the team, either one
would be the best quarter In the west
without question. Unfortunately the
best punters of the Minnesota squad
(Harris, Marshall and Gleason) are
not as good in other departments OF
the game as the other candidates for
the positions. The Chicago Daily News
has the following to say of Rogers OF
Minnesota. It must be confessed that
the criticism Is more eulogist1c than
the facts justify:
Or Williams has in Rogers, the
Indian, the only veteran punter and
,drop-kicker in the west this fall. Cap
tain Rogers has proved his ability in
more than one hercely contested grid
kicking. In the latter department OF
the game he Is one Of the best the west
has seen since the days Of Herschber-
ger and his punting is unexcelled as
a rule both in distance and height In
this department the gophers look the
Chicago started out with Captain
Ellsworth doing the kicking for the
maroons but his work was too cratic.
He failed to get the ball high enough
to allow his ends to get down the field
in time. to tackle the opposing player
catching 1t before he had made a sub
stantial gain in running 1t back. In
the Northwestern game Stage
changed to Eckersall and improve
ment was noticeable Immediately.
Eckersau is a trihe slow getting his
punts away and has failed at critical
moments on three or four occasions
to advance the ball at all, having
kicked it straight into the opposing
line, but as a rule he has the knack OF
lifting the leather high In the air, CIV
ing his ends plenty Of time and at the
same time twisting the ball so that 1t
is peculiarly difficult to hold 1t when
caught. His punts are for good dis
tances, forty to fifty yards each.
Michigan feels the loss Of Sweeley
greatly in the punting game this sea-
son, for they need him more than
ever. Tom Hammond has proved a
great plunging fullback for the VOL
ing for them, tho he does not get the
ball away after the Sweeley style, the
distance not being so great nor so
high, and his accuracy is not what
maize and blue rooters have been used
to since Yost took the reins. Heston
and Maddox have done fair work
In practice, but none of them is really
1lp to the standard.
Null does the kicking for Illinois.
His work, as shown in the Chicago
game, was not up to Eckersa1Ps either
in accuracy, height or distance, but he
nearly held his own. AS a drop-k1ck-
er he did not shine particularly for
he failed in the only attempt he made,
tho Eckersall made three attempts,
each time missing the goal by wide
margins.
In Cotton, Coach Mccormack, of
Northwestern. has one Of the pest
punters and drop kicA&ers in the west
and Northwestern cam hold its own
with any of it's opponents. In the
Chicago game Cotton tried for place
kick and missed the mark by a close
margin, the strong wind blowing di-
rectly against the ball, veering 1T off to
one side Just enough to spoil the at
tempt.
wisconsin has to develop a new
man for this work this season, it hav-
ing lost Driver and Juneau, who were
depended upon last season. Washer,
from all accounts, is showing form,
and Fogg was always able to I'LL IN
this place should no one else appear
more capable of doing the work: Alb
bolt, too, can punt a bit, but Coach
Curtis has yet to develop a man UP
10 the standard Of the other punters
in the west.
Northwestern and Wisconsin have
been the weakest teams in the west
in goal kicking this season. Not hav-
ing made the touchdowns it has been
Impossible for these teams to kick
goals, but the scoring machines de-
veloped by Yost, Stage and DR.. Will
Hams are not noticeable with the pur-
pie or badger elevens. The total
humber of touchdowns by the SIX big
western schools are as follows:
+ Michigan, "a; Minnesota, 10; Chi
cago, So; Illinois, so; Wisconsin, A
Northwestern, 33.
! The total number Of goals kicked
by each institution after the above
touchdowns are as follows:
Michigan, so; Minnesota, As; Chi
cago, 40; Illinois, Sc; Wisconsin, 26
Northwestern, "a.
s. Captain Rogers of Minnesota lead:
all western players in individual scor'
ing, Tom Hammond of Michigan l:
second, Captain Ellsworth Of Chicago
is third. Then follow Cotton Of North
western, Null Of Illinois and Washer
Of Wisconsin. The full list Of goal:
from touchdowns scored by these ST.
varsity elevens is as follows:
= Rogers, Minnesota, 46; Hammond
Michigan, A; Ellsworth, Chicago, "a
Cotton, Northwestern, 10; Muhl, ILL
11ois II; Washer, Wisconsin IA; Cur
It's Michigan, -; Parry, Chicago, 10
Fairweather, Illinois, Z; Rothgeb, II
linois, Z; Balm, Wisconsin, s; Catl1n
Chicago, 4; Bronson, Illinois,4; Cham
berlain. Wisconsin, 8; Schnur, Chi
cago, 2; Abbott Wisconsin, 2; Nc
Cam, Northwestern, 2; Sherlock
northwestern, 2; Graver, Norcross
Dickey and Bigelow of Michigan
Findlay OF Wisconsin, Marshall am
Kramer Of Minnesota, Tanner o
Northwestern and Barter Of Illinois
/ each.
A total Of 500 touchdowns has BEEF
made by these six schools. registerin,
1916 points. Adding to this the 30
goals kicked and the total nurnbe
Of points scored by the six. leadinl
universities Of the west amounts t.
1879.
a Few Mary AIMS.
as Walter Eckersall is an athlete. He is a.
amateur if he was all that he says he not
is. but the Amateur Athletic union say
what he now is depends upon what he was
The question is, was he?
q Racing at Worth is not particular