New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-23
ON THE GRIDIRON.
YALE BETTER At KICKING.
Superor1ty in This Regard Largely
Responsible for Tictoru.

ing language: News comes from Nex-H Haven that
the coaches not hopeful OF winning a victory
over Harvard. / do not share their pessmism
Inlly expect TO Yale victory by a margin Of
al least three touchdowns. and II seems unlikely
ehat harvard Will score This was OF course
exactly what happened. There was naturally a
certain element OF luck in the exactness with
which this prophecy borne out And vet
u'ls writer was unable see how any
NOnpetent observer of the game could expect any
uiiHs out Yale triumph. The prophecy that
mar 'ard would fail tally was based largely
upon her inefhciency in the kicking department a
feature OF the game that mas been for some time
sro"lng in Importance. and which has this season
proved more vital than ever before Princeton
owes her victory Yale to a place kick by
ne witt Yale owes hers over Harvard to the fact
mat Carl Marshall could not drop an easy goal
from the field and to Hsrvard's failure de-
Veiop first class punter for in time of trouble
Il must be plain to anybody who the game
mat good kicking by Yale and poor kicking by
harvard had much TO do with the reSUIt Of
saturdays match any thing Yale gained
many precious yards because Mitchell. the best
punter of the year, outpunted lie Moyne and
Nichols consistently from first to last The Stats
tcians have figured IT all out with exactness. but
we do not need to know their figures to the
truth.
Yale sent out a sad wall on the night before the
game. the burden OF which was that she was send
ing in team of patched up cripples against the
issue. There was of course. truth in this
woe But the condition Of the team. apart from
injuries. a vast Improvement over what it
had been a week before. I know that every Yale
player and coach with characteristic loyalty, de-
MED to the last that the eleven was over
trained for the Princeton match. but the facts
speak for themselves. Last week was principally
devoted to getting back the lost steam, and good
deal Of 1t they got back. Otherwise Harvard must
surely have No team not in fair shape could
make such heroic and successful stands within
and even five yards Of their own goal as did Yale
Saturday, on occasion holding up, the
one yard line. mind you. an attack that had stead
sly battered down their defence for thirty thirty
five yards. Then too, the looked better than
they did week ago. Half of them looked the
staIeness they showed in the Princeton game. Yes
terday they looked fit, and they played fit
Yale's strongest point was at her ends. Indeed,
the game that Shevlin and Rafferty, put up was
worth going long way TO see, and more than
deemed them for the manner in which Davis and
Henry disposed Of them Yale Field. Occasion
ally they missed the who caught the punt. but
the slipperiness of the ground had much to do with
these failures. But for the most part they
simply ubiquitous. Each Of them blocked a punt,
and thereby did much 10 add touchdown each to
Yales score. Ranerty's achievement, indeed
followed at by a tally the ball bounded
the line and Hogan fell it there while from
the other blocked punt Yale bucked the ball
steadily the line by successive rushes-
Had ShevIn and Rafferty, been capable a week
before of the game they showed on Saturday
Princeton might not be the champion of
1903. But week before it simply was
not in them. But Shevlin and Rafferty, were not
alone in their improvement. Every man on the
team played a better game. Hogan showed some
thing like the Hogan Of 1892 in offensive work, his
plunging being especially valuable when inside the
25-yard limit. On the defensive he still far
from himself however. Behind the line the New
Haven players played excellent football Rockwells
work was a vast improvement. He did not lose his
head at critical moments, mix his signals so
fatally as before while he ran off his plays with
snap and Judgment Mitchell made many good gains
through the line. and when it came 70 punting was
invariably be relied upon for distance and speed
But the brilliant game Of the entire day was played
BY Harold Metcalf 1t the last time this young
man Will wear a Yale football uniform. and he may
retire with the consciousness that no back OF re-
cent years has put UP a better defence. He was
absoIuteness itself. Time and repeat he alone was
the only barrier between Harvard and a touch
down. But he waited his chance, and he leaped
like 2 leopard Rugged like a bear and stuck like
porous plaster. II hopeless task for a runner
to try TO get by him. He never missed. Nor did
he muf single punt He embraced them as II he
,o,ed them His offensive work. too, was brilliant
and he made the longest single run OF the game
For this one game alone his name ought 10 DC
written in large letters upon Yales football history
Harvard made a game stand. after rather hui
soo+bar NJ the year. There were moments. espe-
cially in the first half. when she outolayed fae
on offensive work. and when IL seemed tlat S4le
was likely 10 win. Luck was against her, TOO al
one or two critical moments, notably When Nlchos
7-orrad the hall when with IL on Hales 6-yard
line after Harvards line had steadily battered It's
vav for many yards. There were many ifs about
this game If Nichols had not dropped the baIi' II
Marshall could have kicked an easy goal from the
field: II lie Moynes punts had not been piockeu
and several Others like unto these. Carl Marshall
was the most improved man in the team AT that
he was far from being an ideal quarterback. When
his men were tearing Yale's lineup he failed to
keen things humming along at rapid IRE pace ana
he mufTed a punt occasionally, just TO Keep MS
hand in. though none of his muffs proved costly.
And then of course. he was melancholy failure
as a drop kicker. In this particular. however ne
mas plenty Of company. The season has not de-
veloped a first class drop kicker. Even DE Wiz
failed miserably at this style of play.
II there must be BOBBY prize awarded, it will
be unanimously awarded to Parkinson for his IN
regenerate passing TO lie Moyne Much Of lie
Moynes poor punting must be ascrioed TO the I'M
speakable passes he had TO handle. One Of them
actually went over his head so far that he could
,o+ even touch it, and three out OF four i'm
rossible 1t seems strange that in all this long
saason the coaches could have found 200
mound man who could pass with some approach 10
accuracy. Anyhow. they didn't knowlton and lie
Novne deserve word of praise. The former was
t5arvari's chief ground gamer through the line
and the latter followed the bah al the time. lie
Novne seemed somewhat Hliscast at guard Prob
sh1,- his abilities Of speed and agility could have
hen better utilized at end, where he started the
- Nai.her Nichols nor Schoefkopf appeared
- &c good advantage as in the Pennsylvania game.
hut of course they had much stronger defence
"a meet and their interference on end plays vas
not much
10 ,au football was displayed during the game.