The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-31
FOOTBALL
stage VS.. CURTIS
Personal Equation in Chicago-Wis'
consin Game To-day Must Not
Be Overlooked.
Michigan Is the Favorite Over Min
nesota Among the Critics at
Chicago.

Chicago, Oct. 31.--At last the great
day the rooters have talked about for
so long q time is here--the day that
will be famous in the annals of west
ern college football for years to come.
For many seasons college men in
their halls Will discuss the games that
4 are scheduled for this afternoon and
play them thru again and again and
tell over and over the stories of the
prowess Of their heroes.
All the members of the big nine have
important games, but three Of these
contests stand out above all the rest
in importance and intrinsic go merit
. These three are: Minneso ia Michigan,
Chicago Wisconsin,, Northwestern-Il ILL
nois. '.&t
The game on Northrop, field prob
ably will call forth the highest article
of football, and seems to have the most
important bearing on the champion
ship.
To the thousands Of followers of
the fortunes of the maroon and purple
the outcome Of the great struggle in
the north is Of less consequence than
the results of the games in which their
faVorites are booked to appear.
Inc maroons, accompanied by 1900
rooters, left the North Western sta
ton this morning at o'clock for Mad
ison They go to face a crisis. Oppos-
foe, so worthy, indeed, that the result
of the. game, cannot now be forecasted
with any degree. of accuracy. Thru
the week the hopes of Wisconsin and
Chicago supporters have alternately
risen and fallen. Last night, on the
confidence in both; camps. -whioI l. told
to- certainty that the game would be
terrific and stubbornly fought Out
IN hitchcock hall, on the Midway, each
man held short informal recept.nr
IN his room after dinner. At o'clock
Coach Stage went around, spoke a few
words of hope and announcement to
his men and sent them off to bed. They
were feeling we'll and in good spirits.
They were not overconfident. They
were determined. ":
Crucial Game for Chicago.
We look upon this our crucial
game said Captain Ellsworth. I'VE
feel that If we can win this game, we
can win from Michigan on Thanksgiv-
ing Day. The men are going in to
fight for all they are worth. am not
making predictions as to the outcome"
Coach. Stage said: THE practice
went better yesterday, altho there were
some balks which I fear may recur
in the game. We had signal practice
and drilled them for some time in
defense, allowing the scrubs to use
Wisconsin formations, as far as I know
them. The men got a good deal Of
snap and ginger into their work. The
outcome Is in doubt I do not know
how we'll they can play at Wisconsin,"
. A good deal has been said about
Wisconsin profiting more than Chi
cago by the changes in the rules. This
may mean something and it may
football taught by Phil King. is not
effective unless 1t has men OF excep-
tionaf ability to carry it out. In the
past Stagg has turned out strong
teams with material that would have
been next to nothing to King and his
Princeton play. Besides, most of the
men on Wisconsin's team this year
are new to the game at Wisconsin,
They are veterans, but not Wisconsin
veterans. %a -"
Also there is personal equation in
this game which has been too much
against Curtis. Curtis may be a great
coach, but he has yet to prove it.
Stage Is a great coach. He has proved
1t. Until Curtis makes good we can
but make the older man the favorite.
Curtis IS reported to have said that
he was glad of the chance to put
Stage on the shelf. Stage read let
ter to that. effect in the mass meeting
on the Midway campus yesterday. It
is not improbable that Curtis will find
out De1Ore the sun sets tomorrow
that Stage is still a long way from the
shelves. .:c
While Chicago's maroons are bat
ting at Madison the purple clad war
riors of the other local university will
be striving to uphold the reputation
they made in the Chicago game two
weeks ago. The Him.. already de-
feated once, and hence out Of the
championship race, will try to redeem
themselves somewhat by winning
from McCormack's men. z-as~-.-.
In the Chicago game Illinois showed
a more varied attack than Northwest
ern showed a week before. Consider
ing the improvement in the Chicago
line 1t was quite as effective as North
Westerns attack. 9'a ., r.
@ In this game it is case of even
money and take your choice.
j. Gophers VS.. Wolverines.
When the frosty night settles down