The Savannah morning news., 1903-12-26
EASILY OVERCAME HANDICAP OF
SUPERIOR WEIGHT OF OPPONENTS.
THOUSAND PEOPLE BRAVED
WEATHER TO SEE GAME.
STEADY RAINFALL INTERPRETED
WITH PLAYING AND ATTENDANCE.

visitors Superior Weight Told in
offensive Play, But Savannah's
Fast Backs Went Through the
Line and Around Their Ends at
WiII-ScOre Would Have Been
Much Larger on Fast Field.
FINAL score Was 81 to o in Favor
of Savannah.
on a field three inches deep in water,
and in a steady downpour of rain the
Savannah footmall team bore the blue
and white to victory again yesterday
afternoon, outplaying at every point
the heavy Fort Mcpherson team, and
overcoming the great handicap that
weight made against them on the slip
perry ground. At the end of the last
half the soldiers had been unable to
score and the blue and white had
piled up 81 points.
Despite all adverse circumstances the
game was all that lovers of that par
ticular kind of sport could have desir-
ed. The blue and white eleven is
great. Far greater in strength and
science than it's most ardent admirers
had dreamed Of. Outweighed eight
pounds to the man, and on field where
weight was almost all, they never fall
tered after starting the ball down the
field, going through, around and even
over the soldiers line at will.
In offensive play the superior weight
of the soldiers told and they went into
the white and blue line for gains a
number of times. Whenever Capt.
Cope called STEADY men" the ad-
vances of the infantrymen were check
ed, and the ball would go over on
downs.
Rain Prevented Great Game.
Despite the heavy downpour of rain
that commenced shortly after l o'clock,
drenching the field at Bolton Street
Park, and making a veritable duck
pond of the gridiron, several hundred
people went out to witness the strug-
gle. The crowd would have been much
larger had it been known positively
that the game would be played, rain or
shine. If it had not rained one Of the
best games witnessed on the field here
this season would have been played.
CAPT. cope ana MS ul6Il MOuiu navy
tried to see just how many points they
could have piled up and the real
strength of the team could have been
determined. Owing to the wet condi-
ton of the ball, Capt. Cope was able
to kick only two goals.
Soldiers Used Mass Formation.
The soldiers full back, who weighed
nearly 200 pounds, did excellent work
for the team and in this he was great
ly helped by the two halfbacks. The
soldiers used a mass formation. AT
the call of the signal all the men ex-
cept four would get on the side of the
line where the play was directed and
thus Savannahs tackles had to buck
three or, four. men. End around end
and half through tackle were the only
other plays used by them.
Savannah used a, large number of
plays, chief among which was the mass
on tackle. Harmon and Sullivan were
used chiefly to take the ball, while
Mcneil was saved for defensive work.
Among the other plays used was the
end through center, the cross and
straight back end run, fake end play,
and tackle back Not once did Sa-
vannah fail to gain her five yards, and
at times netted many long runs.
In the second half several subs were
run in, but even then Savannah's
SCOIlIlS ulQl sup. ID dillldlu lllduC
eight touchdowns, but one was for
feited for holding.
Penalties Were Imposed.
Savannah was penalized sew
elal times for off sides and once for
foul play. Harmon ran through CEN
ter with the ball when he was play wing
quarter. when he should have run five
yards to either side before starting to
turn for the run. The soldiers were
also penalized twice for off side play
though each time they claimed that
Black was off side also.
At a quarter to four there was hard
" any one on the grounds. but as 1t
began to clear up the people began to
arrive and by time the game began
there was nearly thousand specta-
tors on hand. A few ladies were
present.
At first it seemed that the soldiers
would score, but Savannah secured the
ball OH a tumble and a minute later
scored her first touchdown. She kick
ed off every time, but twice, and IN
Variably scored sooner than they would
have otherwise.
Savannah Mems Excellent Work.
The features of the game were the
long runs of Harmon, the line bucking
of Sullivan, Cofer and Rossiter, and
the good all around work of Mcneil,
Rossiter. Cope and McIntire, though 1t
is hard to say who did the best play
ing for Savannah. All the men. did
their share but there were rev
bright spots in a brilliant team. AS
has been said before Harmon's END
running was the feature of the game
Time after time this human deer would
speed around the ends, and fves times
success crowned him and he scored;
once, however, his touchdown did not
count on account of Hicks holding and
hugging a man in his Joy.
Mcneil, at fullback, was great. his
tackling and interference was little
short of marvellous, and it was he VINO
with Rossiter, stopped several plays
through the line that would nave
otherwise gone a long distance.
Sullivan, at halfback, played game
that any man would be proud OF,
making several good runs and making
good gains. Cope at quarter ran the
team superbly and scored one OF the
touchdowns on long run through the
entire opposing team.
All of the ends did good work, Lands
berg, however, outplayed the others
Jimmie McIntire gained ten yards in
his only trial and helped the runners
well
ROHsiter n star.
Again the only Rosslter was in ev-
cry play, smashing up the opposing
Interference and getting his man. His
work I'm this game was the best he
ever put up, both on the defense and
the offense, Both Mitchell and Nc
Intire played fine ball, McIntire ex-
ceiling on the offensive and Mitchell