The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-29
Inability to Use Mass Plays
Aids the Punters.
FEW CAN DROP GOALS.
EckersalI and Hammond Have
Scored from Field.
Interesting Gossip Concerning
Western Elevens.

center Of the field to gain the required
distance when the opposing line is strong
forces teams playing the aggressive to
resort to the punting battle, and the con-
sequence is that this department of the
game has improved correspondingly.
Another angle of the same depart
ment, that of drop and place kicking
of goals from the field, has not received
the same attention that punting has
and the result is that, with two or three
possible exceptions, western eleYens are
handicapped by the lack of men able
to drop goals from the field when the
offense is not strong enough to batter
its way over the goal line by hard
plunging.
Michigan, Chicago, Minnesota, North
western and Illinois all have players
who have tried for drop kicks from the
field this season. but only twice has the
trick been turned in the championship
games. EckersaH managed to do it
against Indiana for Chicago and Tom
Hammond "Eckies' former teammate
at Hyde park, holds the same record
against the same opponent for Michigan.
Rogers for Minnesota, Cotton for North
western and Muhl for Illinois have yet
to accomplish the effort.
In punting all the big western teams,
with the exception of Wisconsin, are
well fitted with men who can give and
take in this department of the battle.
Chicago started out with Ellsworth
doing the kicking for the Maroons, but
his work was too erratic. 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 it
before he had made a substantial gain
in running it back. In the Northwest
ern game Stage changed to EckerSal1
and Improvement was noticeable imme-
diateIy. Eckersall is trif1e slow get
ting his puntS away and has failed at
critical moments on three or four occa-
sions to advance the ball at all, having
kicked it straight into the opposing line,
but as a rule he has the knack OF lift
ing the leather high in the air, giving
| his ends plenty of time and at the same
time twisting the ball so that 1t is pc
culiarly difficult to hold it When caught.
His punts are for good distances, 40 or
so yards each, SO that Chicago IS fairly
we'll fixed in this department Stagg
has given 'Eckie" little or no coaching,
| either in his position as quarterback or
| in kicking but with hints from the Ma
| room leader the high school star should
develop into a varsity star.
Michigan feels the loss of Sweeley
greatly in the punting game this sea-
| son for thew need him more than ever.
| Tom Hammond has proved great
plunging fulIback for the wolverines
and has done some good nuntahg TOT
them though he does not get the Dail
| away after the SWeeley style, the as
! lance 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. But he IS
holding his own with the majority or
the other punterS in the west.
DR.. Williams has in Rogers. the IN
diam the only veteran punter and drop
kicker in the west this fall. Captain
Rogers has proved his ability in more
than one fiercely contested gridiron bat
/ tie both in punting and drop-klcklng.
In the latter department of the game
he is one of the best the west has seen
since the days of Herschberger, and his
| distance and height In this depart
ment the GoDhers look the strongest of
any western eleven.
Muhl does the kicking for Illinois.
His work. as shown by the Chicago
game. was not up to EckersalPs either
in accuracy, height or distance. but he
nearly held his own. AS drop-kicker
| he did not shine particularly, for he
failed in the only attempt he made,
though Eckersan made three attempts.
each time MISSING the goal by wide
margins.
In Cotton Coach Mccormack has one
of the best punters and drop-kickers
| in the west, and Northwestern can hold
| its own with any of its opDonents. In
the Chicago game Cotton tried for
place kick and missed the mark by
close margin, the strong wind blowing
directly against the ball, veering it off
to one side just enough to spoil the at
tempt
Wisconsin has to develop a new man
for this work this season. it having
lost Driver and Juneau, who were de-
pended upon last season. Washer.
from all accounts. is showing form, and
| Fogg was always able to fill in this
place should no one else appear more
capable of doing the work. Abbott,
| too, can punt bit, but Coach Curtis
has vet to develop a man up to the
standard of the other punters in the
west.
/ Northwestern and Wisconsin have been
the weakest teams in the west in goal
| touchdowns, it has been impossible for
| these teams to kick goals. but the scoring
machines ma developed by Yost; Stagg and
Purple or Badger elevens. The total num-
Der of touchdowns by the six big western
Michigan. "A: Minnesota, 10; Chicago, So;
Illinois, 50: Wisconsin, A; Nor -hwestern. SO.
The total number of goals kicked by
each institution after the above touch
downs are as follows:
Michigan. GO: Minnesota, IS: Chicago, 40;
Illinois. So; Wisconsin, g. Northwestern, "a.
| Captain Rogers of Minnesota leads all
western PLAYERS in individual scoring Tom
Ellsworth of Chicago is third Then fol-
low Cotton of Northwestern. Muhl of Illi-
nois and Washer Of Wisconsin. The fun
list of touchdowns scored by these six
varsity eleyens is as follows:
Northwestern. 10: Null Illinois, II: Wash
er. Wisconsin. Il: Curtis, Michigan Il;
Parry Chicago, 10: Fairweather. Illinois,
7: Rothgeb, Illinois. Z; Bain Wisconsin, 6:
Catlin. Chicago. 4: Bronson, Illinois, 4;
Chamberlain. Wisconsin, 8; Schur, Chi
cago 2: Abbott. Wisconsin, 2: Mccain,
Northwestern. 2; Sherlock. Northwestern,
2: Graver, Norcross: Diekey and Bigelow
of Michigan. Findlay of Wisconsin, Mar
shall and Kramer of Minnesota, Tanner of
Northwestern and Barter of Illinois, /
each.
4 total of s2s touchdowns has been made
by these SIX schools. registering .645
points Adding to this the 234 goals kicked
and the total number of points scored by
the six leading universities of the west
amounts to 1879.
A Mixed Affair at Aqueduct.
New York Oct. 2s.-The most compli-