The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-04
FOOTBALL
COMMENCE TO HEDGE
Michigan Men Back Down on Their
Charges of Rough Play by
Gophers.
Minnesota Begins Hard Work in
Preparation for Illinois Game
Lawrence Saturday.

baoins it's hard work in preparation
for the game with Illinois at Cnalu
paign, Nov. IA. This Is the next nalu
game. and the last college contest pc
4 fore \ the battle with Wisconsin
Thanksgiving day. The game with
lawrence university, of Appleton
wis, Saturday, is merely praGtice
game, and no special work Will p
done in getting ready Tor the llI.ie
badger team. Illinois is dlfferent
nroposition. Coach Woodruff's men
have been defeated by both chicago
and Northwestern, but the team is
nevertheless so strong that the goph-
ers cannot afford to take chances.
DIR. Williams will aim to have his men
on edge for this game, and afterWaru
tbav will have time to rest day or
two before beginning to put on the
final touches in preparation FOR WIS
consin.
The game with Lawrence is the best
college game of the season on Noftn-
rop field. The athletic board mas de-
cided to make the admission oo Genus
for all parts Of the field and no seats
will be reserved. Altho the game Will
be one-sided, it will be interesting be-
cause In all probability it will be the
last public appearance or the great
1908 team on the home grounds. Inc
rooters generally, hope for big score.
because they want to see the total Tor
The present team has already scored
MANY more points than any former
Minnesota eleven has made.
Practice Yesterday was open for the
teams were given light work. Sor1m.
mage was cut out, because several OF
the first eleven are still stlH IRON,
saturdays game, and the second
eleven had q hard battle with the
North Dakota Agricultural college
Monday. O'Brien and Harris alter
mated in running the first team. Both
men displayed all their customary
dash and vim, altho O'Brien showed
decided limp. Minnesota appears to
be better fixed for quarterbacks than
any team except possibly Chicago
which has Lee Maxwell, of last year
team, as substitute for Eckefsall
1t would be hard to convince any
Minnesota man, however, that ECKER
sail and Maxwell are better team
than O'Brien and Harris. Michigan
rooters and correspondents who saw
Saturdays game were unanimous In
saving that they did not see how
O'Brien or anyone else could have
done better than Harris.
The second team went thru Its
work with considerable spirit. The
men have evidently learned mucf
from playing against a strange team
The officials for the game witt
Lawrence Saturday will be Phil AL
len of Chicago, referee; Henry Clarke
Jr. of Chicago, umpire; and rGeofs'
Belden, head linesman. The gam
will be called at o'clock.
Michigan has already begun t
hedge on her charges Of rough pla:
on the part of the gophers. Yester
day, Y st gave out a statement In AM
&rbor in which he said that the neces
sary fierceness Of the championship
game was responsible for the bruise
sustained by the Michigan mer
notably Heston and Maddox. Yos
says:
"Heston and Maddox did most Q
Michigans ground gaining. The
could not be stopped by ord1nar
tackles, and sometimes half a doze
Minnesota men had to sit on them t
stop them at all. This determine
football made most Of the marks o
their faces, and it is an error to al
tribute it all to dirty work"
Word has also been passed along tn
line at Ann Arbor that talk about ur
sportmanlike conduct on Minnesota
part must be cut out. Will
no definite statement has been mad
In regard to a game with the gopher
next year, 1t is probable that no diff
Guilty will be experienced in arrangin
another contract.
It is gratifying to find that the me
at the head Of Michigan's athletic a.
fairs realize how puerile are n
ordinations and charges Of foul pls
against an opponent. It is not I
gratifying to note the persistence
Michigan in excusing her practical d.
feat on the ground of lack of time fl
preparation. and the greenness
some of her men. It will be remen
bered that Yost stated before the gan
that his team was playing faster bs
than the 1901 or 1902 teams, and tn
he would have no excuses to offer
the game was lost. 1t will be remer
bered, also, that Yost in several l.
terviews in Ann Arbor and Detrc
expressed his confidence of winnin
After these statements talk of shit
and improvements in the team seer
ill-timed. The following editori
from the Detroit Tribune shows II
disposition to explain away Michigan
failure to defeat the gophers:
There Is cause for neither surprise I
regret that the Michigan football team
not give Minnesota a decisive and che
acterlstic beating. The standing of
champions is not obscured. Minnesota "
SO rejoiced at the result with q tie IL
the inferiority Of it's position If not of
team is admitted. There was very lit
in the game to evidence champions
form in either team. Minnesota had
advantage Of three weeks more pract
and three or four more practice gan
than Michigan, with consequent bet
team work Michigan was woefully WE
in the kicking department, but forunat
not so weak as Minnesota. Neither S
was in danger from the kicking of
other and there was little brilliant pl
ing except in the fierce line bucking.
dispatches have it that there was sc