The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-20
BOOTH SAYS He Z
IS HOPEFUL, TOO
Nebraska s Coach Is Experiment.
ing with a Human Mausoleum
at Center.

preliminary practice at Nebraska, which has
just ended, finds affairs quite as satisfactory
as Booth could expect. The lateness of the
head coanh in arriving on the scene will prob
ably initiate slightly against the cornhuskers.
Already Booth finds that he cannot hope to
avoirdupofs. Only one Of Booths squad this
year is man Of unusual avoirdupois. This
fellow is Leslie Mills He weighs, CARRIED
nature made him, 264 pounds, and he is by all
odds the bulkiest, biggest, strongest man who
ever donned the moleskins Nebraskas campus
Mills is also unusually active for one of his
bulk. Booth is big enough and strong enough
with his 220 pounds to give any of the ordinary
gridiron giants lively tussle, but he is help
less to. handle Mills altho, he has, tried it
many times in practice and has failed signally
almost every attempt. Mills is raw material,
with only two years previous football experience
on an academy team, and it is by means
Booth. nevertheless, is quite confident that the
Franklin Baby Mills has been dubbed, will
fit in to nicely at the center Of the line
With Mills at center, it means that Borg
the center who went to Chicago for two short
days and then renewed his allegiance with the
cornhuskers, must be switched to guard or
tackle and right now there is every indication
that this very readjust1nent is what Booth is
aiming at Booths squad will begin scrim-
magings this week, and one of Booths first
moves will be to try Borg at guard. There
are two other promising candidates for the op-
pos1te guard position, Barta and Speer. Barta
was scrub last year, but he had all the ear
| ludihS OIL conner. Ills weight IS over 2OO
pounds and his speed and aggressiveness, es-
pecially the latter combine to make him fine
material speer is not hefty Barta, but
he Is speedier and also more aggressive, and any
speculation as to the personnel Of the Nebraska
line must include Speer strong contestant
for guard.
Cy Mason, veteran of two years at left
Tackles is reasonably certain of having his old
position cinched. Robertson, substitute right
tackle last season. got into the practice today
for the first time and will bend all of his ener-
ges toward becoming regular In the line Just
now Booth is rather short of good tackle mate
rial, but there three four men on the
squad who look fairly good. and if one of them
develops the tackle problem will be solved.
Johnson, colored boy who played end in
1902, is back into the game, and his present
form is good enough to assure him a place in the
varsity lineup at one Of the TANKS. The other
end is open to argument Captain Benedict, in
| all probability will return to his old position
at quarter. Bender the whirlwnd halfback is
a fixture at right half and Glenn Mason seems
to have an edge on the other candidates for the
fullback position, altho he lacks somewhat in
avQirdupois, and some Of the heavier green
men stands q chance, at least, to beat him out.
The other halfback position is yet debatable
Meanwhile, the Borg incident is considered
closed as far as Nebraska is concerned altho
the athletic authorities did not bottle their
wrath until Borg had returned to the corn
huskers' fold. Booth absolves Stage from the
suspicion Of having unduly Influenced Borg to 90
to Chicago, but others in authority at Nebraska
make no concealment Of the belief that ques-
tionable tactics resorted to to influence
Borg to Join the Chicago squad.