New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-14
ON THE GRIDIR0N.
POST-MORTEM REMARKS.
Why Princeton Lost-COuldn't Beat
Yale at Latter's O1cn Game.


so much in the week before the game, bore
out all New-Haven traditions by playing as il
entirely sound. and of them, Bloomer. was
largely responsible for Yales first touchdown
Owsley was the only Yale man who did not
finish the game. and he abundantly able
to do so. Princeton, the other hand. was
forced to four substitutes In my mind
the first reflection induced by the result OF the
match is that it once more puts the seal OF
success on the battering style OF play
adopted six years ago by the Yale coaches and
adhered to uninterruptedly ever since. That
this style of game is an unwhoesome deVeiop-
ment for football is my firm conviction That
the men who control the future OF the game
have some doubts about its wisdom appears evi-
dent from the fact that the rules committee
who might be taken behind the line when play
between the 25-yard lines But the coaches
have evaded the intent of these limitations by
increasing the size and weight or their line
plungers until now, If 1t not for the neces-
sity of fast secondary defence, we should un-
doubtedIy see the principal teams made up
cIns;,-eIv Of two hundred Founders, whose only
football quality would be that of smashing by
sheer brute strength and weight.
It seems obvious enough that the only possible
recommendation for this sort of football is
that 1t wins It's effectiveness is demonstrated
beyond question by the high average OF Yale's
success in the last half dozen years. There is
no doubt in my mind that only poor condition
lost last years Princeton game to the Blue. And
when the present season opened 1t appeared
likely that Yale had the material for develop
ing her heavy mass play attack to such pltch
of effectiveness as other team could success
fully cope with. 1t plain that 1t was hope
less to try to beat Yale at her own game that
the best hope of her opponents seemed to lie in
the opposition Of speed and cleverness to weight
and power. PrincetOns backfleld seemed CHOSEN
with that end in view, else why the lightweight
Foulke and Ritter? But in actual play the
Tigers tried many more line plays tnail runs
OF course 1t is true that the soft and slippery
field initiated somewhat TO the disadvantage OF
the lighter team, but scarcely more In open plays
than in pushing matches. However, the loose
and soveny manner in which the running pays
were operated made it evident that II the held
had been as hard a rock Yale would nave
had little difficulty in stopping them Ha1 the
time there was no interference Whatever LOT lns
runner and when there was either the runner
outran it or it loosely organized that
tha vale ends and backs got through ii without
difficulty. Twice at least Tenney the Prince
ton quarterback. who, by the way, is the Iast-
est runner and cleVerest dodger L nave seen on
the field this season, was thrown for severe
losses once he stood off three attempts to tackle
him, only to lose yard at last. because OF az
his ten colleagues not was near 10 help
him. With q phenomenal runner like Iehhey
and a really we'll drilled flying interference. won
ders might have been wrought against such a
comparatively slow moving company OF giants
as Yales eleven.
But the Princeton coaches did not see their
tried when all is said and done. to beat Yale
at her own game and of course they failed
Even the Tigers line attack was not as sharp
and compact as IN the West Point game the
men did not ali get into the play every time. as
they did against the soldiers. There was one
sUurt in the second half when it seemed that
Princeton might score. By line plunges by
Cooney, Stanard and Miller, varied with short
dashes between tackle and end by Ritter, the
I line Val
held to the third down and quarterback kick
was indicated Instead Princeton tried for her
distance failed and her last chance was gone.
Aside from that occasion, Yale was never IN
any really serious peril. She chose to play prac-
tically on the defensive all through the second
half, being contented with her margin of twelve
points It should have been a to game.
butchers poor pass to Miller for punt and
Miller's fatal error in standing too close up
when punting out from behind his own goal line
made the Blue a present of her second touch
down. Miller all through the game, gave him
self too small margin of distance on his punts.
Several times he just got the ball off, and he
failed to get it away at the moment when 1t
was most important to do In other respects
he gave the best exhibition of punting the season
has shown, surprising everybody by outpunting
/ HCyt from start to finish In several occasions
the Princeton fullback got off a 6O-yard kick,
with aid whatever from the cross field wind.
It was not in any sense a spectacular game.
and the twenty-five thousand people who wit
messed it saw little brilliant football. Yale
played line plunges almost entirely, with
casional variation in the way of a quarterback
run a delayed pass, with which she far
more successful than the lighter and supposedly
faster Tigers There were fukes unless you
can call Miller's blocked punt fiuke, and the
! longest run Of the game was Leavenworth's 80
yard scramble a delayed pass. Both teams
however. played a game that was almost phe-
nomenally excellent in clean handling OF the
ball. Fumbles few and only one or two
punts were muffed. The play OF the backheld
revealed the fact that in Leavenworth, who
substituted for Morse. the regular right half
back, Yale has line punging back of the first
grade. He belongs to the comparatively small
number Of born football fighters It is hard to
analyze his success He does not hit the line low;
indeed. he far too high He has neither
great weight, strength physical compact
ness. All the same, he has instinct for the
weak place in the line and finds it as unerringly
as a homing pigeon its cote. He gained mora
ground for Yale than any other man Hovt was
OF niue use on the attack but played good foot
ball on the defence. Owsleys work was medf-
OGRE. Rockwell the team with exceIIen+
Judgment, although he has shown more speed
IL does not require much generalship however
to run a team that goes through a game with
only four or five plays, varied only by the rota
ton of the human elements that connosa +ba,
Hogan did not play In his best form Coopev
rather put it over him in the line and the vale
captains famous bull-like rushes were not as
eHectlYe as formerly For the first quarter of
the game Bloomer bore the brunt of the ground
gaining with all the rresstibiIity that has rivap
him his great reputation a line pIunger and
having done his work, retired into comparative
desuetude
There was no brilliant end play in the entire
game. Shevln has not this year at snv time
been the shevlin of last year. and on Saturday