The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-06
GOPHERS LOOK
GOOD TO CRITICS
st. Louis Expert Thinks Mime
sofa 1906 Will Be Greatest
in West.

The football expert Of the St. Louis Globe.
Democrat thinks well of Minnesota's 1906 foot
ball prospects. In Mondays paper he writes
as follows:
The shadow of the Minnesota gopher Is al.
ready falling across the trail of the wolverine
and the badger. 1t is several years since he
first caught the scent, but, according to present
signs, he will try to make his kill next fall
on whatever football fields he induce his
rivals to meet him.
This year the gopher was strong. Fumbles
and mishaps helped to his downfall in Skin
mish with the badgers at Minneapolis. : The
eleven of his tribe showed excellent football,
except for fumbling of punts, and the eleven
badgers were fortunate to get away with a
scant victory. ...... .. =.
Next year the gophers will rally for an
pecial effort. Graduations and the four-year rule
will cause the loss to the team OF but one
man, and, with a wealth Of new material in
the freshman class that entered this year and
eligible next season, the authorities hope for
victory over Wisconsin, Michigan and Chicago,
provided games with those elevens can be Sc
cured. =, -.-.-.
The spell Of Wolverine Yost, broken this year
by Chicagos splendid defensive stand, will no
longer awe the west. It has been shown that
other coaches handle football squads.
Badgers Claws Drawn.
For the badger will go to battle shorn Of many
OF his claws. Seven will be absent when
who will answer include the greatest on the
team-Bertke F1ndlay and Donovan, all western
men; Vanderboom, Bush, Remp and Melzner.
The Michigan eleven will lose Dunlap, Longman.
Schultz, Norcross and Misunderstanding holes
that even Yost will find trouble filling. Chicago
Is also unfortunate, and will miss Catlin Sherar,
! Bezdek, Hitchcock and Gale, and will be almost
| as unfortunat as her sister teams
! Thus it can be understood why the gopher is
crouching for the spring. Last year Minnesota
| was denied games with Chicago and Michigan.
Possibly one or both Of these elevens will ar
/ range struggles with Minnesota. In any case
! two of the big three will probably give battle
1 to the Minnesota eleven and thus give a strong
i enough line on the championship to settle it by
! comparison.
1t hardly seems possible that one Of the minor
! conference college elevens will be strong enough
to break into the ranks a rival Of the big
three. urdue showed excellent team this
season, and will lose but few men, three being
! slated for departure. The team did not have
quite enough class to it this year to break into
championship caliber rank, and will have to be
emitted from calculations.
Iowa Won't Do.
Iowa was not in class with the larger teams
Of the west this season, shown by. decisive
i defeats of IS and ~ to 0 by Minnesota and
/ Chicago. In addition Iowa will lose four good
men, and recruiting facilities there are not the
/ same as at the larger institutions Indiana
had fine team last year that was just tribe
short of championship quality. It will lose only
three men, but, like. the other lesser lights
cannot be figured in the race. Illinois anl
Northwestern were weak this year that they
seem hardly worth considering.
Minnesota, therefore, seems to have q chance
to best her rivals from Madison, and make
will make heroic efforts to recruit aggrega
tion that will win, and despite the loss of 81
many stars, can be relied upon to have a team
J that will be in at the DEATH