The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-03
Bv L. l. 961T1ns.

"a ILL Gnu VI tuo uTSC season OIL
~ organized western freshman
- "A football the 'E19O9'' team of
the University Of Minnesota must be
conceded second place among the "Big
Nine' freshman teams. Only Wiscon-
sin with her aggregation Of fast and
heavy freshman players can outrank
The gopher youngsters, and Wisconsin
won from Sig Harris wards only after
a fierce, even struggle.
That defeat by the badger team was
no disgrace was shown when the Wis
ronsin team shut out the Chicago fresh
men without a score and succeeded in
crossing the maroon goal line twice
this with Walter Steffens in at quar-
terback for Chicago. The Chicago
team partially redeemed itself by de-
feating the Illinois freshmen, but on
the basis of comparative showings the
Minnesota team, with it's victories over
Iowa and Northwestern and it's 5 to 10
score against Wisconsin, must be rated
second in the west with Chicago third,
Iowa fourth, Illinois fifth and North
western sixth. The other teams of the
big nine supported no officially recog-
nlzed Junior teams.
But Two Defeats.
In the Minnesota record of seven
games played there are two defeats,
one by Wisconsin and one by North
high of Minneapolis. North high won
from the freshmen by score Of 5 to
0, playing the men who had been dis
qualified by action Of TIE nigh school
authorities. To those who had watched
the play of the North high team during
bo bo lnFo 80
was not unexpected, as the high school
team, with lineup intact, was a wonder
full preparatory school aggregation.
The work of the freshmen team dur
ing the year has been extremely salts
factory to university followers of foot
ball and to those who have conscien-
tiously followed the freshmen play the
work of Coach Sig Harris in rounding
out team that could run up total Of
81 points on the Northwestern acere.
cation has been one of the creditable
features of varsity football during the
fall. From the time Of the first gather.
ing of the freshmen candidates for the
team Harris faced difficulties which
would have discouraged any coach, and
the fact that the Minnesota team ranks
second in the west is due largely 20 his
perseverance and resource.
The idea of a freshman team was new
at Minnesota, and while large numbe,
of candidates appeared FIR practice
the material was not encouraging. Very
few big men answered the call of The
freshman coach and there was deartr
of backfeld possibilities. Harris made
the best of the situation and began
drilling speed and football knowledge
into squad that looked almost impos
sible. -ar
Men Lacked Weight.
The handicap of lack Of material ha.
been present all during the season
Something of the difficulty which CoacE
n-arris faced may be realized from th>
fact that Of the eleven men who line,
8 Up against the Northwestern freshmen
seven did not appear as candidates 70,
the team until weeks after the seaso1
started. ...--s-l ~
On Sept. 20 the freshmen, scrimmage,
with the East high squad and the show
ing made was anything but encouraging
The high school held the freshmen prac
tically even. The work of BLY, at full
Z. back was an encouraging feature Of TIL
game, however, and Harris started t,
construct a backfeld that would CON
bine speed with strength.
The first regular game of the fresh
man schedule came ON Oct. z, when tn
4 team Of the Wisconsin business colleg
| of Racine was defeated 20 TO O. Th