New-York tribune., 1905-11-20
ON THE GRIDIR0N.
Princeton Team, Though Beaten,
Deserves Mach Credit.

prediction YVES made that Yale would score az
least three touchdowns and that Princeton would
probably not get over the Blues goal line al
all. Yale got the three touchdowns. and one
more for good measure while the Tigers saved
themselves from a shut-out by Tooker's fine
forty yard free drop kick for a goal. l say IL
was the expected that happened and yet there
were a great many unexpected happenings In
the course Of the game that thirty-two thou
sand persons wen: y New Haven to watch. The
first development that not in the least
ticipated was that for 4 large part of the first
( half Princeton would actually outplay Yale.
Yet so it was After the Blue. helped by Dill
Ions E1uff of punt on Princetons 20-yard line,
had hammered way the line for the
first tally, Cooney's more than held against
ohevllns forces. The figures show, indeed. that
they gained twenty yards more by rushing in the
entire first half than did Yale. Twice they
marched along for distance of thirty-five
yards only to lack the power to keep up the
journey goalward. But while they were NOV
ing they simply tore through Yale's defence
tore 1t up so steadily that it was hard to see
now they could fail to win if they kept it up.
But they didn't keep it up That was the
trouble They simply tired themselves out.
Condition won the game for Yale. One scarce
ly resists this conclusion for when the second
half began 1t is likely that three -fourths of the
spectators Of experience expected Princeton to
worse than a tie game. But the half had not
been in progress long when it was plain that
the Tigers were beginning 30 go to pieces. and
Princeton's Strength Iessened and lessened
steadily. until at the end. despite occasional
flashes of reviving power, Yale tore through the
Tiger defence pretty much as she pleased.
Princeton played nineteen men in the match
to Yales fifteen. and all of the Yale squad fin
ished the match in good condition, considering
the mill they had been through. save Finn,
who was on the verge of exhaustion when he
made place for Knox. That is the story of the
game-superior ability of the playing machine
to stand continual hammering. While the Tigers
lasted they were actually stronger than Yale,
but every football game is composed Of two
halves. There is nothing to take back of the
advance praise for the Yale attack. 1t was the
perfection of schooling. 1t is safe to say that
no team will ever trot out upon an earthly grid
iron more efficiently drilled more perfect in the
technique of the game, individually and col
lectiVely, than the eleven men whom Yale sent
out at the first Shrek of the referees whistle on
Saturday. The attack a machine Of hu-
man elements but as inevitable if 1t had been
made of steel and driven by dynamo. All the
same, it had not the strength of the Princeton
attack as long as the Princeton attack held out.
The Tigers let loose driving. plunging assault
that had world of power in it and not little
speed but 1t was far from as finished piece
of work Yale's. All the same it would have
won had the cogs of it not been broken off and
hammered in. There was a flaw IN the steel
and it wouldn't stand the strain.
The game showed & lot of clever work done
by individuals Captain Cooney, as 1 said be-
fore. is not the Cooney of last year, for last
year he made some magnificent advances OF the
ball against the best defence that Yale or any
other eleven ever sent to a big game. He made
some good gains on last Saturday. but he by
no means dominated his team in that respect
Bard and Daub were each as capable in this re-
nd
the line plunge gains for the Tigers Both
Dillon and Tenney did some good work at quar-
terback, the former playing the position four
ifths of the game. AS field general Tenney
appeared to me to be the better man. His cool
ness and clean handling of Roome's punt for
fair catch stamp him as a man who knows how
to do the right thing in an emergency Dillon,
on the other hand. though he ran his team well
for the most part, did not always handle the ball
cleanly and could not be depended on to catch
a punt, his muff In the first half practically Civ
ing Yale a gain of fifty yards, and putting the
Blue within striking distance of the goal line,
which she soon afterward crossed. The Tiger
ends Brasher and Tooker, did themselves credit.
the latter especially getting UP under an as
sortment of stunted punts that were enough TO
make any end resign his job Of his drop kick
for four points there be only one opinion.
OF course he wouldn't have got the chance If
the Yale back had had the presence of mind to
kick out of bounds, but. having got the chance.
not even the wonderful De Witt himself could
have improved it any better. OF the other for
wards not much be said except that they
played hard and that Herring and H Dillon
opened up a good many holes through Forbes
and Erwin.
have said that Yale's back field and attack
in general were the best have ever seen. but
that is far from saying that Yae's team was the
best In fact it was far from the best. There
was. for example, no such secondary defence as
in the days when De SauIles and Rockwell were
at quarterback. Veeder of the first string
halves had to be taken out early in the game
because of weakness in this respect. Nor did the
Yale backs follow the ball with that instanta-
neous sense of where to look for it-that foot
ball instinct which always characterizes the play
of a master in this positon-such. for example
as Captain Hurley last year and such as he
has yet to prove himself this year The work
of Hutchinson on the other hand, was an eye
opener to the Yale coaches. They had never
seen him do such brilliant work in any of the
so-called practice games. and he sent in TO
run off the plays only because Joness ankle
was in such condition that if he played II would
have to be on crutches But Hutchinson played
a good enough game to enttle him to place on
any eleven that l can think Of He does not ap- |
pear to be a Rockwell Daily, though IL some I
of the departments of the game he is the equal
of these great quarters He muffed punt or !
two however and the opposing attack some !
times fooled him to its destination. but he
ran the team with lots of snap, directed tie /
plays with excellent judgment and passed al !
most perfectly. When it comes TO running back :.
punt in broken field. he must be reckoned as !
among the best quarters now playing His SIX :
ty-fve yard dash. balancing himself most of the
time barely on the right side Of the side line :
was really expert and dashing performance |
just as was Shevlin's expert interference that I
enabled him to get his start
The Yale captain was his game most of |
the time though the necessity for keeping an /!
eternalIy vigiant eye the general progress !
of the game and the condition of his players /