Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-10-08
SPORllNC GOSSIP OF WEEK
Nebraska Feet Ball Team works Hard
Under Bot Sun.
VARSITY EYES ALL Look TO MICHIGAN
Coach BOoth Sees the Real Test Of
His Teams Prowess Loom Up
Two weeks Away aud
wants to BE Ready.

Foot bali practice is progressing under
full steam at the University Of Nebraska.
Coach Booth has entirely recovered from
his sickness, his squad Is giving evidence
OF rounding into form and weather condl-
lions are favorable to fast work on the
gFdiron for the first time Of the year.
Booth is pointing his pupils for the big
Michigan game OF October q, and while
confessing that the chance of annexing the
honors is extremely remote, Is bent on
making the most OF the material that is
offered for the development OF his 1905
team. The men each day are being put
through two hours of the stifest kind Of
drill. The spirited practice of the last
few days has encouraged Booth, but there
are still many weaknesses daily apparent
and Booth and his assistants are striving
as never before to correct them.
The hrst OF the week witnessed some
switching In the Cornhuskers varsity
squad. One Of the tackle positions was
not Allied to Booths satisfaction and he
finally resolved to transfer Weller from
left half to left tackle. Weller had all
the eaTmarks Of the ideal halfback. He
carries the ball in superb style, helps other
runners better than most every other man
on the team and backs up the line so
effectively that 1t was blow to Booth TO
find II necessary to make the shift. Weller
was substitute tackle and halfback last
season, but his Improvement this season
Is one Of the most promising features OF
the practice At tackle he began by charg-
ing the scrubs and moving them down in
all directions, convincing Booth that he
cannot find Weller's superior a tackle
in the entire squad.
d
To take wellers place at half the most
promising men are Schmidt and Little.
Schmidt turned out for foot ball last year
as freshman and was virtually sure OF
a place on the varsity when he encountered
parental objections and retired from the
game Little, also, is good material and
the two are waging a pretty contest TO
win the place. Schmidt, however, is a
very fair punter and seems to have the
call in view of the fact that he may be
called upon to do the kicking when
Captain Benedict is not in the lineup
Benedict will scarcely try to play in any
Of the games excepting those against Mich
igan, Minnesota and Illinois, and Schmdt's
presence In the others may make 1t neces-
sary to station him regularly at halfback.
.
One Of the guard positions is also caus-
ing Booth some concern. Nelson, leftguard,
is the huskest man on the varsity squad,
but his style does not satisfy. A few weeks
Of instruction may work wonders with him
and prompt the Nebraska coach to keep
him In permanently at guard, but in the in
term Booth has called one of his substi-
tutes. Rice. into action, and is bent on Civ
ing Rice thorough tryout Rice lacks Nell
sons weight, but he excels in strength and
also aggressveness two essentials in the
moulding Of a guard, Rice's physique Is
better designed for a tackle, but II may de
velop that he will he needed at guard, in
which position Booth may make use of him
regardless OF tho fact that he weighs hut
little over $50 pounds In build Rice is al
most counterpart Of Dean Ringer. one OF
the hest guards ever developed at Me-
braska, and IL Rooth can but make another
Ringer out Of Rice the guard problem will
be solved to nicely,
A days layoff from practice was taken on
Wednesday, the gates to the entire campus
being locked and every door closed, out of
respect 10 Prof. Brace head of the physics
department who died on Monday from
blood poisoning In lieu Of practice the
foot BAH squad INDUCED in cross country
run. A meeting OF the athletic hoard was
also booked for the same day, but post
ponement was ordered. Secretary Ciapp
announces that only the question Of filling
student vacancies on the board will be con-
sidered al the special meeting and that the
freshman rule question will not come up
until the regular meeting the latter part OF
the month Secretary Clapp has not de-
Waited from his original position that Ne
braska Is not bound to play under the rule,
all Of the Cornhuskers' games having been
booked and contracted for prior to the
adoption OF the rule by the big Nine"
schools and II the counsel of the secretary
prevails Nebraska will adopt the same
policy as Missouri university by refusing to
Ahlrm a rule In which II had no voice, Foot
Ball manager Morrison has returned from
a trip to Minneapolis, whittier he went TO
conclude arrangements for the Nebraska
Minnesota game. The announcement that
officials have been agreed upon is expected
before the END of the week
Manager Morrison has announced that
the Michigan and Nebraska officials have
agreed upon officials for the Ann Arbor
game, Walbridge, the former lafayette
tackle, will umpire and Darby, formerly
OF Grinnel Qowa) college, is to serve as
referee. There was no pickering over the
choice of this pair, and the facility with
which the negotiations were conducted
points TO a harmonious agreement as TO
the further arrangements with a likeli-
hood OF pleasant relations for the future
between the two schools.
Minnesota's team Is developing into a
fast team according to advices which are
sent out from the field Of practice The
coaches realize that the FIRST weeks are
the time when the men must be rounded
10 fast and the right selections made so
that time may lot be lost in working on
man who will eventually turn out to be
not made Of the proper stun. From the
present indications the team viii be made
up, OF Marshall and Cutting ends Marshall
veteran who did such star work against
Nebraska last fall He is inclined to loar
In practice, but he seems TO absorb all OF
the coach's instructions and is always
there" in the game Cutting is a splendid
player. who made the varsity in his fresh
man year, and his worst drawback Is his
short stature. He Is a fierce tackler and a
splendid runner, always getting down the
neld well on punt. Stafford and Dan
Smith are hghting It out for the center
position Percy Brush is going into the