The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-11-18
DURKES FINE FIELD GOAL
MADE FIRST FOUR POINTS
Great Halfback Makes Splendid Forty
Yard Run for Only Touchdown.
Enthusiastic Audience
of 5000.
BY HUGH ROBERTS.

Auburn was defeated in a remarkable
game by a score of 10 too, and while the
Crimson White is now Haunting a proud
defiance to the southern breeze, the
Orange and Blue is not trailing in the
dust.
In spite of the facts that wind from
the south was almost too strong, that
drizzling rain interfered towards the end
of the contest, and that the field was eX-
-ceedingly slow, the game was filled with
spectacular work, and the excitement,
from the moment that the swne-skin
first sailed into the air, until the final
time was taken, knew no abatement.
1t was evident that Alabama out
classed the team from the plains, both
on the defensive and offensive. Alabama,
however, performed rather crudely and
amateurishly at times, and the resulting
fumbles and off-side plays were the
reason for the closeness of the tally sheet.
The game was a characteristic one. 1t
was hard fought from beginning to end,
and was witnessed by one of the most en-
thusisstic audiences that ever gathered in
Birmingham. The roofing was strenu-
ous and from the beginning TO the end
of the game there was no time when the
frenzed college yell was not splitting the
throats of the college lads. Alabama was
the favorite with the spectators, and with
tho bettors While this is true, Auburn
had hundreds of supporters, and these
aided materially in uphoding the honor
Of that institution.
An Ideal Setting.
The game was witnessed by at least 5000
Deople The grandstaild at the fair
grounds was well filed, and numerous en-
thusiasts crowded the space between the
stand and the track railing. About fifty
carriaees tally hoes landaus and auto
mobiles were backed against the far rail-
ing, and the field was completely sur
rounded. A special train from Tuscaloosa
had brought to Birming ham the entire
student body of the university and IN ad-
dtion to the Auburn men. the splendid
hand of that institution graeed the oc-
casion. There were present many nun
dreds of old college men, in whom the
spirit never dies, and the yelling, singing.
dancing and rejoicing furnished babel
the like of which has seldom been seen
in Birmingham
In the center of .his gathering the two
great institutions fought out their differ
ences and the brilliance of the contest
was a worthy exhibition for such a splen-
did and enthusiastic audience
The weather was not ideal for the play
ing of a great football game. In the art
ernoon il was rather warm, and a stiff
wind from the south blew the heavens
full of clouds. A slight rain fell towards
the end of the game. The field, too, was
not a worthy one for such great con-
fict 1t was rugged and heavy. and nam
dicapped both aggregations III the pull
ing off of plays requiring rapidity. How
ever, both aggregations gamel.- went to
the task assigned them and the struggle
was decidedly one of the most brilliant
and exciting ever seen In the state. In
the congra tuations hurled towards the
plueky victors, no sneers were directed to-
wards the vanquished. The game played
bv Auburn was characterized by splendid
effort and magnificent pluck In spite of
the fact that it was evident from the be-
ginning that Alabama had the better OF
the argument. never for an instant did the
spirit of the Auburnites flag. NO yellow
streak exists among the bunch. and on
the legs of the husky plansmen no feath-
efs grow,
Game Was Protested.
The only flaw to the skillfuly played
game was the filing of protest on the
part of Auburn.
Before the signal for the start, Au-
burn declared that Sims should not be
played claiming that he was not a le-
gitimate man. 1t seems that Auburn
bases its claims on the fact that after
matchmaking at the university, the
heavy lnesman asked for and obtained
a leave of absence. With this furlough.
he returned TO Birmingham, and there
completed some necessary business. He
returned to the campus some six weeks
ago. Coach Donahoo filed the protest,
and Coach Pollard answered it, The lat
ter affirmed that Sims had complied
with all the requirements of the asso-
citation; that he matriculated within thirty
dsvs after the opening of the present
tl,at far fp-a MT tod
him was perfectly legitimate.
He then declared that in case Sims
was illegitimate. which he denied, IL
clause in the constitution of the asso-
ciation specifies that a charge to that
effect must be preferred ten days before
the scheduled date of the game. After
the formalities of the protest and its
answer. the game was started, and the
incident soon forgotten AS a matter OF
fact the contest will probably never be
pushed, and the supporters OF the VIC
torious aggregation are not allowing their
enthusiasm to receive uampenlnS Oh
this account.
The fling of this protest against
PLAYER recalls to football enthusiasts
similar one last season on the part or
the university against Frank Jones, then
an Auburn player. AS is known, the
protest amounted to naught.
The Teams Compared.
Taking into consideration the offensive
and defensive work of the two aggrega-
tlons disregarding the final result in
toto, Ala bama thoroughly outclassed Au-
burn. On the defensive, Alabama's line
was never punctured for gain of note,
and Alabama's ends played such re-
markably clever game, that the side runs
of the Auburn team amounted to little.
In fact until Auburn resorted to tac-
ties other than those of 'od fashioned
football" no noticeable gains were made,
and again and again were the painsmen
compelled to kick.
On the offensive, Alabama was con-
sideraby stronger. In the first half, Au-
burns line was again and again torn
to pieces by the ploughng of Aabamas
hackGeld No difficulty was found in go