The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-01
m THE FOOTBALL WORLD.
ARMY-NAVY GAME BRINGSSEASON
TO A CLOSE.
Both Teams well Up IN Modern style OF Play
and Expected 10 Furnish 4 Close strug-
~gle-IndiyIduAl Points or the Rival
EIeVens Strong Backnelds - Gossip.

EIevsns-strons Backnelds - Gossip.
The present football season has been ex-
ceptional in the respect of teams for the big
games being regarded az evenly matched on
the eve OF their encounters, and the same
uncertainty exists and the same close struggle
Ia looked for in Philadelphia to-day as was
expected from the Prinoeton-Cornel Harvard
Yale and Pennsylvania Cornell games. The
oollegians are done for the year. and on
Franklin Field this afternoon West Point
and Annapolis will. az Is their yearly custom.
furnish the finale. They will furnish the
finale Of a season of the most interesting
football the game ever has known, this be-
cause of the new rules and the vastly better
sport they have produced. Open, strategic
and diverse playing came to the front with
q rush in the last three big games. and IL
is quite likely that the game to-day will be
another good illustration OF the beauties
and improved character OF the advanced
football. While others have been undermining
their game the ARM and Navy have not been
behind the times.
In scores made the only source OF COM
parison between the midshipmen and the
soldiers is the game each played with Prince
ton. Early in the season Princeton beat
Annapolis S to o and late in the season beat
West Point 8 to o. Princeton was much
further along in her development when she
met the Army, but that condition Ia nullif1ed
by the fact that West Point also was further
along. Annapolis. too, improved a good deal
in the interim. II Ia likely that all three
teams made the same relative Improvement.
30 the 5 10 o defeat by Princeton early In the
fall was as good as the 3 to q defeat several
weeks later. West Point has one advantage
and that is the experience OF three hard
games with Harvard. Yale and Princeton.
While nj least two Of those teams were not
In as finished form as they were later any
idaa TINT all three pCpFp mot DlaVinR for all
they knew-at the time-against West Point
Is erroneous. That being the case, the stlf
battles the Army gave each OF the big three
give an idea of how formidable the Army
team is.
The Navy eleven was beaten. S to o. by
Pennsylvania state. but the Army was beaten
the other day by Syracuse. Again Pennsyl-
vania state is one of the best of the smaller
teams. BY the same token the Syracuse team
is no weaklinR. for Notwithstanding an over
whelming defeat by Yale. it braced wonder
fully and va nquished the strong Lafayette
eleven. All these thing tend to confirm
the belief that the teams for to-day are well
matched.
Since it's defeat by Pennsylvania State
the Navy team has been progressing nicely,
q defeat of the husky Swarthmore eleven
being among the indications thereof. As
for the Army. the busy afternoons which II
provided for Harvard. Yale and Princeton
III FuttFNNlbu EUoN us BVNCuNAhl III
1t is interesting, though it may not be OF
significance. to note that OF its last six games
the Army has scored in only two. There
was a sCoreless game with Colgate. then a
II to 0 defeat of Williams. then a shutout by
Harvard. followed by a 8 to 10 score against
Yale and then a 1 to o defeat by Syracuse.
1t also is worthy OF note that the Army was
the only team that was able to score on Yale.
The Navy not having been seen in this
vicinity IL is difficult to get any idea of the
individual ability of the men as compared
60 the Army. whose games are within easy
reach OF New York. We know in a general
way that the individual material must be
pretty good for the team to have done as
we'll as il has. In experience in Army-Navy
games the Army has more men in its team
than the Navy. There are seven men on
the Navy team who never have faced West
Point. Four West Pointers nave not played
against the Navy. The Army team is the
more ex perienced.
On the ends, however, both sides have
men who are nav to an Army-Savy game
Bernard and Dague of the Navy and Stearns
and Hanlon Of the Army. Notwithstanding
their newnesS. both teams have competent
ends. The end play OF the Army and Navy
gen, rally is high class. The Army has sterling
tackles in Pullen and Weeks. Pullen is a new
conner, but strong and an apt pupil, while
Weeks is a veteran and a consistent player.
very efficient on the offence. He played
guard last year, while Erwin. now at guard,
played tackle. Piersol and Northcroft are
he Navy tackles. the former a seasoned
player who has won the position in spite Of
keen opposition.
Meyer and Wright. the Navy guards. are
not the known quantities that Christy and
Erwin OF the Army are. Their work, how
ever, has been steady. and steadiness rather
than brilliancy characterize the Army guards,
except that Erwin gets into the plays in
the open more than the general run Of guards.
Christy ia a veteran who has been up against
the best men in the East. Slingluf, the
Navy centre. has been doing good work
right along. and has been pretty sure OF his
place all season. Neither he nor Sultan has
pIaycd In an Army-Navy game. but both
have had much experience as substitutes.
The Navy has q rafting good back field a
quarterback, is a dashins, heady. player.
Il was after he vent in last year g direct the
Douglass is a sterling line breaker, a man
who, runs with a great deal Of power and
n niSte ! 10 co S12pi Spe a%srte ahS Seb 1Rsra the GGm-
stiil in doubt. johnson at quarter will mean
the right haifback. is a good one at picking
out holes here and there and making the
ford. either OF whom may play left half, are
more suited to advancing the ball in open.
broken tsId or end TunnI9g II smith, the
50 IS NV WI ~ n
big help 10 the Army for his ability as a
plUnGer and on the defence.
On account of the demand for tickets for
the Navy game the Pennsylvania Railroad
has arranged 10 run fourteen special trains.
The Pennsylvania expects to carry from
900 10 $4,000 persons on its special trains.
Most OF the travel will be from Jersey City,
from where six football trains will go to
Philadelphia. New terminal facilities have
been provided especially on account OF the
game. Eight new tracks have been con-
etTucted near Franklin Field. The passen-
gers can reach the overhead bTid ge by stairs,
so that they will not have to cross tracks
in going TO and from their trains. Every
one of the specials will be provided with one
or more diners.
The Army team left West Point at TAT
O'Clock yesterday morning, arrived at Jersey
City at 0:30 and reached Philadelphia aDout
noon. The cadets and their band, 525 strong,
VIII leave West Point this morning at 7 O'Clock
and Will be carried direct to Franklin Field.
For the officers and residents OF West Point,
about I'VE hundred in all, q special train
VIII leave there az y O'Clock and reach Frank
lin Field a. noon, For the public two special
trains will leave Jersey City, one at 1917, arriv-
Ing al West Philadelphia az 1850, and another
A. ll:lO. arriving az West PHILADELPHIA AT
N. Returning they will leave the Broad
street station at $40 and 80 in the aft
Neither President Roosevelt nor Secretary
OF War Taft will attend the game this wear.
hut Assistant SOrrpfaFV IF NIar nIi..-' Ill