New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-10-21

IL EerVeu
and was puzzling enough TO be quite effective
Newhall and Burr stood side by side with hands
extended to receive the ball. Sometimes 1t went
to the former for on-stde kick or forward
pass and sometimes to the latter for lonS'
booming punt The opposing captain is in more
or less of a uuandary as to the disposition of
his men, on punt second man is needed In
deep field; on on-side kick for forward pass
he Is badly wanted in the second line of de-
fence The formation looks like good one to
the writer, and one capable of further develop
ment
If the scoreless Army Yale game showed one
thing above another it was the great difficulty
evenly matched teams will have in scoring on
each other. Yale never had chance for a
touchdown, except possibly at the end of the
second half, when Dimes was driving his men
at top speed But even then West Point was
lighting for every inch, and would probably have
STAYED off the touchdown even without a To-
yard penalty incurred by Dimes. West Point
has a remarkably strong line. Erwin, at LETT
guard, played a game that must place him on
a par with the greatest guards in the history or
the game. He was terror to the Yale backs
and smothered play after play behind the line.
The Yale quarterbaCks learned early in the game
to send no plays in his direction, and his side
Of the line was avoided to a large extent
Dimes showed a better game at quarterback
than Tad Jones for Yale. This may have been
due to the lack of condition which has kept
Jones out Of most Of the practice at New Haven
lately, but Dimes will have to be reckoned with
herea fter. one thing the Yale coaches cannot
correct too quickly is a weakness at the ends
that may well prove fatal H. Jones, while
perhaps the best Of the three who played on
Saturday, is not up TO the mark. and Burch
and Ocott have a lot to learn. The Army has
to all appearances the best team that has been
developed at West Point since 1901. If Beavers
can get a little more distance with his punts
weak point will be strengthened. Puen, a fire
tackle. was out of Saturdays game. and mis- re-
turn will make strong line stronger. The
Army backs fast, hit the line hard aud low.
and adopts In the tricks of the new game
Man for man they cqualed the Yale backs, and
Mountford proved himself a quarterback Of
good judgment YaIe's attack more versa
tile than West Points. but not enough 50 10
account for a winning advantage. Yale learned
a lesson IN that tie game which her coaches
will undoubtedly turn to her great profit.
Princeton has had an easy schedule up to this
time-far too easy for the good Of the team. 1t
takes a hard game to develop the weak points
I'm eleven. and the sooner the coaches know
the vulnerable points in the defence and the
shortcomings in the attack the quicker the rem
edy can be applied. Nothing, perhaps, is so de-
mOralizing to a team as 70 find it's pet plays and
strongest formations, which have been working
smoothly. solved and broken up IN the early
part of game and this IS always likely To hap
pen when meeting a team for the first time
which IS relatively as strong. Much depends on
skill and speed OF execution, but much also de-
ponds on confidence in carrying the play through.
With confidence shaken team may go To pieces
and be souudly beaten by weaker opponent
The real test, however Will come for Princeton
on Saturday in the annual game with Cornell at
Ithaca. When that struggle is overland it
should Toe a struggle worthy Of the best tradl-
tions of the sport-the Princeton coaches viii
know the weak points in their eleven, and con-
sequcntly viii he better prepared to put the
finishing touches for the Yale game. II is not a
foregoue conclusion that the Tigers will beat
Cornell, and for that reason the game IS at
tracing widespread interest. Princeton will be
the favorito among those disposed 70 wager on
the outcome but for no particular reason, per-
haps. beyond the fact that Princeton has usually
beaten Cornell I'm the past. There ia little or
nothing on which 20 base an opinion far as
the relative strength of the two eevens IS con-
c,rncd. and while the writer following several
requests for opinion IS quite willing to haz-
ard a prediction that the score Will be around
i 10 in favor Of Princeton. II IS done largely
on the conviction that Princeton is quite as
strong as II not stronger than last year, when
Cornell was beaten on the Polo Grounds by a
score of Il 10 3. More than that, the Tigers
appear TO be further advanced in the use OF
plays made possible under the rules than
any other team except Yale, and this Is an ad-
vantage that must not be underestimatcd Cor
nell on the other hand. has the advantage OF
playing on home grounds and of being carefully
and systematically trained up 10 this particular
game. something which the Princeton coaches
dared not do The team IS strong one, too In
spite Of it's defeat on Saturday and well quail
fed TO give the Tigers hard fight from whistle
to whistle.
The other games Saturday in which the
leading teams are engaged should be almost az
interesting the Princeton Cornell struggle as
they are likely 20 teach some lessons and throw
some further light on more important ones 10
come. Harvard VIII line up against the Spring
field Training School which Yale defeated by a
score of 1S TO 0 some two weeks ago and con
sequently the game will be interesting as fur
nishing some line on the probable strength OF
the rival elevens. Yale Will take the field against
villa Nova, which scored one touchdown against
Princeton although beaten 10 to .. This game
will also give the football "dopesters" something
to think and talk about IN trying to solve the