New-York tribune., 1907-10-14
ON COLLEGE GRIDIRONS.
USE OF FORW1RD PISS.
Less Risky Under Ne1o Rule
COmpmQtiUe Scores DeluSi0n.

!
/ it might result in TOO much indiscriminate
passing. Judging from the games played this
year, however, this has not proved to be the
case and once more the committee which has
worked so hard and diligently to the game.
while eliminating the undesirable features which
brought the sport into evil ways two years ago.
is deserving of congratulation The, forward
pass has done great deal for American college
{ football, 1t has served to open up the play TO
large extent, and has provided g spectacular II
somewhat risky, mode of advancing the ball
Under the rules last year the risk was almost too
great to encourage fair of the play, and
! for that reason the committee, in session last
winter, SO amended tine rule relating to the pen
atty for an Illegal forward pass that it can be
used this year with less danger Of losing the
ball. Last year IL the ball was passed within
five yards OF the centre, or if 1t struck the
ground without touching a player on either
side it went the opponents on the spot from
which the pass was made. This was a severe
penalty equal practically. to the distance of a
/ long kick. For that reason the play called for
( such long practice and skiful execution that
many teams preferred to let 1t severely alone
and depend on line plunges or end runs 70 ad-
vance the ball The Yale eleven was about the
only to develop il to fine point. or at least
to a point in which it could be used to advantage
against q team that relatively as strong
The forward pass played important part IN
YaIe's defeat of Harvard and in Prncetons VIC
tory over Cornell but otherwise 1t was little
used I'm games where teams Of almost equal
can he looked for, as under the new rule the
play is less dangerous, and consequently VIII De
used to a greater extent Under the present rule
the side losing the bail on an incompleted FOR
ward pass Is penaliged fifteen yards, hut retains
! the ball This is true on first and second downs
Where the forward pass Is attempted on the
third down and not legally completed the pan
goes to the opponents as it did last year This
means that the forward pass can be tried on the
first or second down. and then in case of fail
rre a punt can be resOrted TO to get the ball
out of danger This year the forward pass can
he used in ones own territory. Last year II
could be used only in the opponents territory
with safety, and then on the third down
In years gone by comparative scores have
proved delusion and q snare in an ehort 10
diagnose the relative strength of two eleVens,
and for that reason it would not be either saie
or TO form any definite conclusions troih
the scores-YaIc -, Wesleyan o; Princeton 3D.
Wesleyan O. The games were important none
the less to the football "dopesters." as they
showed that Princeton was a little Iurther ad-
vanced than Yale in the development OF the
eleven as a team, and that the Tigers are not
lacking in plenty of good material, well Versed
in the finer points OF the game. There has been
a feeling more or less general, that Yale, with
her wealth OF good material. had the footoaH
championship of 1907 at her mercy. but since
tho games In question Princetons STOCK mas
gone ND which will make for good In arousing
a more general interest in the great annual
struggle between the two elevens, even II there
were nothing in the comparative scores 10 Jus
tify- the boom. Yale and Princeton were well
matched last year although Yale had slightly
the better Of their tie game, and Yale and
Princeton should be we'll matched again this
year. the general play Of the teams To date
showing that, II nothing more. In justice to
Yale it must be said that the playing time In
the PrinCeton-W Wesleyan game was longer, that
the. MddletoWn team was weakened by tho
loss OF two or three men who were IN against
Yale that the Wesleyan quarterback showed
poor generalship in not calling for a punt
oftener on the third down against Princeton,
and that the Tigers made free OF plays,
notably the forward pass. which Is most CT
fective when properly executed against "a weaker
team II has been the policy Of Yale elevens
i'm the past to perfect their strongest plays in
private to the end that they should be more
effective by their novelty and there is no rea-
son TO believe that this years team will depart
from this procedure.
A study of the scores in Saturdays games in
dcates clearly that the preliminary season In
over. and that from now on the eleVens. which
are fighting for the so-called championship, will
have their work cut out to forestall defeat.
Pennsylvania was In the thick of battle on
Saturday, which called for her greatest effort TO
defeat Swarthmore while Williams worried
Harvard and Colgate gave Cornell a taste Of real
football. A real test will come for Yale on Sat
urday against the sturdy Army team which
made such brave fight against the Blue year
ago. while Harvard must face a chance OF de-
pennsylvania
a worthy foe in Brown and Cornell dangerous
one in Pennsylvania state. Princeton is the only
team which can afford to do any experimenting
this week, Villanova on Wednesday and
Washington and Jefferson Saturday.
hardly be expected to hold the Tigers at bay.
The Yale-West Point game should prove par
ticularly interesting, and is sure to attract
big crowd. The Army team was hard pressed
on Saturday to beat Trinity II TO o. which indi-
Gates perhaps that Yale will have an easier time
1EoV cd no Pcrar hov
ever. that West Point has a veteran eleven, well
versed in football which is likely TO rise TO the
emergency and give Yale the same stubborn
fight OF year ago 1t is hoped that this may
be the case as Yale needs a hard game at this
time TO show her weaknesses, il any exist.
against her time of greater need. The Navy
team has hopes of beating Harvard, and while
this result looks improbable at present, it would
not be a surprise. the middies, have a strong,
versatile eleven and Harvard has been doing
lot OF experimenting. which has delayed the
proper welding Of the eleven as team. Judging
from the reports OF the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
game the strength of the latter rather than any
material weakness the part of the Navy ac-
counted for the tie at to q. Vanderbilt was
strong enough last year to beat the Carlisle
Indians and, barring Annapolis, is undoubtedly
the fastest and best developed team in the South.
Pennsylvania may find in Brown an even more
determined foe than Swarthmore. Harvard beat
Maine 30 10 a few days ago. and Brown beat
Maine Al to o on Saturday, which indicates that
the Providence team may be strong Fred
Murphy, its coach, confidently believes, and that
is pretty strong. Mayhem is wonderful back,
OF the best in the country In fact, and his
long. lodging will be constant menace to
any team, with anything like fair support.
The weakness of the Holy Cross team was a
disappointment to the Yale coaches on Satur-
day, as the game did not provide the practice
that was needed for the proper development of
aP