The Washington herald., 1907-10-21
ELEVENS NOT READY
Proper 0ffenSe Has Not Yet
Been Developed.
ARMY PUT UP GREAT DEFENSE
Yale Can lie Relied Upon to Profit
by the Mistakes Which Were No.
ticeabIe on Saturday-NavY Played
Harvard Almost 10 IA StandstiII.
GeorgetOvyn'S First Real Test.

Yale's failure 10 win at West Point Sat
urday is likely to act benehcially to the
Eli squad.
/ Sethacks of that sort rarely fail to have
a bracing effect AT Yale. and the same is
/ true of Princeton, two colleges that learn
/ their lessons when they come and pro-
/ ceed to remedy disclosed weaknesses. The
I Yale attack was not altogether weak in
/ the West Point game. the offense showing
/ signs of getting weak short while be
/ fore the close when penalty set the
/ Yalensiars back just as they were begin
ming To tear things open.
Mech has been heard about the Won
/ derful. even phenomenal, material that
Yale has this fail. but in reality the ma
terial has not warranted any such ex-
travagaHt adjecuves 1t is good material,
willing and responsive, but not such d
collection of gifted performers as to in
sure a victorious march through the sea-
son, carrying all before il. Il is material
that perhaps has in il the making Of
winner. but no more so than two or three
other colleges possess The coaches and
methods at New Haven will make the
most of the material but so far as has
been done. both in games and practice. is
concerned. Yale has no better outlook for
the championship than Princeton, Penn
sylyania. or Harvard
Better concentration I'm attack, more
drive more speed. and more harmony
between line and baekfeld are touches
10 be impaired TO the offense. and from
now on more attention will be paid to
these points, this not because the West
Point game showed that they were needed
any more than that the period Of the
season has arrived for them Il is an
interesting fact that Yale played not
nearly so well against West Point last
year as this, yet won last years game.
She won year ago because there were
unexpected turns in the game that save
opportunities which were accepted. But
there were not anything like the tech
meal errors that there were before
the principal difference being that the
bah was handled much better last Satur-
day.
West Point was keyed up TO concert
pitch FOR this game. Stress has been
laid on the fact that the objective point
ol the Army's campaign this season made
all previous contests affairs of more sec
ondary consequence than hitherto. but
preparation for Yale did not Ianguish
particle on that account Yale was in
much the same boat as West Point-had
an adequate defense but had not begun
the real development Of the offense.
An error in the shape Of a block kick
gave Harvard the only score made in the
game with the Navy. In other respects
the playing WAS as even as il was In
the YaIe-West Point battle. The mid
shlpmen were faster than the Crimson
and II was a nlp-and-tUck contest. with
no material advantage for either side
save the one touchdown. The Navy did
To Harvard what the Army did TO Yale
charged more quickly. broke through and
smeared the attack. The Harvard backs
had little steam and displayed poor
Judgment in taking their holes. The Grim
son was held for downs once on the g.
yard line, and the 10-yard rule was not
responsible in the least for the failure
10 gain ground The Navy defense was
proficient enough 10 have held Harvard
under the old 5-yard limit.
Princeton has quickened up her onense
TO more productive stage than any
other team. Her defense. on the other
hand. has not been as steady and sure
rs one OF two teams Of her class. though
the Tigers have had the ball so large a
proportion of each game they have played
that the defense has had less to do than
the ofense and less 10 do than other big
teams that have found the scoring game
far less easy. Every team Princeton has
met this season has been beaten far more
decisiyeiy than that same team was
beaten the year before which indicates
strongly that Princeton's offense is bet
ter than in 1896. There cannot be such a
decrease IN visiting teams strength from
one year to the next rs 10 account for the
Tigers moro than doubling their scores
in every one of their games.
The Pennsylvania team braced I'D and
downed the strong Brown eleven. 1t was
the best thing done by any Of the ton
notchers on that day Plain talks from
the coaches during the week had their
effect. The laggards perked up and per
formed as they are capable Of perform
ing, ability to rally and work harder
the nearer they We're forced toward their
own goal line, showed an improved morale
on the part Of the Quakers. No team is
playing "a more resourceful or more in
tellligenuy- conducted game.
Georgetown viii have her first real test
Of the season next Saturday at New York
against Fordham.
Although the Blue and Gray has won
both Of the games played this fall. little
line has been obtained on the team. but
next Saturday it viii be necessary TO play !
hTst-class football to win. as Fordham
has showed remarkable scoring ability in I
all her contests TO date
n z II EnCTEPINC pnIIrIHr