Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-27
FOOT BALL COACHES
WORKING HARD ON
FORWARD. PASS
Accurate Throwing Necessary
to Its Success-Hard Luck
Tales Going the Rounds.
Indians in Fine FettIe.
By E. r. Bushnell.

II the 1901 Dall season OF liNS Goes net
produce several times as much novelty
and science in the way of new plays as
any of It's predecessors Il will not be the
fault of the coaches and players who
represent the big five" At every one
of these institutions there has been
shown a disposition to rush the season.
Rudimentary knowledge of the game Is
not being ignored, but it is being rushed
along and made subsidiary to the stra-
tegic side OF the game. That this is so
is proven Conclusively by the manner in
which veteran players of former days
have been fockng back TO assist in build
ing up new offensive tactics. 1t is doubt
tul If at any of the five institutions re-
ferred to here-Yale. Harvard, Princeton.
Pennsylvania and COTnell-so much solid
progress has been made within d single
week. II is true that Cornell and Prince
ton entered the field later than their
rivals, but with practice once started
they have lost no time.
The forward pass is certain TO be pro
ductive Of the most startling revolutions
this fall. Without exception all these
coaches are working with IL as the basis
of their new plays. 1t has now been
part of the rules for two years, but this
time has been required to famiiiarize
players with its basic principles. Its
possibilities have not by any means been
explored to their limit.
Accurate Throwing the Keynote.
Accuracy in throwing and catching the
forward pass will be the keynote to sue
cess. When the play was first introduced
accuracy did not matter much, as 1t was
used in an indiscT'i;ninate manner. Then
the play was used very much as the re-
sort oc the weaker and inferior team
whtch trusted largely to luck in making
the play success. But this year team
is so restricted in the use of the play that
it must be developed to a high degree of
perfection to be a winner. First. empha-
sis must be placed on developing several
players who can throw the ball any given
distance with enough speed and accuracy
TO enable one of his teammates to recover
1t without fumbling. The change in the
rules whereby a fumbled forward pass can
be recovered only by the player who fun
bled ii on the paSser'S side makes this
point doubly important. 1t has been one
OF the inexplicable things of modern foot
ball that 50 much poor passing and poorer
catching of the forward pass should be
tolerated by up-to-date coaches. AT any
rate they appear TO have realized the
handicap this weakness has been to win
ming teams. and We may look for rad
ical Improvement this fall.
The University of Pennsylvania was the
only one of the big eevens to have a
game within the last week, the Quakers
meeting the University OF West Virginia.
The other big teams do not get under way
until this coming week. Wednesday Har-
ward meets BoWdoin. Yale the Wesleyan
eleven and Pennsylvania lines up against
CrSinus. Princeton and Cornell. which
were a full week behind the three men,
toned above in starting their preliminary
work. also later in starting their
schedule. Neither plays game until next
Saturday. when the Tigers meet Spring
field T. S. and Cornell the Hamilton Col
lege team. These preliminary games are
of course, of no real service except TO try
out material for varsity eevens.