The Washington herald., 1908-01-27
New Rule Will Limit the
Forward Pass.
ONLY ONE MAN CAN GET BALL
Committee solves Nexed aucsffOa by
Allowing Only Receiving Player
10 Handle Throw-OHensiye Play
eTs May Use Hands and Arms ln
WHrding OF Opponents.

!
mIttee after wrestling with some vexed
questions concerning the revision Of the
rules for the better part OF last Friday
and Saturday.
The forward pass was the subject for
lengthy discussion and the changes were
made only after considering "A hundred
and one suggestions. many Of which We're
discarded off-hand as limiting the play
too much. \ number OF minor changes,
largely Of a clarifying nature. were made
in other rules. while two new ones were
added, the first providing for a definite
score in forfeited game. and the second
designating the time between halves and
providing for a notification Of the elevens
by the referee when time is up.
The actual wording OF the amendment
TO rule 19. governing the use Of the for
ward pass, was left to Walter Camp, the
official editor Of the rules, but in sub
stance it provides.
A forward pass illegally touched goes
to the opponents on the spot from where
the pass was made Only the man Of
| the passer's side who first legally touches
the ball may thereafter recover 1t until
| Il has been touched by an opponent If
the ball on the forward pass Is legally
/ touched and then free, and is touched by
/ a player Of the passer's side before an
opponent the ball goes 10 the defending
/ side on the spot.
/ While a forward pass Is IN the air the
/ players on the defending side may not
use their hands or arms on their oppO-
nents except to push them out Of the
/ way. in order 20 get at the ball them
| selves. Players Of the side making the
pass. who are eligible TO receive the ball.
/ may use their hands and arms just as
players going down under a kick
Protects the Receiver.
! In all other respects the rule viii be
| tie same as last year. when an uncom-
pleted pass on the first OF second down
! resulted IN the loss Of fifteen yards. The
notifications as made VIII tend to dis
courage the indiscuminate use OF the long
pass by making It more dangerous. and
viii lead e. more accurate passing and
prevent the wild scramble for the BAN
which often followed after it has been
! touched by player who had the right 70
/ receive it under the old rule. The men
who can legally receive the pass are
+ protected. however. 10 some extent by
! preventing the opponents centring and
/ holding them. a defense which Princeton
and West Point developed and used 20
/ advantage last season.
! Some members OF the committee were
/ in favor q restricting the pass even fur
4 ther, but the final action met the approval
3 D..
members saw the necessity OF preventing
/ so far as possible the wild fling, as II
/ has been called. without any particular
aim. but the majority We're opposed 20
uullifylng its chief yalue-the weakening
/ Of the defense and its strategic and de-
/ ceptive possibilities which make other
/ offensive plays more effective. just how
/ to accomplish this was the problem which
/ took so much time 10 solve. To all ap-
! pearances the rule has been improved by
4 the notifications made although the
/ questions cannot bee definitely settled until
/ tried out next season.
! The score for a forfeited game hereafter
/ will be ] 10 @. Up 10 this time there has
/ been no fixed score. as I'm baseball. and
/ the need has been felt A 1-to-0 score
! IS impossible in football. so that IL be-
/ comes distinctive and carries with il the
j fact that the game was forfeited
Yale Was Late.
/ Heretofore there has been no specific
provision in case a team is late in ap-
pearing on the field for the second half,
/ as happened in the Yale-Princeton game
| at New Haven last season. On that oc-
/ casion the Yale eleven was late through
a misunderstanding. and the Tigers had
to run through signals 10 keep warm
while a messenger hurried 20 the Yale
quarters. In order to prevent such a mis-
/ framed
The length Of time between halves was
| changed to fifteen minutes, and the ref
cree must notify both teams three min
utes before the time is up. When the
| full fifteen minutes have elapsed the
referee will blow his whistle in the center
of the field If two minutes later either
side has failed to appear, the ball will
be given to the offended side and put
in play as a first down on the offending 5
side 50-yard line.
From that point any further question
as 10 the disposition Of the ball or the
play is left to the referee to decide. The
| fact that the ball is in play brings any
/ further delay under section 4 of Rule
l6, which reads NO delay arising
from any cause whatsoever shall con-
tinue more than two minutes"
Cannot Bat the Bali.
The rule regarding batting the ball for
ward was discussed at some length. and
was so amended that the penalty VIII be
the loss of the ball instead of five yards.
The penalty was placed under the juris-
diction of the umpire and field judge in
order to relieve the referee. 1t was also
decided that hereafter all penalties may
be declined by the offended side. excep.
that Of the disqualification of a player OF
the so-calIed penalty on an incompleted
forward pass
Hereafter the field judge will act as
! timekeeper. in place Of the head linesman.
/ This change was made for the reason
/ that the field judge is nearer at all times
to the referee and may inform him more
readily Of how the time stands and re-
ceive orders concerning taking Out> time
during the game. 1t was also ruled that
! if the ball accidentally strikes an official
the play must be played over
| The question growing out of an incident
in the Harvard-Cariisle Indian game.
when the ball hit an upright of the goal
post and bounded back into the fed Of
play was settled by the following amend
ment:
In case forward pass OF a kicked bali either than
| d try az goal strikes upright Of the goal posts
| the BAH shall he considered havirg crossed the
( goal line. and VIII so TO the defend .ng side as
/ touchback
May Order Time Called.
An incident in the Harvard-Yale game,
growing out of penalty of two yards for
the fourth request for taking out time,
led to adjusting all penalties so that the
sticks marking the point to be gained will