Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-11

CORNHUSRERS STILL SLOW
Coach Cole Much Put Out Over the
Work Of the Foot Ball Squad.
ALL ARE HOPING FOR A BRACE
Tonic of the Minnesota Game EN-
pected TO Put More Ginger Into
the veterans-Au in Good
hysicaI Condition.

LINCOLN. Oct. 1o.-(special)-All inter-
est of the Nebraska students is centered in
the game with Minnesota at Minneapolis
next Saturday. The rooters have taken up
the cry of, "We must beat Minnesota
ind are yelling II wherever a group OF them
gets together to DISCUSS the foot ball situs-
lion. with the prospects OF victory over
the Gophers apparently brighter than they
ever have been, the rooters are confident
that Nebraska will triumph, and are antic-
lpating the outcome with much display
Of Joy.
The coaches and those immediate con-
nected with the Cornhuskers eleven do not
share the feeling of confidence with the
students. To them the work of the team
all season, and particularly during the
past week. has been a keen disappointment.
and they arc far from sanguine Of success
on Northrop field next week. Then are
rot making any predictions further than to
say that unless the Nebraska eleven i'm
| proves rapidly this week the Gophers are
likely to repeat the trick OF last season.
When the practice was started this fall
and many Of the old veterans Of last years
team returned to school, 1t looked as though
Nebraska would have one OF the strongest
teams IN the history Of Cornhusker foot
ball. The coaches and athletic mentors
were elated over the prospects. 1t was
freely predicted by men with wealth of
material in hand, Minnesota and Ames
ought to be easy victims in the annual con-
tests. Everybody looked for the team to
start out with a rush and smother the
s.;SnlIer teams in the opening games.
But th.s is just what the Cornhuskers
: failed to do AVID that is why there is gloom
among the coaches low. In the Peru
gav,o tIe t,arn,aIa hold az f~o' COIn'a NIL
pills to a low score. This was unexpected
but was accounted for to the satisfaction
of the rooters by the fact that the field
was muddy and really prevented any fast
playing. The following Saturday when
Doane was encountered and the Cornhus-
kers had a hard time running UP many
scores, the students felt that something
wasi radically wrong with the Nebraska
team. = The coaches realized that they had
great work to do to bring the Cornhuskers
up to championship form.
Players Are Slow.
In the Doane contest the play of the
Cornhuskers was listless and slow. and the
men did not get in the game with the right
kind OF spirit. They went to their plays
as though they cared little whether they
succeeded or not. Some OF them stuffed
There was not such machine like precision
to their work as that which enables a team
10 win great struggles. Only three or four
times did they show anything like the fast
play that marked their work last season.
In practice this week they played the
same kind OF half-hearted and careless
ball. o. Tuesday afternoon their defense
against the scrubs was so weak that the
men on the other side tore holes in their
line, and played rings around them"
Coach Cole was disguised with his men
and told them that there would have to be
a big change at once. During the remain
ing practices of the week the head coach
and his assistants drove the Cornhuskers
in the hardest kind Of work in an effort
to get them to play fast and consistent
ball. But they accomplished little. The
work of tle Cornhuskers at the last pra ,tice
Friday was practically as ragged as any
time during the week,
some of the students have been unable
to account for the poor showing Of the
team this year. They point out that there
are ten men of last seasons championship
eleven jr the lineup this fall and that the
NCornhuskers ought to be playing the best
kind OF a game. There has been some
tendency among them to doubt the ability
OF Coach Cole to turn out a really great
team. But what is the trouble with the
team was explained yesterday by one OF
the men closely connected with foot ball.
lie said that there are only three or
four Of the men on the team this year
who are working hard. The majority OF
them. having been on the varsity last
season, feel that they have places clinched
this season, and are not doing any morC
work than they think is necessary 10 keeI
on the eleven. To those who have watched
the team closely from the sidelines this ex
PLANTATION seems probable. only a few o.
tlna old x-ofnrana I,axta 4brnu-n Yhapnua1xta,
into the game this season as they did las
year when they were working to get placer
on the team. It is this fault that hai
enabled the scrubs to outplay the 'varsit!
at times and that kept down the Doan,
score on the Nebraska side.
Hone for a Change.
The coaches are hopeful that with a hare
game ahead OF the team this week tn,
Cornhuskcrs will change their attitude anC
get down to griling work before. tn,
,Gophers are met. The old desire 10 defea
Minnesota is yet instllled in all the Ne
braska players and it is believed King
Coles pupils will work in every way pos
sible 20 whip the mighty Gophers again.
The Nebraska players realize that unles
they triumph next Saturday they are liabl
60 lose all claim to the championship of tn
Missouri valley, for there is a possibilit
OF their losing In the game with Ames a
Omaha November T. The right claim to tn
title at the end OF the season may res
on the respective showings made by Ne
braska and Ames against Minnesota. 1t
now up to the Cornhuskers TO do better {
Ahe game at Minneapolis next week tina
Ames did.
The Nebraska warriors at the presen
time are IN fit physical condition for tn
game Saturday, and barring any injurie
which they might receive before Thursda
night when they leave for Minneapolis
they will be in fine shape for the bi
contest. The mon have received but FEY
INJURIES this season. and when It Is take
into account that they have been in som
hard practice serimmages. this shows tha
they are in condition 10 stand many har
knocks. There is only one man on the tear
JNat the coaches are afraid may be hun
SERIOUSLY at any time. He is Choke. tn
7 little quarterback has not done any heav
hvork during the summer and is not able (
stand much scrfmmage work. He hs
beea kept out OF the scrtmmage In praeic
a wuch a. noSsihle To save him for Mir