Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-08-07
THE GRIDIRON.
Some Few Changes In the New
 Rules,

mules.
 Secretary E. K. Hall of the Ameri- can intercollegiate football rules com- mittee has presented the playing rules for 1908 in most attractive form this year in the football guide which has just been issued.
 The rules haven't changed very much since last year, the work of the committee since the close of the season of 1907 being mainly to straighten out a few points that somewhat bothered the officials, and at the same time making one or two changes that will hardly affect the game, but will make far less rough- ness in some of the mixup plays in the open.
 The committee has determined that all penalties for fouls except those for forward passes, which do not count really as fouls, may be declined by the offending team. This, how ever, in cases where the penalty in- cludes disqualification, does not save the offending individual player from being put out of the game.
 The penalty for batting the ball forward Is made the loss of the ball to the offended side and the ruling has been placed under the jurisdic- tion of the field judge. The field judge also has been appointed as the official timekeeper.
 The rule regarding the forward pass has been altered in the following manner:
 When the forward pass is legally touched, only the man of the passer's side who has thus legally touched the ball shall be entitled to recover it on tumble until after 1t has been touched by another player of the passer's side before the ball has touched an opponent the ball shall go to the opponents on the spot where 1t was first illegally touched.
 While the ball is in the air on a forward pass, players on the defen- sive team may not use their hands or arms on opponents except to push them out of the way in order to get at the ball themselves Players on the side making the pass, who are eligible to receive the pass, may use the hands and arms as in the case of players who are going down the field under kicks. Neither side may, however, hold or tackle an opponent who has not the ball.
 Finally, in case of forward pass being illegally touched outside of these provisions named above, the penalty shall be that the ball will go to the opponents at the spot from which the pass was made.
 The football rules committee again goes on record strongly in advocating the use of the four prescribed officials in all games. Last year many teams contented themselves with using three officials.
 Time hereafter will be taken out during the enforcement of the pen- alty for an incompleted pass forward.
 The 10-minute intermission be- tween the halves has been Iengthen- ed to Is minutes The referee shall notify each team three minutes be- fore time for the second half to begin. If either team fails to appear Eve minutes after this the ball shall be put in play on the offenders 30-yard line by the team already on the field, and as a first down.
 In case of forfeited games the score shall be 1 to O. to distinguish this from other games.
 When the ball accidentally strikes an official the play shall start all over again.
 If kick or forward pass. except a try at goal. strikes the bar or up- rights of the goal. it shall be consid- cred as having crossed the goal line.