The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-08-27
THE FOOTBALL SEASON OF 1908
Big Universities Beginning to Think
Of Struggle for Supremacy.

east college men are beginning to
think of the annual struggle for SUI
premacy on the gridiron. Already
several of the big universities have
issued calls for the candidates to
gather for preliminary practice, and
within the next few weeks the pros
pective football gladiators will be
found on their respective fields, try
ing out the new maneuvers contriv-
ed by ingenious coaches.
- The Carlisle Indians will be the
having scheduled a contest with AL
bright College for September 10.
Harvard will open it's season with
Bowdoin on September 80, and on
the same date Yale will play it's ini-
tial game of the season with Wes-
leyan, while Pennsylvania will meet
Ursinus. Princeton, Cornell, West
Point and Annapolis will begin the
season On October 3. While it is yet
too early to estimate the compare
tive strength of the eIevens pfsthe
big colleges, nearly all of them have
good material and the struggle for
first honors will probably be the
closest and most exciting in years.
Changes in the football rules are
or to Z
but they are important. A change in
the forward. pass rule which will
likely have a. decided bearing on
the game has been made. when a
forward pass is legally touched only
the man of the passer's side who
first touched it shall be entitled to
recover the ball until it is touched
by an opponent.
II a forward pass is thus legally
touched, fumbled and touched by
another player of the passer's side
before the ball is touched by an OPP
ronent the full shall go to the OPP
ponents on the side where it was il
legally touched.
This rule will make it more dan
gerous for the side in possession of
the ball to try a forward pass If a
man misses the ball it practically
means that the other side will get
the pigskin. The forward pass will
therefore. probably not be used so
extensively this season
While the ball is in the air for a
forward pass, players on the defen-
sive side may not use their arms or
hands on opponents except to push
them out of the way in order to get
the ball themselves. Players of the
side making the pass who are ineli-
gib1e to receive the pass may use
their hands and arms AZ in the ease
of players going down the field I'M
der a kick
Neither side may, however, hold"
or tackle" an opponent who has
not the ball. II the ball is illegally
touched outside of these provisions
the penalty provides that the ball
will go to the opponents on the spot
where the pass was made.
Time will be taken out during
the enforcement of penalty for in
completed pass. II ball on for
ward pass or kick strikes the up
rights or the cross bar of the goal
posts the ball shall be considered as
having crossed the goal line
''& In - case the ball accidentally
strikes an official the play will be
started over again. A change which,
appears to be somewhat uncal}ed,
y FOR II thtClengthening of thel inter-i
= mission between halves from ten
minutes to fifteen minutes. The ref
cree must notify the teams three
minutes before its, expiration.
Five minutes after this notifica-
ton II either team has failed to APP
! pear the ball shall be put in play as
- first down by the offended side on
the offending sides thirty yard line.
In order to render the rules and
penalties more consistent the rules
which govern the conduct of play
ers and persons not in the game who
sometimes cause fouls are made to
read Loss OF fifteen yards, point.
to be gained and n1mberS Of downs
to remain unchanged" Penalties for
fouls may be refused by the often
ded side except penalties under the
forward pass.
This, however, in cases where the
penalty includes disqualification
does not save the player from being
put out of the game. If player
bats the ball forward his side loses
the pigskin. This comes under the
jurisdiction of the umpire and field