The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-20
Fight Goes 10 Draw Local Gridiron Games
Pigskin Warriors WiN
 Battle For Montgomery
ALABAMA IN GAME
FOOTBALL PRACTICE STARTS WELL AT UNIVERSITY.
Team Will Be Light, But Fast-New Men Give Promise of Devel-
 epment For Future

University, Sept. ls--(speciaL)-- Since the first cali for football candi- dates for the team of 1909. large crowd of aspiring young athletes have preliminary training in the art of foot ball. Not less than forty have been out during the week, and on some days the number has gone as high as fifty.
 Practically all of the work done has been primary in Its nature, consisting for the most part of passing and catching the ball. falling on It going and coming. bunting and receiving, ko- ing down the field under punts, ana tackling the dummy. Of how much season. only the man who has handled a team or who has been in close touch with the game. knows. Many game has been won by an end who hugged up fumbled punt, and as many nave been lost by failure to recover bali that has slipped from the arms ot buckinR back. In fact, the readiness or a team in covering and recovering fumbles is frequently criterion py which its ability may De judged. m addition to this work. the squad was divided up into four teams. Friday aft ernoon. and given a little drill in run ming through the simple .plays.'
 If the advance showing Is indicative of what is going to be, Alabama shouio have a first class team in regard to general alertness and readiness to take advantage of her opponents mistakes. The old men are all skilled at the pus mess and the new ones have eitheI caught on more readily than usual or else have had more football experience before entering college.
 The one thing that weakens Ala bamas prospects for a winning eteV9n this fali is lack of weight. The plain men in togs who will raise the beam at 175 pounds. while by far the greater number will run from iss to lss on the field weighing iso pounds, line averaging 165 pounds from tackle to tackle, and that Is very light pro tect!on for the backs to work behind
 However, the prospects Tn the paek field and on the ends are tns nsnt nSst ns sS available material. In the first place. Derrell Pratt Is on hand with his speed and his remarkable booting capacity, and Is good for any place behind tas l.ss Weight hSoss spssd 'Gnss ass s sapsfisncs Tom Palmer, though lacking in weight, has all the other essentiais that so toward making a high class back. Nanoe' Graaff, fuilback on last years Tres Fresn, name for himself before he graduates But for the one year rule. he would probably have got in the game las! year. He is stockily built ana mas ar the abandon in his style of play that the natural football player has. Ever ett wilkinson and Garrett are two good men. hard fighters both, butt nef- ther Is burdened with avoirdnpois Among the new men eligible to the team. Harsh Is making good impress sion. There are other good men who look good for the backfeld. and t 10 safe to say that pr. Pollard has in sight two strings of high class backs
 The one year rule will no downt hurs Alabama this year, for, 1t is likely that some. of the promising new material will be 'eliminsted because of the lack of the requisite number of units How ever, other teams will sufrer in the same way.
 Tn two weeks Alabama's supporters will have an opportunity of seeing the team work out in a real game, for or October 2 the Varsity will meet on the campus the team ot Union University from Jackson. Tenn. After that con test a more accurate line can be drawn on the outlook for the season.