The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-10-02
THE PUBLIC DEMAND IS FOR AN OPEN GAME, AS
AGAINST THE OLD STYLE OF RUSH
ING THE LINE
MASS PLAY MADE 1908 A DULL YEAR
Good KickeS VIII Always Be at a Premium IN Spite
Of the Change Made IN Scoring
Points

the ball and still continue to play a good
game, and barely had the new game been
able to get good start when all attention
was conferred to devise methods which
should nulllfy the excellent results that
had been achieved by an effort to make
the game open.
all of the varsity elevens with notable
exception in Pennsylvania, not to advance
In perfection with the open formations
which had given such unqualified pleasure
to the public In the year preceding.
Wanted Their Touchdowns.
Yale, Harvard and Princeton, particu-
de e that tSere greater glory was to be
obtained In making their strongest adj
vances through the line. 1t Is true that in
the fnal game, of the season for Princeton
the Tigers did open their attack against
Yale and play With a variety Of forma-
lions which had not been expected by
those who had seen their prior contests.
Yet the year through there seemed TO be
lacking progress In carrying out the gen
eral system of play which had been out
lined in 1907, and there was corresponding
disappointment on the part of the specta-
games and saw little save the pounding of
the line, which had been the universal and
most Objectionable method Of attack under
the old rules.
Pennsylvania was unquestionably an ex-
ception to this theory, and in the weekly
intervals In which the Quakers played
L0SlT GO4IGELB were 1uAt OIL Tic GnOIL 10
advance the ball by some method varying
from the old line method OF attack, even IL
they did lose the ball now and then. They
were willing to take chance to make
point. Other eleyens, by their conservative
duIlness, were glad to evade defeat even If
they did not win. Sometimes when they
did win 1t was not through any particu-
larly meritorious work on their part.
To escape this reversion to a condition
which was found to be slowly choking
football to death is the general wish Of
the leading opponents OF the game. ana Il
lege men who are interested In football
especially college men of the last hve
years, are hopeful that the present season
played at any time since the rules were
Rules for This Year.
Notifications for the rules for the season
Of 1909 were few. There have been oppo-
nents OF the forward pass from the time
alienation of the playing code. At the
last meeting of the rules committee they
were as emphatic In their objection to It
as they had been from the start, but 1t
was agreed by a large majority that the
play had not detracted from the interest
In the sport, but, on the contrary, had in
policy to 1egislate against something which
was proving satisfactory in the main to
those interested in football.
Old timers have insisted that the for
ward pass has invested football without
basketball flavor. They inveigh against
it on the ground that the arms should not
have such prominence In the sport, Il
seems as IL this Is rather far fetched, to
say the least. American football, at Its
best, is a game In which the arms have as
much to do as the legs. for we carry
to do SO, without being checked by oppos-
ing teams and II this Is legal, why so
much fuss because the ball occasionally
Is passed forward that 1t may be carried
further?
A clearer definition was made as to the
position which an end must assume to be
eligible to catch forward pass. The code
comedies that there is a zone behind the
scrimmage line, extending back one yard
in which an end may legally play but
while there be Is not eligible to catch
forward pass. Either he must play
squarely on the line, or be must play at
least yard back Of the line. IL he is going
to receive the ball.
OF course any player of the side which
passes the ball who Is playing one yard
behind the line may receive It, providing
What the alteration In the rule prevents
Is an end dropping back more than foot
and less than yard to get q. flying start
for the ball. That happened not infre-
than once to know whether the end was
really eligible to make the catch.
New Scoring Of Points.
Football enthusiasts this year must not
overlook the change which has been made
in the scoring of points, and 1t Is not Ina
probable that this change will have a
great bearing in equaliging team strength
through diversity of attack on the field
That Ii to say. the lighter teams, with
their good drop kickers and placement
kickers, will not be able to run away with
games In which they can score greater
number OF points through ability to run
the ball within kicking distance of the
goal
Teams with strong lines and good rum
nings ends will feel that with fewer points
to be scored for drop and placement kick