Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-03

has the ball in its own territory only five
yards be necessary to be gained. The mo-
ment the ball passed into the territory OF
the rival eleven Mr.. Dashed would have
the distance changed to ten yards. In this
proposal Mr. Dashiel found a warm sup
porter in DR.. Lambeth Of the University
of Virginia. Both gentlemen said they had
given the suggestion the benefit Of care
full analysis by comparative games, and
were satisfied tlat 1t would work for the
good Of foot ball in the end.
The change was not made. although 1t
Is not out OF the question that it will be
brought up again. The position taken Dy
the southern foot ball experts in the mat
which is being aroused in that section Of
the United States In the great fall sport
About Field Goals.
Perhaps q little further attention to tho
scoring Of field goals will not be uninter-
esting. The statement that the change was
made this year because 1t was a field goal
last fall which defeated Yale in the Har-
ward game may be taken with a liberal
supply of salt
Field goals had been increasing SO rap
idly that leading foot ball experts had
been suggesting for more than two years
the change in the scoring system. It is
possible that there will be more field
goals kicked in 1909 than there were in
4OOo. he IcIlucuCy TO score In IQ1S man
ner is strong, and probably not few
opportunities were given UP last year
which will be taken advantage Of in 1909
The record Of field goals by the imp ort-
ant teams in 1908 was as follows: Har-
ward. 4: Yale. = Princeton. 1; Pennsylva-
MIA. 2; Cornell. 2: Indians. H. West Point,
2; Annapolis, 5; Dartmouth, 1; LAFAYETTE,
4: Pennsylvania State, 2.
There is nothing in that record which
should give undue worry either to those
kiNkinO nj ~ hos
who are opposed to 1t. At the same time
it is not difficult to see what wicked
machine for trouble the Indians had de-
veloped with their eleven field goals
which netted them forty-four points
Thorpe kicked six of these and Balenti
five.
In view of the record which was made
by these two expert young students of
Carlisle School. it seems but fair to say
that any young man who Is engaged in
making this his first year on the foot ball
field. and who feels that 1t Is within him
to kick we'll and accurately. should devote
his time to practice. so that when the
games begin he shall be In his best
condition.
Perhaps not all may be as adept in
kicking as the Indians. peculiar con-
formation Of the knee joint is said to be
d stinctly to their advantage as drop
kickers. Gien Warner. who has had long
experience in teaching the players of Car
Isle to play the game, Is authority for
this statement.
Yet it Is certain that good kickers will
be greatly In demand and 1t must not be
accepted that kicking is to be confined
wholly to punting. There must be skill
in drop kicking and In place kicking.
Here's a Real Kicker.
Take such a player as Coy, the captain
of this years Yale team, and an ideal
man is had for a team. simply because
90 70
his other qualifications. 1t is true that
he is one of the best ground gamers
in the recent history Of the game, and
probably one of the best who ever liver.
but he would shine a wonderful kick
er II there were not another quality In
his favor.
Turning to another development of the
game, it seems more and more in evidence
under the present rules that there Is to
to a demand on all teams for end rushers
More than one eleven last season would
have gladly welcomed such brilliant
player as Scarlet of Pennsylvania or
Schildmiller OF Dartmouth to its ranks.
The modern game demands that there
shall be a strong defense on the ends.
good punter without good ends to cover
his attack Is woefully handicapped. 1t is
most exasperating to see a splendid kick
of sixty yards drop wholly unprotected
by the attacking side. There was great
deal Of that last year. Sklli1ui ana meet
ends were hard to ind.
Princeton worked for them all the sea-
son and almost In vain. At the close the
ends were better than they had been at
the beginning. but they were not such
ends as Princeton had been accustomed to
see In the past. They did not follow the
ball as they should and were too easily
blocked off Princeton without ends of
expert worth 10 not Princeton.
Yale was bothered by its ends. They
were too light, even though they pos
sessed some speed, and the most promis-
ing of all (Kilpatrick) was injured in the
game with West Point and not able to
play for the remainder OF the year.
Scarlet, the Pennsylvania star, on the
other hand, simply shone above all his
fellows with the exception of Schildmiller