Omaha daily bee., 1909-10-03
VETERAN MEN
FEW ON TEAM
Nebraska Eleven Starts Season with
Unusually Small Number Of
Tried Players.
RIOTERS GLOOMY AT PROSPECT
Only Two Linemen Whose Weight APP
proaohes Two Hundred.
ENDS LACKING IN EXPERIENCE
Mogor and Lofgren Have Much to
Learn Ct Game.
THREE GOOD MEN INELIGIBLE
Frank Appears Biz Find of Season
nnd May soon he n Rival for
Honors Like Johonny
Bcndcr's.
THREE GOOD MEN INELIGIBLE


LINCOLN, Neb., Oct. 2.-(Special)-It is
a gloomy lot Of rooters that is following
the fortunes Of the CornhusSer foot bali
eleven just now, deploring the weak condi-
ton Of the eleven and at the same time
trying to buoy up its spirits with the
thought that the squad will undergo a
great change soon that will give the state
school a winning foot ball machine.
Few Of the rooters have deceived thcm-
selves during the two weeks Of practice
with the belief that the present team Is a
strong one and that 1t stands any chance
of beating Minnesota or Kansas, What
they think, and what is a fact, is that the
present squad which king" Cole is coach
ing is one Of the weakest that has been
at Nebraska in several seasons.
There are but five veterans of last fall,
one of the year before, and one of three
years ago on the team just now-flve less
than the squad started with n year ago,
when Minnesota was played a tie game
and Kansas proved an easy winner in the
contest that settled the title to the Mis-
souri, valley championship. There are,
then, as the team played against South
Dakota this afternoon, four new men, all
inexperienced in college foot ball, and two
letter players who have not had much
training in the game for a year or more.
Weakness Ii In the Line.
The veterans who were In the lineup
today were Captain Beltzer, Harte, Bentley,
Johnson, Temple. Wenstrand and Perrin.
Three Of these men We're last year sta
toned in the backfield. only two were in
the line last fall. Harte at guard aud
Johnson at end. Perrin won his IN" the
80 T. At O. ~
playing at center. That was the only game
Of the season. though. in which he played
a full half. Wendstrnnd won his letter
three years ago in the annual battle with
Minnesota, playing at guard.
The old men who did not come back to
school were mostly linemen. leaving the
present weakness Of the Cornhuskers in
that part Of the team, for it is there that
the new men who are selected for the
eleven will have to play.
On the present squad, because of a lack
of good line material and an abundance OF
backfield men, King Cole has been
forced to make several shifts in attempt
ing to solve the great problem of getting a
line that will hold against the heavy teams
that are to be met later In the fall.
During the week, for instance, Temple.
the plunging fullback Of last year, has
been played at tackle, and Johnson, last
falls left end, has been posted at the
second tackle. This has been done in
order to add more beef to the line, for
there are not enough heavy men on the
squad to permit the playing of the old
men at their former positions and yet give
the line the desired weight.
The only really big llnemen are Shonka
and Wends ,'snd, the former weighing over
200 pounds and the latter just missing the
double century mark by three pounds.
Perrin, who has been playing center.
weighs under $50; IIarte, at guard, is a
little heavier than Perrin; Johnson. tackle.
weighs 1S2, and Temple, tackle, weighs a
little better than $50 pounds. The two ends
who have appeared to best advantage dur
ing the week, Mogor and Lofgren, are
both light fellows.
No Solution Just Yet.
So far, this composition of the line has
failed to settle the problem OF getting a
front that will hold. Perrin Is yet in poor
form, having been out for practice but a
few days this week, and it is hard to
prophesy just what he can do. 1t is safe
to say that he will not be able to fill the
position as satisfactorily as Sidney Collins,
who was in the pivotal post for two sea-
sons on the varsity and for four years on
the Lincoln High. He is new, in many
ways, to the fine points of the game and
lacks the strength and aggressiveness that
marked the playing of Collins.
Shonka, playing guard for the first time
in his life, is handicapped by his inexperi-
ence and yet does not know how to use
his great strength and weight, two quail
f~ications that do a foot ball player no
good unless he has learned from hard
games just how to handle himself.
Harte, i'm his old position of guard. is
one OF the dependable men In the line and
can take care OF his position without any
trouble. Wendstrand. at either tackle or
guard, gives promise of getting hold OF
the points OF the games before long and he
is likely to hold dow any job he is given
with considerable exhibit Of strength on
both the offense and defense.
Temple proved a great offensive player
in the backfield last year and may develop
into a good man for the line II he is re-
tained there. Johnson has never played at
guard or tackle and is not likely to make
a very good man for either OF those posi-
tions this year.
At the ends Mogor and Lofgren are yet
totally lacking in experience and can not
play their positions, as is necessary 20
give the varsity a strong line, both on the
offense and defense. They have yet 20
learn how to prevent an opposing end
from getting by them on the punts or from
creeping through and breaking up plays
that the backs are trying to pun off.
Time May Bring Change.
The situation regarding the line may be
summed up by saying that part of the
men there know how TO play the game
wen. can do their share Of the work 20
satisfaction; but that most Of the men
are not hardened TO the work, and that
these players will have to - through e
few big games before they VIII learn the
cardinal points Of good line playing. II