Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-08-14

Missouri Valley Teams Are Preparing
for the Fray.
RULES ARE BEING CHANGED
Coaches Are sim Undecided NJ TO
PInys that VIII suit the Men
They VIII Have I'm the
Squads.


winter. the coaches and mentors in the
Missouri valley are wondering what effect
the revision will have on the quality OF
the game as played at the various insti-
tutions composing the Big Seven" Before
the reformers tinkered with the old regu-
lations and made a revision that Is con-
sldered the most radical since 1873, when
the Rugby game was adopted in this
country by several eastern schools, the
coaches knew just about what to expect
Of the material that they will have on hand
this fall and were either banking on
strong eleven or prepared TO accept the
disasters Of an off year. But now that the
playing code has been knitted, and the
removal Of the so-called dangerous sections
effected, the coaches and their advisers are
IN a guandary regarding the quality Of foot
ball they can give their patrons during the
first fall of the expurgated game.
Injuries in the east (foT there were no
serious accidents on the western foot bah
fields last year with the possible exception
of two places) set in motion the demand for
a sane game, and many Of the men who
few years before had cried out for de-
brutallzec code came to the front again
and stirred up the country to such pitch
that for a time the very life Of the gridiron
sport was In serious danger The cham
pions OF foot ball came to the support Of
their favorite support and the game was
permitted to keep up It's respiration.
same Element Prevails.
AS a concession for letting the game live
the sane element was given power to revise
the rules 80 radically that all plans Of the
foot ball coach were upset. The calcula-
lions that the director OF the team made
last fall, when he based his figures upon
the old rules all went awry, and now he
and his pupils must adapt themselves to the
new code. Foot ball in 1910 will be a new
game-a new game for coaches and for
players. A new game means that the first
season must be one OF experimentation In
creating new plays for both the defense
and offense All this change means that
the coaches are now going through period
OF worry and fret over the approaching
days of autumn when they must again face
the critical students and faculties who de-
mand. above all things. winning team.
For seN eral weeks coaches In this division
of the foot ball world heve been devising
plays that are expected to DE successfully
used under the new rules. In few Of
the acknowledgements and Kansas-the
captains OF the teams have been consult
ing With the candidates for the teams and
getting an idea Of what the material will
be able to do In playing under the re-
formed code They have learned, as we'll
as their coaches, that many Of the men
who have been figured on for doing the
bulk of the work on the teams this fall
will be important factors In giving them
a winning eleven. The captains and
coaches realize now that they will have to
build up an entirely different kind of team
from that which played the game In the
west last autumn. Men who were pecul-
iarly fitted for gridron work last fall are
in many cases little adapted for the re-
formed game.
At Omaha in October Nebraska made
a better showing against the great Mime
sofa eleven and held 1t to a tie score in
the first half The Cornnuskers were able
to do this thing because they had a line
that was more than equal TO the northern
eleven. The terrifying offense that hum
bled Chicago found a stone wall in Me-
braska forwards and recoied at nearly
every attack with loss Of ground. Min
nesota won the game because Nebraska
possessed an extremely weak backfield that
could not hold up Its end OF the play. Inc
open style of game played unimportant
part In this contest.
Nebraska should he strong.
But under the rules that will be in force
this fall there will be little need of q
bulky line, for the plungins plays used by
the backs will not be employed, being pro-
hibited by the latest regulations. The new
rules also will do away with the necessity
Of the quarterback position for any player
will be allowed to carry the ball through
the line at any time or place. With line
plunglng under ban, the defensive line
can be arranged to take care OF the at.
tacks upon IL. The defensive line men viii
no longer have to fight against a ErouI
Of players pushing and pulling a man. fol
such work is also forbidden. The rules
against the line plunglng and the changes
giving the backs more freedom in theil
work. will call for quick and active players
who can solve a play before II has re
ceived the momentum that assures success
For 1910 IL seems certain that the coaches o.
the country viii have TO depend on tn,
players who are adept at forward passing
kicking and running through broker
field The large man who combines spec,
and clear thinking with his strength, o
course, will continue to be a valuable maj
to any team.
When the season came 10 a close las
look for championship eleven of an
school IN the Missouri valley. Its famou
line. that was the talk OF the west. los
only two men, and the places OF thes
players left no hole in the team. for tn
coach had substitutes almost as valuAbl
as the regulars. With his forwards re
naming strong, Coach king Cole wa
figuring on building up machine aroun
this stone wall that would paralyze tn
offense OF the teams that are to be m,
this season. For his back field the coac
had the hest bunch OF material that ha
been seen in this section Of the countr
in several years His backs were gree
last fall, but toward the end Of the seaso
they were playing speedy ball, The eylu
set OF backs is 10 be on hand again, bl
IN addition there will be five or six player
who are fully as good those yeteran
With this abundance OF timber for hi
back field Coach Cole planned on devis.n
series OF plays that would startle ii
west ana give the Cornhuskers rapi
scoring machine.
The new rules have thrown aside all IN
schemes projected BY the NEBRASKA coac
and forced him into a position where h
is now wondering how his men are guin
10 yield 10 the demands OF the revised cod,
~ Lpous inst t1bof all punitg eo,,l