Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-30
SCORES UNAFFECTED
Changes Have Not Lessened
Chances for T0uchd0WnS.
BIG TEAMS ADVANTAGE
Experts Say That Foot Ball Changes
Handicap Smaller Schools.
Review of Season.
By Edward r. Bushnell.

Contrary to the expressed belief of a
great ma jOrity of the foot ball coaches.
the new game has not reduced the Scor-
ing power of the big elevens. In fact
judged by the standard set year ago,
practically every member of the Big
Six" Yale alone excepted, has shown
more scoring power than ever. Prior 10
yesterdays games Harvard had already
passed her 1909 point total, and SO had
Cornell. Dartmouth and the Army. Penn
sylvania a week ago was within nine
points OF her 1909 total Yale alone was
behind her 1900 record. but the troubles
of the Ellis are due more to poor ma
terial and backward development than TO
the new game. There Is hardly an i'm
pOrtant team in the country which has
not bettered by good many points its
1909 record for the corresponding num-
Der of games to date.
The skepticism which the big coaches
entertained about the scoring power OF
new foot ball was due almost entirely
to the passage OF the rules which pro-
hibited a man from receiving assistance
from his teammates when advancing the
ball. 1t was targued that inside the
twenty-yard lines it would be almost i'm
possible for two evenly matched teams
to score at all. This argument seemed
incontrOvertible, but 1t has not worked
out that way to date.
The perfection of the end running game
and the forward pass has made il posi-
BILE for teams to gain more ground In
the center Of the field than here ofore.
And 1t seems that the surest way to
compel team TO find a certain method
of scoring inside the twenty-yard lines
is by the passage Of some such restriction
as the rules committee Inflicted. This
rule has resulted in a cleaner and more
effective use OF the forward pass. In
deed, the forward pass which was be-
lieved to be useless for scoring purposes
inside the tWenty-yard line, has resulted
in more touchdowns than Straight-llne
plunging end runs.
Gradually coaches are swinging around
to some enthusiasm for the new game
And when they reach this point We may
look for rapid development in the new
game And if the rules operate for the
championship games as they have done
to date there will be very little cause 10
complain of new foot ball.
AS the writer pointed out at the be-
ginning of the season, the new rules have
operated TO the disadvantage OF the little
colleges. The Introduction of the for
ward pass four years ago and its nap
hazard use did more to equalfze condi-
tons than any play the rules committee
But all this was undone when the COM
mittee permitted the passage of a rule
allowing d player to be withdrawn and
then substituted in a succeeding period
The small colleges haven't enough first
class men to take advantage of this rule
But the big institutions have made good
use of it, and by using two backfelds
have been able to wear out their smaller
opponents. There Is nothing more dis
couraging to a small team than to lave
a big rival send in lot of fresh. speedy
men at time when its own men are
worn out. Pennsylvania has done q