The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-23
NEW RULES AID
WEAKER TEAMS
Upset in the Dope on Eastern
Football Fields Is Due to
the Changes.
HARVARD LOOKS STRONGEST
OF THE COLLEGE ELEYENS
West Point Has a Magnificent
Start, Which Portends a
Victorious Season.

The unexpected closcness OF several OF
the important footbal games recently
was the leading phase Of football devel-
opments. Yale had her hands full TO win
from Holy Cross. as did Princeton from,
New York university; Cornell was tied by
OberlG1 in scoreless game; Rutgers
held the Navy to no score tie. and
Brown was tied by Colgate in a game in
an unusual and striking output OF close
games where there was no reason to eX-
pect close games.
Another TO 0 game was between Le-
high and sevens. whereas a Lehish vic
tory was regarded as next TO foregone
conclusion, by the Lehigh sympathizer,
at least There were four TO games
among prominent teams in the eastern
section, but the to aspect OF the days
encounters 10 of no special significance.
Aid Weaker Teams.
When the rules were changed before.
scoreless games were frequent at first.
but became less so as more experience
was had with the rules. Yet these score
'less games perhaps serve to show the
difficulty OF getting the ball over the last
the defending team can concentrate It's
defense and tho attacking side cannot
push and pull the runner, gaining dis
tance inside the ten-yard line is a rush.
trouble this year.
The showing made by Holy Cross and
Tufts against Yale. by Rutgers against
the Navy, and the other games in which
skinnlng through. supports the prediction
that the new rules would be fine for the
smaller teams. 1t did not look that way
particularly from the very first games
weaker teams have been making their
presence felt 10 better effect,
But the only way 10 judge fairly Of this
point Is to wait until the season is over,
strength. which are now feeling their
way and are in somewhat crude state
Will be much stronger before the. season
ends and may be just as far ahead of
the lesser lights under these rules as
any rules OF the past Football Is en-
phatically a game In which the first
part of the season is notorouSly unread
able as presagtng the results of the last
part.
Speaking OF the difficulty of gaining
ground by rushing near an opponents s
goal line. there has been no lack of
Indeed. long runs between the twenty
fve-yard lines have been distinct fea-
ture of the season. There has been COM
paratively little running back OF .punts.
Pendleton of Princeton seems to be the
best in the east in that regard, but there
have been many lengthy end runs and
Journeys through the line In that way
the new rules have worked an Improve
ment.
Camps Suggestions Good.
This only goes TO show what would
have been possible had the forward pass
been done away with entirely and open
field running and a wide flung attack
been made more OF requisite. Walter
II up to a team that 1t has got to open
out Its attack to gain ground, must de-
velop plays of wider stratesical ma
ture, such plays would be bound to come.
Tic developments to date bear him out.
Camp alone probably could make better
football rules than the other men en-
gagged In the task.
the shortness of the gains. AS the pass
must not go more than twenty yards
teams are so intent on not making the
pass too long that they often don't get
are more passes less than ten yards than
more than that distance.
Frequently the pass does not gain
first down, putting II up to the attack
often this season has forward pass
been risked on a third down when failure
of the pass would mean loss OF the ball
One thing about the passes as,..t this ts year Is
used to. A reason for this is that the
passes can be made over the center as
we'll as Ave yards out.
additional gain by the man making the
catch The defense when not able TO
intercept the pass has been able to get
hold of the catcher quickly.
Few Serious Injuries.
In the matter of injuries. the season
so far has been all that the rules COM
mittee hoped for. Dr, Nichols of Boston.
who looks after the physical welfare of
the Harvard squad, said the other day
that he had so little to do that II felt
absurd to take the money.
There has been a great falling off in
the number OF injuries" he added, "and
think 1t will continue SO Wouldn't be
surprised II there were few serious
injuries before the season is over. but
don't think there will be anything Nike
the number of injuries under the new
rules.
why you can see the difference on
the fold. Last year the sound of men
coming together. whom a group Of pow
erful young fellows are engaged in slam
ming a man into group of equally
powerful young fellows bent on stopping
them. was a crashing. iarring sound
heard all over the place, This year the
sound Is much less, merely that pro-
duced by the contact of canvas as one
man slips by another
Iro~ hu~ k1ox T..