The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-09-11
College and University
Squads Begin Work on
Gridiron This w eek.
AMENDED RULES
APPEAR FEASIBLE
Pennsylvania Coach Finds Them
Better Than They Looked, and
Is Working Cup Formation
Successfully ginia
Colleges Unknown
Quantities.

This week will mark the beginning,
of the football season for 1910 with
the squads OF nearly every university
in the country clad in canvas and
mole-skin, "sweating-off" the surplus
fat that summers idleness has put
on. The first two weeks OF football
practice is the hardest thing the foot
ball player has to go against during
the whole season, and the next two
weeks Will bring little enjoyment.
For at least two weeks the football
squads Will do nothing but get into
condition for strenuous play and Learn
the rules. The rules have been 50
changed and twisted about that few OF
the players know exactly what they
are. Restrictions as to tackling. ad-
yancing the ball. helping the man with
tile ball, and the forward pass arc
matters which every player must be-
come thoroughly familiar with, and
such are the changes that 1t is almost
absolutely necessary to try the new
rules with full teams before their eff
feet can be learned.
Big Teams MT Work.
Already the Northern universities
and colleges have been working out
for a week Harvard, Yale, Penn
sylvania, Cornell and the two military
academies have had squads on the neih,
and those squads are almost ready to
begin serious practice. Reports from
the training tables would indicate
that the new rules are at least pos
sible.,. and the coaches expect to MAKE
game out OF them.
Coach smith, of Pennsylvania, mas
tried out the rules with his SQUAD
and believes that the game has not
been hurt At present he is USING
the "cup" formation almost entirety.
although he intends that this shaii
he only one of many formations, and
has found that with it the rules are
at least capable of good work.
The cup" formation is that III
which two of the back field STAND
close to the line of scrimmage, be-
tween tackles and guards, and Two
stand farther back on line penlnu
centre rush. With this plan Coach
Smith finds that he can work the pay
to either side OF the line ana can use
the forward pass or on-side kick WIFE
equal facility.
OF the prospects Of the Virginia
teams very little Is known yet The
prospective players for the Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and the Untver-
sity OF Virginia have begun to arrive,
but the real work will not begin until
this week. It is expected that both
Of these teams will begin with q good
ly number of Veterans back In the line
and a rather good collection of sub
stitutes OF last seasons squad.
University Coaches.
The university this season Will have
a half dozen advisory coaches. who
will work under the direction OF Head
Coach Crawford. who Will be respon-
sfble for the work Of the team. Among
1 all q Ia I'M
mond Johnson, Billy Cloth. Forrest
Stanton, y ohnny. Neff and Branch john
son. The advisory coaches will visit
Charlottesville from time to time and
help the squad with new ideas and
fresh enthusiasm.
In Branch Bocock the Virginia
Polytechnic Institute has single
coach who is almost sure to whip q
team into successful shape under the
new rules: The open-feld game has
always been Bocock' strong point, and
the ne wruIes Will give him ample OPP
portunity of getting the hest out OF !
naturally good squad. And 1t is
expected that a great many Of the lasy
years team will be back to play this
fall.
Last season Bocock arrived IN
Blacksburg to coach the " F. I. team
and found It composed mainly OF men
the game. Hodgson. the punter, knew
the game thoroughly, and perhaps one
or two others. but the majority OF
the team knew very little. Before
the season was over Bocock had
played Princeton and held that team
to a score of S to 5. and had defeated
the University of North Carolina, and
got together one OF the best teams In
the South.
Richmond is fortunate in having
secured two of the greatest games In
the South for this city. The season
will be closed with tho annual battle
between the University of North Caro-
lima and the University of Virginia.
and short While before that the
University Of North Carolina will meet 4
the Virginia POLYTECHNIC Institute, Be-
fore those games. however. nearly
every Saturday afternoon In the Broad
Street Park is taken for a minor can
test. M