New-York tribune., 1911-11-05
Alertness of Tigers
Is Fatal TO Harvard


fine chance Of recovering the ball m
Harvards territory As n was, De Witt
sent two or three kicks out OF bounds that
should have dropped IN the field OF play
In pinch he wasn't 10 be relied upon. az
he was extremely likely TO punt the hall
cross lots and out OF bounds near his own
goal line. Harvard got one good oppor-
tlnity 10 score Under ju,t these conditions
when DE Witt punted out Of bounds on his
2O-yard line after rather poor piece NJ
headwork In catching a punt on his s-yard
line with no opponents near him This
ball De Witt should by all means havs
let go over the goal line for touchbacS
But in this point OF judgment De witt WAS
not the sole offender. as both sets Of
backs were equally guilty.
Storer Gives Away Secret.
storer continued his old fault Of givinl
away the secret VI whether the ball was
10 be passed to the quarterback or the
fullback when Harvard lined UP in kicking
formation. with the result that Princeton
took full advantage OF the fault by rushing
Harvard's punters a great deal more than
otherwise would have been the case, and
smothering most Of Harvard's attempts At
end runs from kicking formation. Storer
showed this fault in the Brown ganie-a
common one for a player breaking into the
game. but not for veteran playing I'm the
second big game OF the year for his team
II consists in passing the ball when in kick
formation smoothly and directly back alons
the ground when Il goes 10 the quarter
back, but when ii is TO go TO the fullback
Storer has the bad habit Of first raising
the ball off the ground and then tossing il
back. Though Princeton undoubtedly prof
I, tied by this fault I'm the defensive play OF
the Tiger line, still Bluthenthal, the Tiger
centre, was not free OF the habit himself.
| Such a big point cannot have escaped the
notice Of Yale's coaches who were present
in goodly numbers and on the watch out
! for just such points to aid Yales system
Of defence against both teams.
The kicking game of the two elevens was
most erratic one Potter, who started
! this work for Harvard. was hurried more
than usual. and, like his followers, except
ing Blackall, who did the puntng at the
end of the game sent most Of his punts
high into the air without gaining much
distance. Blackall was by far the best
punter on the field, and his kick from close
to Harvards goal line near the closing
period Of play was the longest OF the game.
as It came out we'll past midheld. Though
Princeton made great effort to block
Harvards tacklers in order to give Pen
dleton an opportunity to get away in the
open field, the latter was generally well
covered and had no fair opportunities TO
show his ability In this kind Of running.
Harvard, on the other hand, used FIVE
men-the four backs and the centre. who
played back-to block off Hart, White.
Phillips and Dunlap when the Tigers
kicked. but the blocking was so similar to
the lamentable efforts OF the Harvard In
reference when carrying the ball that
these four men had little to do except step
over or around the men who fell In front
of them and then throw the runner
Princeton's men. not excepting captain
Hart. had one bad fault in covering De
Wits punts, in that they slowed up as
they approached the man catching the bal'.
instead OF increasing their speed III theSe
last few wards so as TO strike the catcher
with more momentum and before he has
A chance to recover and get under way.
The game proved one thing most con-
clusiyeIy, and the one thing that has been
the bone Of contention among foot0a"
strategists during this and the last two OF
three seasons. namely. that 1t is practicaIy
impossible TO advance the ball by rushlhs
after crossing an opponents 2-yard hhe'
Roth Princeton and Harvard used the drop
kick when held under these conditions
though each had splendid opportunities TO
use forward passes. In summing up TINS
/ - az
the lesson of to-day's game, one can say
that ii is foolish for a coach to instruct
quarterback as 20 what to do under suCh
conditions The quarterback can only Oh
rect his play according to the defence lie
meets and not by any set rule, else there
&C. no hone Of a score resulting. except for
the opponents. as was the case "hen
uollister tried Harvard's second drop KICK
Harvard used one play several times tha'
deserved better success than II receNe'
on a kick formation. with smith piayi"s
right end, the quarterback would receive
the ball on a direct pass from Storer' start
toward his right end, draw back ms arm
as though preparing TO forward pass
that side OF the field. and instead mana
TO Smith, who had already dropped oacN
from his position and was coming aToun"
at full speed back OF the other backs VINO
formed interference for him in an attack
at Priuceton's right end. 1t was "A beaui-
fully executed fake, but Princeton gener-
alIV stopped H. because OF weak lnterier-
ence on tho part of Harvard's backs.
Princeton used deceptive formation once
or twice when on the left side Of the neld'
The Tigers would line up in Kick FORMS
ton and instead OF placing the two oa'h
to the right and the remaining one 10 the
left, did Just the reverse. This formation
was used for the evident purpose OF as
concerning the Harvard defence, though
nothing but the usual punt was plsyeu
from IT. The formation gave Harvard an
extremely good chance 10 block the punt
and for that reason IA not worth the risk
employed Another formation that gave tho
Crimson a far better chance to block
ouick kick of DE Wits. and one which the
Harvard forwards accepted I'm great style
was when Princeton shifted the entire
! ba ckheli, excepting De Witt VINO sto"u
| back about eight yards. 20 the right e'
! their scrlmmage line in the hope OF |"
covering an onside kick through SUPERIORITY
! I'm numbers The inevitable blocked isss
resulted, and Princeton was most tortuns"
in not having tho play prove disastroes
Such opportunities as these two VIII NJ
receive such courteous treatment AZ tne
hands OF Yale's forwards two weeks rom
to-day.
There were some rather feeble tackins
efforts put forth by both elevens. ana
was surprised TO see Wendell running ohe'
with the ball carried I'm the wrong arm
II recalls to my mind the brilliant run OF
Potter, OF Harvard. against Brown. vhen