The Washington times., 1911-12-07
CAMP SAYS GAME
is NOT TRUE TEST
Great Football Authority Declares Struggle Is Not Sport
ing Proposition, and Offers Some Suggestions for
s22~ sts 4s Changes In Rules.
By WALTER CAMP,
In Golfers Weekly.

sport. IT should be stated that kicks
Of similar character. although by no
SO hay fsot tbs IN
had been discussed by the rules COM
mittee, although no such extraordinary
happening as In this case had ever come
solution OF the difficulty will be at
tained by q rule to the effect that the
ball, after II once takes its flight. must
not again hit the ground before 1t
post. The reason for not allowing the
touching of the ball by an opponent to
vitiate the kick is the difficulty of rul-
Ing upon this II would be easy enough
struck by an unified hand or arm in
case the ball was DETECTED, but a man
might easily touch the ball with his
finger tips and he alone be sure that
he had thus touched 1t.
May Increase Downs.
The season will certainly give rise to
very considerable discussion of the
present rules, and a party that advo-
Gates an increased number Of downs
four instead of three all over the field,
or at least within the twenty -five-yard
line-will gain many adherents.
The rules forbidding taclsling below
the knees and decrceing that the ball
rs deed when any part Of a man except
MS feet touches the ground when i'm the
grasp Of An opponent should either be
modified or enforced
Meantime public interest in the sport
seems to be still on the increase. The
fact that the players and former play
nrs are not satisfied with the game as
1t Is has seemed to have very little in
Guence upon the desire of the general
public to witness the big contests. The
game Is played more generally In the
schools and on vacant lots during the
fall season. and II seems that the elm
DuglinU Inc nd ha
possibility of at least partially success
fnl methods with this elimination have
enhanced the value Of the immature
Princeton. after many years of de-
preston, In several Of which the early
part OF her season would be particularly
prosperous and she would start in the
Yale only to lose it. came to her own at
last, defeating Harvard to G and Yale
6 to 8. This was the first year of the
renewal of relations between Princeton
more a satisfaction for Princeton to
continue the work where she laid II
down years ago. OF the best ways to
summarize the seasons lessons Is to
basis Of good football without frills.
view Carlisle as the type of team that
Will take the biggest chances on attack,
ana fnnL Pl1n rS O Is the type Of team that
tically ignored that end OF the game
altogether.
Two Good Examples.
The Carlisle-Harvard game and the
Princeton- Yale game are, good examples
OF these two widely divergent policies.
carlisle took every chance and scored
IL points on Harvard (more than twice
as many as did Princeton), but mean
time Harvard scored Is points on her.
PrfnCafnn Drkn
never scored a first down or carried the
ball into Yale's territory. and Princeton
defeated Yale to 8. -
Yale could cary the ball into Prince
tons territory, and in the totals on
kicks gained an average of between two
and three yards to the kick, yet could
not get near enough to register upon the
score board save by drop-kick.
Games were played that would indi-
cate there is some truth in the state
ment OF q very successful coach that II
you threw the ball around enough you
could beat anybody. On being asked to
the chances were so strongly against
a consistent succession of successful
running plays-the rules rendering prac-
tically all the defense necessary-that
the thing to do was to utilize as many
downs as possible in giving chances both
to hts own side to secure the ball after
q forward pass and for the other side
to make errors.
On the last saturday OF the season,
when every one was waiting to place
the final stamp of approval or disap-
prevail on rules, teams, and individuals.
came really the most depressing and
unsatisfactory results-Brown was tied
by Trinity. Michigan was tied by Ne
braska, Kansas was tied by Missouri,
Yale was tied by Harvard, while the
Navy. with a weaker running attack.
scored a field goal on the Army. That
ending convinced large majority that
four downs are necessary to give a
test of superiority.