Omaha daily bee., 1911-12-03
TOSS HEROES INTO DISCARD
Close of Foot Ball Season Sees Pass.
ing of a Number of Stars.
SOME ARE GREATEST PLAYERS
Game, OF 1911 show that Best Of
Tense Possible Cannot Make Head
way Against n stubborn,
Fighting Defense.
nY vi. s. rARNswoRTm.


OF the 1911 foot ball season an unusually
large number OF the moleslSin heroes vii
Dass into the discard. The career Of tht
foot bah star is tho bIiefest OF any ath.
lete-today hero. tomorrow forgotten
with the ending Of the Army-Nsvy and
the Yale-HarvRrd games followers Of the
pigskin said goodbye TO some OF the
greatest players that over followed the
game.
At Cambridge Captain Arthur Howe OF
Yale made his last appearance. Jim
Soully and Charley Paul the Blues
tackles, and Elmer McDcvitt and Pete
Francis, tho Bulldogs guards, also played
their last foot ball games for their col
lege. over st Harvard Bob Fisher, the
Crimson captain. led his team for the
last timo on Saturday. as did Bob Potter,
tho great quarterback; Huntington,
center; Leslie. guard, and Gardner, a
back field man. Every one OF these Grim
son wearers made an excellent showing
in their getaway contest.
with tho departure OF these stars one
goes back 10 former Yale-Harvard con-
tests. This year the teams had but little
chance TO score on straight rushing with
the ball Before the new game was
adopted by tho rules committee large
scores usually resulted. In 1907 the New
Havenites cent Coy and Philbin ploughine
through the lines for big gains and won
the battle by a score Of IL to O. But
since the defense has become 80 perfect
and the offense 50 weakened neither
Harvard nor Yale have been able 90 make
any Roadway by steady line plunging.
In 1905 an even more marked develop
ment IN defense play was noted. Neither
team was ablo 70 advance the ball to
any extent. Coach Haughton's general
ship In putting Kennard IN at the very
tail end Of the game was a great move,
for the sterling field goal kicker dropped
the ball over the bar few seconds be-
fore the timers horn brought the struggle
10 a close.
Yale OffeBse Checked.
In 1909 Ted Coy, without doubt the
greatest man that ever played foot ball.
who az the time was at tho top OF hts
development as plunglng bacA. could
not get within striking distance Of the
Crimson goal In 1903. Those who were
fortunate enough 20 see that great con
test VIII never forget how the great Yale
offense was checked. Also TO this day
they probably remember how Coy tried
unsuceessfully three times 20 kick goals
from the field in the first half before he
finally scored. In the second half the
Harvard offense struggled nobly TO carry
the ball over the line. but the New
Haven teams defense never allowed
fhem to set inside tho twenty-five-yard
line Just before the game ended Yale
changed its methods OF attack and called
upon Coy to try another field goal lie
hossted the ball cleanly between the posts
and Yaio won, s to o.
Last year and again this season the
Harvard-Yale games we're furtner tes-
I fnnonaal OF the fact that the best offense
I'D Eoihle cannot make Roadway against a
feRting defense. A radical change In the
ruiRa muat be made.
EEperts are bordering seriously as 20
whfther foot ball game which Il better
SER ed By defense than Il Ii BY attack
Sc 81 good athletic sport. They can't bring
fherhselves 20 believe that a premium
should be placed on defense when, as a
matter OF fact. the burden OF proof and
the greater load Of responsibility should
fall on the attack. II a good defense Is
better than a good attack. they Insist
that the game does not balance well and
that some weight 10 needed on the attack
side, while a little should DO taken away
from the defense side.
Tho Tigers defeated Harvard through
a blocked kick and a safety. Princeton
beat Yale because OF a bad pass ana a
tumble Dartmouth was beaten by a kick
OF which the greater part OF the sports
manlike Princeton students disliked &c
take advantage.
Has Came DeKeneratedf
While these blunders OF the other side
were TO the advantage OF Princeton, anc
the Tigers played for ali they could gel
out OF the mistakes. up arose the ole
guard of foot ball. And now they insis
that the game has surely degenerated
When a team could do better by play
ing for the mistakes of its opponent
than II could by exerting its own phyalea
prOwess 10 break down the defense of 81
opponents, something is wrong. Is thel
view
And there you are. II II the old stor!
OF the old foot bali against the nav. IN
men who PLAYED and earned honOrs o,
Tho gTfdiron when the old game was b
vogue are willing 20 admit that the new
game has some fine features about I,
hut they can't stand for the defense hAv
ing the upper hand. and they say that /
exactly what foot ball makes possible a
tho present time And they point TO tn
success OF the Princeton eleven In al
three Of the Tigers big games as a.
example.
They are more than half right. toe
The distance which must be gained o.
downs is not balanced by the ability I
prevent the gain. II the eleyens wer
asked to gain eight yards instead OF te
the game would be vastly better tina
= Is now. AZ least that Il nearer IN
ceater between tho attack and defens
than ten yards. IL would be as easy I
rule off eight yards as II Is 10 stick Z
zen yards. Make the gridiron il2 yard
long instead % no, make the distance {
be gained eight yards In three downs
leave the other rules as they are an
tho attack win have as much chance a
the defense.
II that doesn't seem The correct solution
change some other rule. In any even
ihe eight-yard gain would surely max
the game much more attractive and pI
an end 20 some OF these contests wheT
the team which is scored against by
play. which 10 not the result OF the stron
attack Of the other eleven. win have
better opportunity 70 eaualiEe matter
than 70 be the victim OF play after pla