The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01

New York, September 30.-(Special.)-
 while there have been few games played the football season really opens today, | when for the first time all the big teams are in action. From now on until Thanksgiving day, when the season closes with the Army Navy game, the great college game will hold the center of the stage so far as sports are con- cerned. After the close of the baseball season late in October there will be
 nothing to divert interest from the grid iorn contests.
 From preliminary practice and the few
 games which have been played so far the indications are that the season just beginning will be a memorable one. In open play features the present sea- son bids fair to surpass the playing of
 last year, when until Tom Shevlin intro- duced to Yale the Minnesota shift" the
 possibilities of the open game were not realized by football coaches and lovers of the sport in general. From the stand taken by coaches during early practice, it is apparent to followers of the game that variations of the Minnesota shift and other jump formations will play an important part in deciding the big con- tests. Coaches at Yale, Harvard, Prince ton and other prominent eastern colleges agree with Hurry Up'' Yost, the famous Michigan authority, when he says that
 the eleven equipped with the biggest repertoire of open plays will be the most successful on the gridiron this year. Unlike last year, when the entire foot ball populace was in the dark because of the new rules, coaches and various squads begin the present season with d clear understanding as to the possibii- ties of the game under the existing rules. The rules committee this winter satis- fled that the sport last year received ap- proval from spectators and players, de- cded not to make any material changes in the rules. The forward pass is the only rule materially altered. This year to make forward pass legal it is nee essary that the ball be heldsby the play CT receiving it. Another wrinkle in this years play will be the lessening of time between quarters. This change will be appreciated by players, who last year complained of the danger of getting cold and stiff during the intermission between periods.
 1t leaked out at New Haven this week that the Yale board of strategy is al- ready busy devisipg new variations of the Minnesota shift, the play that so baf-
 fled the Tigers last year that the Blue eleven was enabled to snatch victory out of what looked like sure defeat, with which to surpass the opponents of Old Eli this fall.
 Losing a championship last year on account of unpreparedness against the various shift formations used by Yale, the Princeton Tigers are planning to re-
 sist any new shifts that may be sprung against them. Bill Roper, assisted by the new coaching board, is using much midnight oil figuring o1t innovations to the forward pass and jump plays The Orange and Black coaches realize that to carry off the cham pionship this year they must afford better protection to Pen dleton, their one hope in the game
 against Yale, who was so effectively boxed in by the Blues ends. Aided by strong interference, Pendleton should de- velop into one of the most dangerous
 men on the football field, because of his
 tremendous speed and open field run | ming.
 With q premium on speed because of | the new far gled shift formations. foot | ball this year should be more spectacular | than ever from spectators viewpoint.
 The huge crowds at all the big games .ast year were evidence that the public
 is in accord with the governing commit
 tee in it's efforts to make the game as | open as possible in order to bring in- | juries down to a minimum.
 Here is the schedule of games for next week: Wednesday,, October 4, Brown vs. Rhode Island State at Provi- dence. Dartmouth vs. Bowdoin at Han | over; Princeton vs Rutgers at Prince | ton Pennsylvania ys. Franklin and Mar | shall at Philadelphia Saturday, October T.. Amherst ys. Wesleyan at Amherst. Army vs. Vermont at West Point, Bates vs. Fort Mckinley at Lewiston; Brown vs. Massachusetts Aggies at Providence; Carlisle vs. St. Marys at Carlisle; Tufts
 vs. Connecticut Aggies at Medford Cor nell vs. Oberlin at Ithaca; Dartmouth | vs. Colby at Hanover; Dickinson vs. Western Maryland at Carlisle; George | town vs. William and Mary at Wash
 ington; Haverford vs. Rutgers at New | Brunswick; Harvard Vs. Holy Cross at