Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-03
COLLEGE FOOT BALL TEAMS
WILL SOON BEGIN WORK
PROSPECTS Excellent for Best Season in Years
in South Atlantic Saskatchewan
Pass Rules Do Not Reconcile.

IN the next rullng tnat II the Dal is
] touched by player on the defensive aft
err having been legally passed forward
any player of either side has the right
| to secure possession Of it.
| Under the liberal interpr citation of the
two rulings they cannot be reconciled,
| and it is very probable that a mistake
was made in the wording of section 4.
| when the word either was used. If the
two words the offensive be substituted
in place of the word either then the
two rulings would exactly coincide. and
what was undoubtedly the idea of the
makers of the code would be clearly
brought out.
1t was the idea to lessen the danger to
the man on the offensive side receiving
the forward pass, and this in connection
with a previous ruling. section 5 CD,
which says that "any player of the side
not making the pass has full right to
touch and attempt to secure possession
of the ball. would seem to indicate that
the above is the real Interpretation to be
placed on the ruling by the officials in the
games this fall.
1t may be that it was the intention to
eliminate the ruling in section (c) al
together. and have it SO that section 4
could be interpreted literally. Under
such conditions whenever a forward pass
failed for the reason that 1t touched the
ground for any cause after having been
touched by a player of either side, 1t
would always be brought back to the
spot of the previous down. Section (cl
is the same as last years ruling on the
question, and it was interpreted that any
body could get the ball after 1t had been
touched by player on the defensive, and
had not it been the intention of the rules
committee to convey the same meaning
this season it would have likely eliminat-
ed that paragraph as 1t did the following
one, which gave only the man who first
touched the ball on the offensive side the
right to recover 1t. Considering these
things it is more than probable that the
Interpretation given in a preceding para
graph is correct.
Too Open a Defense Dangerous.
While it can clearly be seen that the
lessening of the penalty for the forward
pass will open up the game little more,
it may also result in just the thing which
is trying to be avoided-that is, that with
the more open game that is expected the
teams will be taught to play an even
more open defense than before. and re-
suit in coaches taking advantage of the
fact and hurting the main power of their
attack at the much weakened line of the
defensive eleven. Whether this condition
of affairs will be brought about by the
change is something that cannot be told
until the season is ended.
1t would seem, though, that the same
tactics which were pursued last season
will be in order in the majority of the
| the coaches will try to develop a system
that will be happy medium. While
premium will probably be placed on speed
and open work. it is more than likely that
| a great deal Of close work and line plung-
ing will also be seen. because 1t will be
almost necessary, as unless some play
of that kind were in the repertoire of
team the eleven on the defensive could
simply lay for the end runs and forward
passes and the ground gained would be
| little and it would be vice versa with a
team which held to the old tactics, as
did Yale during the first half Of last sea-
son. 1t can be seen, though, that the
team which has just enough of each In
its offensive play always to keep the de-
fensve aggregation guessing as to what
is coming is the one that will gain the
ground and be successful under the pres
ent conditions.
Nowhere perhaps as much as in the
South Atlantic section will the open play
be developed. The elevens In this region
are composed of much lighter men than
their northern opponents. and they de-
pend in the main on speed and open work
for the ground which they gain against
the heavier northern teams In their early
games. Thus 1t is that when two OF the
mentioned teams get together there is apt
to be a much better exhibition of what
is generally termed the new game than
is seen IN the contests between the big
northern institutions.
OF course, there will always be a pre-
MUM on line plunging, and as long as
foot ball Is played under anything like
the present rules that feature of the
game is not apt to be eliminated, for the
simple reason that it is an effective meth
cd of gaining ground. and no coach will
do away with any means by which he
may hope to gain a few needed yards.
1t is an effective method OF gaining
ground for the simple reason that now.
for fear that forward pass may be shot
out to some player who is loose. and a
touchdown result, the defending teams
always play an open defense. which ne
cessitates the backfield men playing some
distance back of the line of scrimmage,
and the line itself is not strong enough
to withstand the rushes OF the heavy
| line plunger who is sure to be back OF
the line on every team.
Situation in s. A. Section.
North Carolina Agricultural and Me-
chanical. Georgetown. North Carolina
! University. Virginia. Virginia Polytech-
! mic. Davidson and Washington and Lee
each have coaches who are intent upon
developing the open style OF play as far
! as can possibly be done and still hold to
| q conservative policy, which. after all,
/ has always been found to be best.
| Just what kind Of teams will represent
| the schools mentioned is perhaps beyond
| any one to say at this time, but fgur-