The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-11-06
PLENTY OF ALIBIS FOR
/ MAIZE DEFEAT, IF ONE
HAS NERVE TO USE EN-
Commander-in-Chief Yost In the
East and Field-General McMil-
Ian Under Red Cross Care.
SYRACUSE FOUGHT HARD.
Thompson Was Shining Light
in the Gloom Of Michi-.
gan's Poor Work.
FOUGHT HARD.
BY RALPH L. YoNkER.

Well, there are plenty of Michigan
alibis, if one has the nerve to use
hem after the high school exhibition
Of the gridiron game the Maize and
Blue put up at Ann Arbor Saturday,
when they were lucky TO get away
with that Go tie from Syracuse.
Aibi number one with capital
A belongs 10 Coach Yost. Hurry.
jp' with his smile and his entre-act
lectures on what miserable football
evry man has been playing and on
the possibilities of big shiny cans In
case there isn't some work worthy OF
university men, was away out east
figuring just how Pennsy must be
downed. Yes, IL was a shame that he
wasn't on the job in his own shop,
for II is undoubtedly true that Coach
9ost' has the faculty of putting into
his team the fight and the pep neces-
sary to win just the sort OF game that
was played Saturday.
IF Yost had been here we would
have won,' was the only consolation
heard as the disheartened crowd
passed ont of the field And il seems
very, very possible. for Michigan men
played well, as a general thing. in
diyidually. but lacked team work.
lacked that get together spirit.
Another real excuse for the poor
showing made lies in the absence of
Shorty" Mcmillan from the lineup.
All through the year Craig has dem
onstrated that while he is brilliant
half-back. he hasn't the head and ex-
perience to run the machine as Nc
MILAN does.
With shorty" on the pilots job and
Craig with his spectacular dashes 10
help Thompson and Wells. gainst for
Michigan might have come often
enough towards the latter part of the
game 10 have at least taken OF that
Syracuse edge
And, even with Craig as a second
best bet for the generalship he was
forced 20 leave the contest with a torn
ligament. letting Picard, who, himself,
had bum Shoulder that partially in
capaoitated him. take his place. And
IL looked for several minutes as if
the last OF the quarterback Triumph
rate was bound for the sidelineS when
pie leaped into the air and toppled
over six feet of Syracuse beef. di.-ing
shoulder first to the unsympathetic
ground where he rested for some
time before he was able 20 proceed
But with all the alibis. the big
boquet has 10 be handed TO the Salt
Diggers With a record Of defeats
that made tears we'll to the orbs of
all loyal Syracusans. Capt. Fogg and
his men were prepared for the worst
And they got 1.-THE worst Michigan
could show
I'VE have been playing in hard
luck all season said Capt Fogg
after the game. and that is the rea
son that we haven't won more games
before Fates haven't gives us "A
chance to show how good We are until
today"
Outside OF the absence OF coach and
quarterback. Michigan has no excuse
for losing the game. They outweigh
ed the Syracuse boys and they were
on their home field.
But the Salt Dggers were in better
physical shape or were more fortunate
In avoiding rough opponents, for
while Michigan lost Craig, Pontius
and Garrels through injuries and
seemed to be exhausted towards the
lapsing part Of the contest, the east
erners were Il. as fiddles when the
show wa through.
Trainer Keane. Of Syracuse, was
worrying much when the boys came
off the field Every man in the outfit
was In the best Of shape, he said.
Michlgans tackling was on the
burlesque order most Of the time.
Again and again would three or four
men dive at a Syracuse runner. tag
him and watch two or three team
mates repeat the performance before
anybody became insistent and really
made up his mind to stop him Gar.
rels got in'o tn midd, OF the stage
several times with his Oriental der
wishes. His stunt was to grab mans
arm and swing him round and round.
A couple times it happened that he
had -broFen through the line and so
was able to throw his man for a loss.
but il WASH fOtball at that.
On ofense. Thompson was NJ, ~
nearly the whole company with " cts
as understudy. But Thompson couldn't
be relied upon to do it all
On the other hand il wasn't All
Michigan's fault that Syracuse tied
That man -Kallett at end. who surely