New-York tribune., 1911-11-13
ON COLLEGE GR|D|RONS
Rules Committee Has a Plain
Duty Following Freak Goal.
PARODY ON GAME DECRIED
Football Struggles on Saturday
Point the Way to More
Bitter Battles.

With all respect 10 the football rules
committee, II strikes me that II has not
done its full duty in considering and not
acting on a point which brought about the
anomalous condition that obtained In the
Princeton Dartmouth struggle on Saturday.
That De Wits goal from the field was
football freak that would not occur again
perhaps in many years does not lessen the
responsibility or excuse the oversight II the
contingency were suggested. as Parke II.
Davis. Princetons representative on the
committee. admits. Under the rule which
turns out to be so ambiguous, w. S. Lang
ford the referee. had no option. He was
supported In his Interpretation by walter
Camp. one of the leading authorities on
the sport, as told in The Tribune yester-
day, and other good judges agree with his
ruling. while admitting that the score was
not deserved. Surely the spirit, II not the
letter of the rule was violated, in that vic
tory rested with Princeton on, techni-
cality, and in that a play so poorly exc
cuted that II deserved punishment made
that victory possible 1t is presumed by
followers of the sport that goal from the
field should go over the bar and between
the posts as the result of a well directed
kick and on the fly. 1t is not consistent
with the spirit of fairness that the result
of any competition or struggle should hinge
on mere chance, or, worse yet, on poorly
directed effort, more particularly If such
condition could be guarded against.
bounding football, as so many know, acts
at times as If possessed Of some weird and
uncanny spirit. 1t does strange and pc
culiar things not governed by any laws.
Why, then. should ball which bounds
over the bar from a poorly made kick be
rewarded In the same way as one Of merit?
II makes a parody of football, and unless
the rule makers provide against such
contingency In the future they will fall in
their duty to the great college game. A
victory that brings no elation, as was the
case at Princeton on Saturday, is victory
not worth having
Yale's eleven showed on Saturday in
clearly outplaying Brown that it will be
ready for Princeton on the last day of this
week. The Tigers showed in their game
with Dartmouth that they had power In
reserve and, in turn, would be ready for
Yale. / must defer a final analysis until
have had one more look at Yale in prac-
tice. as I went to Princeton on Saturday
in preference to New Haven, TO conilrm
my Judgment, if possible, of the Tigers
made in the game with Harvard one
week ago ! said that Princeton did not
have an attack worthy Of the name, as
Judged by its showing against the Crimson.
must add now that saw little improve
ment on Saturday, although convinced
that the team in using only the simplest
PLAYS was taking no chances OF showing It's
hand to Yale scouts. / have been charged
with not giving full credit TO Princeton for
that victory over Harvard, but II would be
a poor criticism, in my opinion, that ap-
plauded the strong points without calling
attention TO the weak ones. The Tigers are
q hghting lot. keen, aggressive and watch
full. and these qualities in latter day root
hall make UP for many shortcomings. But
Princeton must have something more than
a fighting spirit to beat Yale, and that
something. SO far as an effective attack
goes. must be developed this week unless
it has been covered up with consummate
cunning.
I was impressed with the versatility of
Dartmouth's we'll balanced team. The
players knew lots of good football, and
played it, On a line through Princeton
Harvard strikes me as bit more powerful,
hut Harvard cannot afford to use substi-
tutes. as against the Indians in part of
the game on Saturday. or withhold her full
strength. unless willing to court another de
na1e and ('aNananRh. Dart
mouths head coach. deserve much credit
for the building of such formidable
eleven at Hanover-an eleven which COM
pares favorably with any team on the field
This wear. an eleven which is sure to COM
mand a high ranking and an eleven which
has had few equals as wearers of the
green.
Harvard showed no disrespect to the
Carlisle Indians by starting the game on
Saturday with a substitute team II was
in the bond so to speak as Percy ID.
Haughton. the head coach. in agreeing to
the game last winter stipulated that sub
stitutes be used, fearing too hard game
for his regulars following the Princeton
battle and so close to the meetings with
Dartmouth and Yale. 1t was an unfortu-
nate thing for Harvard, for, in spite of the
fact that the game was not altogether
fair test, the team lost some prestige In
suffering its second defeat within eight
DAYS The Indians by the way, can boast
of an amazingly powerful and versatile
team. 1t is one of the best ever developed
and coached by Glen Warner, not forget
ting the days of the wonderful Hudson.
II must have been satisfying 10 Pennsyl
yania men TO have the Quakers wake up
and defeat Lafayette at "A time when the
eleven and the coaches We're the subject of
much adverse criticism. II showed that the
excellent material was not going to waste.
and it showed the right spirit. Pennsyl-
vania's game with Michigan next Saturday
will be watched with much interest follow
ing Cornel's good showing and victory
over the Wolverines on Saturday. 1t is
quite likely to point the way 10 that game
on Thanksgiving Day which Cornell is
working so hard to turn into a feast, after
many lean years.
The suggestion has been made by a Cor
nell man that the umpire of any important
game be required to keep a memorandum
of the reasons for imposing penalties, that
they may be published and the offenders
exposed. II is a good suggestion, and one
that the central board OF officials might
we'll consider. Early in the season | read
in two or more Philadelphia papers that
a game on Franklin Field was marred by
the constant nflicton OF penalties Ac-
cording to THE Cornell Daily Sun" the
eleven at Ithaca has lost many valuable
yards this year through holding and on
side play, and only last Thursday II said: