Evening journal., 1912-10-03
WORKING OUT
PLAN OF ATTACK
Big College Football Coaches
Are Working Along New
Line

Football atlall the big colleges this
week is undergoing that mysterious
change which brings 1t step or two
from the rut Of the ordinary and
stamps upon It the individuality al
each coach. Shadow lines OF cam
paign, have been drawn, and begin
ming next Saturday something like a
real attack may be expected. II will
not be remarkable, but enough to give
one an idea of the possibilities of the.
one an idea of the possibilities of the
running game under the revised code.
Some coaches are bold enough 10
say that when they are finished with
their plans of attack, their teams
will be able to score against any de-
fence that may be developed. It is
very probable, however, that some of
these men are too sure of possibilities
of scoring with an unlimited forward
pass and four downs to make ten
yards.
Walter Camp is enthusiastic over
the possibilities of the running game,
he would not go so far as to say that
an attack can be perfected which no
team can stop. On the subject of the
attack he has these interesting things
to say:
1T is safe to say that the best forms
of attack will be the ones that COM
bine shift plays, and which will nee
essarily put the defence in motion
with regular plays. In this way will
plunges through the line not only be
effective, but also greater effect will
be given to the end run or the run
outside of tackle.
IF a team allows its opponents to
realize that the attack is concen-
trated, and that the plays must all
start from a comparatively small
radius behind the line, those oppo-
nents will close up and render such
a form Of attack extremely onerous
and exhausting. The most effective
forward passes in the past have been
those that we're rendered deceptive by
a possible end run, while the most ef-
fectiye end runs have been those
where the possibility of a forward
pass from such fake" end run
forces the defensive backs to keep
their position well back of the line.
Then they can not support the line
when short gains are attempted I'M
der the new rules this combination
should prove still more useful. The
four downs will also give a team
with variety in its attack a far
greater opportunity TO make use Of
that variety"
Those who follow the game closely
will watch with interest the way tho
coaches work out the new problems
confronting them, because the new
rules make possible some very daring
evolutions.. Big surprises are possible
at any moment and the Indians will
bear watching this year.
We found man fussing around our
desk this morning looking for a 1912
football rules book He said no
didn't know what -" meant in tho
scoring. There may be others like
him who do not know what has been
dcne to the rules since last season.
Summing up the situation in the
briefest possible way, the changes in
clude the addition of an extra down
in which to gain ten yards; the short
ouing of the playing field. and the adj
dition of a ten-yard zone behind each
goal line in which a man may receive
the forward pass; the elimination OF
the onside kick. the removal of tho
twenty neutral zone. and also
the removal of the twenty-yard re-
strictiou on the forward pass; the
limitin,, Of kick-out to the twenty
yard line: the increase in value of
touchdown by one point. making II
count instead Of >; the goal from
J touchdown counting l. the shorten
ing of the intermission between the
/ first and secsnd and the third and
fourth periods 10 one minute, and the
reduction of the number Of men per-
mitted to walk up and down the
side lines from three to one.
Dr. Sharpe Of Yale is givins to the
] Cornell squad the kind of medicine II
has needed for long time. BY or
dering several senior players away
from the training table, temporarily
at least. because younger candidates
look more promising, the coach has
gone to the root of things His point
is we'll taken when he says Some
Of these men have not been doing
their best work. and rather than
struggle with them for this one year
and then lose them, ! will take men
from the under classes and next year
enjoy the fruits of my work"