Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-30
EARLY PREDICTIONS ARE
RECEIVING MANY UPSETS
Foot Ball Writers Way Off in Their Asser-
tons That Rule Changes Would Cause
Big Elevens to Roll Up Large Scores.
BY II. C. BYRD.

The predictions of foot ball writer's,
made before the opening of the season,
are receiving some mighty hard jolts.
Comments were made by almost everybody
who knew anything of the sport to the
effect that the changes in the rules would
give the larger colleges such an advan-
tage over the others that they would win
the games In which the two classes were
scheduled to meet by much larger scores
than was the case last season and the
previous one. The results Of the majority
OF the games played SO far prove just the
opposite, to be the case.
= 1t has probably never occurred that
some of the big institutions have been
given as close calls in games played
so far this season against some of the
smaller schools. One or two of the big
FIVE have had difficult going to emerge
with victories while one has met defeat.
Take Cornell for instance. The 1tha-
cans with their change in coaching pol
icy, have been defeated in one of the two
games played, and in the other won by
the bare margin of a field goal In the
first contest of the season Washington
and Jefferson was whipped because But
Ter, the Cornell quarterback. was able to
drop kick the ball over the goal Tor B
urday when it met Colgate, the smaller
college won by Is to I.
Ii was Cornelrs first trial under a new
regime, and 1t was the first defeat re-
"eived by Al Sharpe, the former Yale
man. a college coach. Judging by the
-esult obtained so far. the foot ball sea-
an at Cornell is going to be just what 1t
been for some time, an Intellectual
tempt to accomplish a successful year.
fale played its first game last Wednes-
nd for ha fire f{yoa eli kStt W. q
1red on by Wesleyan. while it could get
{ one touchdown and a fed goal. Sat
lay 1t had the hardest kind of time
lning from Holy Cross by single
chdown.
harvard found 1t most difficult to de-
Il Maine, and had II not been for Ill
X on the par. of the Maine eleven in
wing an apparently successful forward
ssfss strike goal post and be converted
TO. touchback for the Harvard men,
view of the fact that the Crimson won
~ lone touchdown, the score would
have probably been tied and a victory
reyented had the ball not hit the post.
Princeton. of course, has always run up
record scores during the early part Of the
season, and II was not surprising to learn
that 1t had won from Stevens by a one
sided iany
The only eleven which showed much
superior form to what was exhibited at
the beginning of the 1911 schedule was
Gettysburg, 35 to o. and there was moth
ing in the play of the team which did
not look formidable. Gettysburg was not
strong. according to reports, not near as
strong last year. but that did not de-
tract from the really capable paying of
the Quakers There has not been time
in years when the Pennsylvania eleven
has shown as much aggressveness and
i. strength as it did in its play Saturday
According to what has been related of
the contest the Quakers have heavy.
last line this season, and backfield
which is second to none i'm the country
The Indians have always won from the
smaller elevens, no matter what the style
of play. by large scores. There has never
been a period in the foot ball history of
the school In recent years when 1t has
not been able to win about it pleased
from the institutions which are rated as
secondary. 1t has also given the big uni
versfties as many or more defeats than
have been received. 1t was not sur
prising. then. to note the "a TO y victory
over Dickinson
The large score made against Dickin-
son would seem to indicate that the In
dams have one of the most powerful ma
chimes in years. If Dickinson Is near as
strong as it was last fall there is little
question that Warmers crew is due to go
through its most successful schedule.
Under the changes In the rules II would
appear that the larger schools. with their
much the advantage of the smaller insti-
buttons Just why this is not shown in
the result of the games would be hard
10 say, though II is probable the different
elevens are depending too much on the
safe style of play. The minor teams are
probably figuring that the larger ores
= VIII play safe and are consequently play
ing their defense to meet that style.
The Maryland Aggies may have a
pretty fair team before tht end of the
year. The Farmers appear to. have what
they have never had before. capable SUBJ
stitutes. The men have shown promise
of developing into players above the
average and, while more or less green,
should do some creditable work before
Thanksgiving.
The game against Technical High was
not a fair criterion of the strength of
the eleven. The high school aggregation.
while fairly heavy, did not-show much
: knowledge of foot ball and failed to play
as IL should. The Farmers showed bet
ter than they ordinarily would have be-