Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1912-10-28
M|DDIES WIN FROM
SMOKY CITY ELEVEN
But Pittsburg Held Score Down to
Small Margin.
SHOW SOME IMPROVEMENT.
Season Now Half Over and Much is
to be Accomplished Before Army
Game. a

saturday IOOtDall games marked
the close of the first half of the sea-
son of 1912, and the next two or three
weeks will be devoted by the big
teams to smoothing off the rough
edges in preparation for their big
games of the year.
The midshipmen managed to win
from the University of Pittsburgh on
Saturday by the small score of Is to
6, and while they showed somewhat
improved form, they still are far
from the point of development for this
stage of the season. Hardly could it
be said that the game with the
Smoky City lads furnished much en-
couragement to adherents of the
team, though it is believed that the
players are gradually developing the
snap and aggressiveness that has
characterized Navy elevens of former
years.
But in no game thus far have the
sailor lads played with any degree of
concerted team action. The biggest
fault of all is the utter failure of the
players to gather an interference for
the man carrying the ball. That has
been demonstrated in all the games
that have been played Very fire.
quently the back rushing the ball is
compelled to fall back on his own re-
sources to make short gain, and it
ofttimes results in being thrown for
a loss.
And, despite the fact that the mid
dies had the heaviest and most exper-
fenced combination of forwards that
has played this season the Pittsburgh
lads were able to tear through for sub
stantial gains time and again. Wag-
ner, the visitors fullback, showed
especial ability in this particular, and
had the Varsity another backfied man
of Wagner's calibre. the result of the
game might have been different.
Wagner was the mainstay of the visi-
tors offense, and be was called on so
often to carry the ball that towards
the close of the game he was practi-
cally exhausted.
Pittsburgh put up a stubborn fight
all tn, way and held the middies to
a staLdstill in the last half of the
game, as all of the scoring was done
in the first half. Time and again
they ripped up the Navy line Tor good
gains, and they also broke up many of
the plays of the middies. rhe whirl-
wind start made by the middies after
the visitors had kicked off and there
was an exchange of purts gave every
indication that they would be able to
pile up a comfortable score They
carried the ball close to the Pitts
burghers' goal line in few minutes
of play.
A touchdown seemed inevitable,
but on the final plunge, with only
yard to go for a touchdown, there
cane a tumble and a visiting pay
er was on the leather like a flash
for a touchback and put the ball
into play on its own 20-yard line.
There followed shortly afterward a
play in direct contrast to the preced-
ing one and it resulted in a touch
down for Pittsburg.
After an exchange of punts, Wag-
ner, for Pittsburgh, sent a long punt
down the field that proved difficult for
Nichols, the Navy quarterback, to
handle. 1t bounded over his head and
in an effort to pick it up on the re-
bound, the Navy man fumbled. The
ball then rolled across the Navy goal
line, and Joyce fell on it for touch
down. Pittsburgh had drawn first
blood and was greatly encouraged,
though Corboy, failed to kick goal.
The middies however, soon evened
things up, when they worked the
ball within scoring distance, Nichols
making a touchdown, but like Corboy,
Brown failed at the try for a goal
from difficult angle. The middies
secured their second touchdown just
before the close of the first half. II
came as q result of some dashinp
plunges. The touchdown was made
by ingram, who wriggled himself
through the opposing players for a
tocal of fifteen yards, being thrown
just over the goal line
Though the middies gained consid
cradle more ground than the Pitts
| burghers in the second half, the visi
tors, fighting doggedly for every inch
managed to stave off further scoring
They also made some good gains OF
short end runs, while Wagner caused
bit Of dismay to Navy adherents
by the way he ploughed through the
| line at times. Score:
NAxx Posrrrox prrrspw,,,.,,