Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-22
LACK LINE MATERIAL
TIGERS and QuakerS Short on
Veteran Forwards.
HAVE FAST BACKS, THOUGH
Gridiron Season Will Be Started
Next Week-Elevens
Practicing.
BY EDWARD r. BUSHNELL.

/
the same sort of gridiron difficulties this
year. Each has the making of back
field of unusual excellence. but suffers
| from a dearth of veteran material for the
line In each case there are missing four
veterans from the line and one from the
backfield. For this reason there will be
a fine sitting of all line candidates, not
alone because of the loss of veteran for
wards but because the 1912 game viii
put a greater premium than usual upon
/ them.
| At Princeton the entire left side of the
| line was taken by graduation in addition
| to the right tackle. Sam White, eX-Capt.
Hart and Wilson, who made the left side
of the Tiger line quite impenetrable, and
Duff, one of the best tackles the new
game produced, are now sadly missed
| The Princeton coaches have lost no tine
| in realizing the seriousness of the situa-
ton, but not until the season is fairly
we'll advanced will they know to what ex-
| tent the new men are able to fill the va
| cances.
The Tigers have good reason to be sat
| isfied with the outlook in the backfield
| Here there are three members of the 1911
quartet in Capt. Pendleton. who is booked
| to play a halfback position this fall in
| stead of quarterback, and Baker and De
| Witt halfback and fullback. So fine
game did Emmons play a quarterback
! on his freshman team last fall that the
coaches agreed in advance of the season
| that he should have first consideration
| for this berth on the varsity eleven. He
J has been playing 1t since the preliminary
| season opened and with conspicuous sue
| cess if the early judgment of coaches IS
! to be relied upon.
| Wilson and Duff both members Of the
| 1911 team. are charged with the work OF
| developing the new line. They showed
! that they knew how to play their posi-
| tons last season. but they have yet to
| show that they can teach their success
| sors how it should be done. Just now
| their trouble is to find the sort of men
| the new game demands for the line. They
| are forewarned that the sort of game
| they must meet from Yale and Harvard
will be the lines smashing type. Further
more. they must know that If the four
| downs permitted this year to make 10
| yards had been permitted last year there
might have been a different ending to
| the Tigers games with Yale and Har-
ward The situation is by no means
| comforting one.
Penn Has Fast Backs.
Pennsylvania has perhaps the making
| of slightly better backfield than Prince
ton. but the Quakers have more cause to
| worry over the line problem. In the back
| field Pennsylvania now has very good
quartet in Capt Mercer. Quarterback
Minds and Halfbacks Marshall and Har-
| rington. Mercer is undoubtedly one OF
| the best backs that the game ever pro-
duced while Marshall. if in good physi-
| cal condition. ought to shine. These two
men. with the possible exception of Capt.
| Pendleton of Princeton, are the fastest
men in foot ball toys. Marshall is ten
| second man, while Mercer. like Pendleton
| is fieetfooted enough to do 10 Id seconds.
! Minds, who played the quarterback posi-
ton for Pennsylvania last year. is fast
| and strong, while Harrington is almost
| as good.
| But in the line Pennsylvania coaches
are worried, and with good reason. Jour
! Diet and Young have relieved all their
! anxieties at end, but the loss of the three
| center men and one tackle. coupled with
| the knowledge that the new material is
Woefully weak. is far from encouraging.
| The Quaker coaches think that either Nc
| Call or Kelliher will be able to take Nor
| ris' place at center while Green looks
| like promising for one of the guard posi-
tons vacated by Wolfert and Findeissen.
| The most severe loss is that of Bell at
| tackle. Appendicitis has taken him out
of the game just at time when he was
| the most needed. From this time forth
| there will be a vast amount of expert
| menting on Franklin Field, to the end
that there may be developed a line ca
| pable of affording protection to what
| promises to be a high-class bacl1feld.
Season Opens Next Week.
| Although a number of minor foot
| ball games were played yesterday. the
| intercollegiate season will really begin
next week. when all of the big univer-
| sites of the east and middle west will
| r,la their initial OF the east
| ern universities Yale will be the first
| to play an actual game. Wednesday the
| Ellis will line up against Wesleyan at
| New Haven. Saturday all Of the other
big universities will get under way,
and for the next three weeks will be
playing two games a week. The mid
week games will be over at that time,
| and then the leading universities will
! concentrate their strength upon their
| weekly Saturday games.
None of the big universities is likely
| to encounter any trouble next Satur-
day. At this writing Pennsylvania and
Cornell look to have the most difficult
opponents. Pennsylvania plays Gettys-
burg College, team. by the way,
which has defeated the Red and Blue
on more than one occasion. and almost
invariably puts up very even hight.
This year Gettysburg has been train
ing for several weeks and is likely to
cause a lot of trouble for the Quakers.
Cornell meets Colgate, and this team
bears very much the same relation to
| the Ithacans that Gettysburg does to
Pennsylvania Both teams have been
practicing for some time past, and
Cornell at least will not be at any dis
| advantage for lack OF actual scrim-
maging.
Harvard and Princeton start off with
| easy games. The Crimson plays the
| University of Maine, and the Tigers
| line up against Stevens Institute.
! Neither one of these teams is likely to
| furnish more than good practice
] match.
! Yale. of course, should defeat Wesleyan
| Wednesday, but the latter team has Il
| way of showing unusu2l strength every
| once in while and the Ellis may
: counter more difficulty than they are
/ looking for The Wednesday game with
Wesleyan will be followed with Holy
| Cross Saturday and here again Yale may
| have trouble.
The first serious test which any of the
| big colleges expect to have will be on Oc-
| tober -, when Yale meets Lafayette and
| Pennsylvania lines up against Swarth-
| more. Lafayette is a new opponent for
Yale and the Pennsylvania men began
| their early practice primarily to be in
| shape to give the Ellis battle. Lafay
| cite, in fact, has been working longer
| than Yale and since the former team
! has always been able to hold it's own
! with any of the big eastern universities
, Yale may regret her scheduling Lafay-
| cite so early.
| Foot ball practice has progressed far
enough this fall to indicate that the de-
| velopment of the game will be to end
! not seem to be very much of DISPOSE
! fjop m waste time on the fOrWar d mas