Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-02
BY H. c. BYRD.

Whatever changes are to be undergone
by the foot ball code this year will be
known tomorrow. The rules committee
will hold it's annual meeting in New York
tonight, to tinker with the rulings which
! are now deemed inadvisab BILE. The en-
deavor of the greater number OF delegates
| will be to get revision of the rules so
that the offense will be made stronger in
proportion to the defense.
The three main pieces Of legislation that
will be gotten through II the eastern men
have their say are calculated to
aid the offense in every way. The first
thing that is wanted IL to limit the for
ward pass to behind tho line Of scrim-
| mage. The second and third changes
desired may be embodied in one, in that
the same object is wanted to go the
necessary distance more easily by line
| plunging than has as yet been the case
Instead of going ten yards in three downs
| next year the eastern members of the
! rules committee want to have the dis
| lance reduced to eigth yards. or else have
| the downs increased to four instead of
! three.
There seems to be some inconsistency in
| the rulings desired by the eastern men,
! especially if they want to increase the
strength of the. attack in proportion to
| that of the defense. AT present it is
| held that it is too hard to score and that
| the defense should be weakened or the
offense made stronger, so that the two
may be more equalized. The rules men
! toned do not seem to accomplish that.
| If the number of downs are increased or
| the distance to go in three downs short
ened the offense would undoubtedly have
| a wider scope and be stronger, but it APP
pears that if the forward pass be re-
stricted to back of the line of scrim-
mage, it will allow the secondary defense
| to close up and thus make the defense as
strong and even stronger in proportion
! than it was under the code governing the
game last fall.
The only way that the defense will be
kept weak will be by keeping the sec
ondary part of it scattered. The only
thing that is the matter with the present
| system is the fact that it is exception
ally hard to advance the ball once 1t is
rushed down into the 10 or 20 yard
zone, where the defense has a chance
to close up. No team has much trouble
gaining ground under the present rules
while the ball is in the middle of the
field, where the defense is well scattered,
but once that defense closes up downs in
it's own territory it is the hardest kind
of matter to gain even a yard The
rule limiting the forward pass to be-
hind the line of scrimmage will give the
secondary defense a chance to play close
in any part of the field, and will thus
more than offset any rule which may
reduce the distance to be gained to eight
yards to give another down to go the
ten and thus give the defense even
greater strength in proportion than is
now the case.
There has been some talk of eliminat-
ing the rule regarding a touchback thus
giving the offense team the advantage
that has always belonged to the defense,
but whether or not it will be done Is a
question.
Just what will be done in regard to
changes is a question. The west is
against any decided changes, but the east
t. 1Arfr4 10 III tho off
stronger. 1t is probable that eastern
schools will be able to muster greater
strength than will the western, though
the demands of those institutions must
be seriously considered. 1t would seem
when the matter is considered that there
will be some kind of a. ruling made which
will be calculated to give the offense
greater power in proportion TO that or
the defense. and it is likely that this
change will be in the nature of more
downs to go the required ten yards, or
only eight yards to go in the three downs
now given. The latter provision would
seem to be the best as officials get mixed
at times now with only three downs to
keep straight, and with four there is no
telling how many mistakes would be
made, especially in the minor college
games where good officials are seldom
seen.
Some kind of a compromise whereby the
distance to go in three downs will be
shortened and the forward pass be al
lOWeQ 10 StdHu as IL is, WITH tHe pOSSl-
bility that all restrictions as to distance
will be removed. are the two measures
which are most likely to be reached, the
result being in the nature of a COM
promise between the western and eastern
factions.
The Ingram basket ball team will meet
the Y. NJ c. A. five tomorrow night in
the church gymnasium. The contest will
be regular league game.
Ingram has been having hard luck in
it's games lately, but 1T is hoping to re-
trieve part of 1t by winning from the
fast association quint.
Westerns basket ball team suffered a
decisive defeat at the hands Of the Gal
laudet reserves yesterday. Only points
were registered by the West Finders,
while Kendall Green five made more than
I ten times that many.
| Georgetown will play Dickinson tonight
and should compare favorably with the
Carlisle collegians. Dickinson, though,
has lost but one game this year. and that
to Swarthmore, a team which defeated
decisively both the Army and New York
University. Not much of line has been
secured on the Pennsylvania team by
Coach Collif1owers, but he expresses him
self as being certain that his five will
not show to disadvantage in comparison
when it goes up against 1T tonight.
The Hilltopers will send the same team
into the game that represented them
against Catholic University with the ex-
ception that Waldron will probably be
back at his old place at forward instead
of Foley. !.
Lockwood will run under the coors of