New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-11
COMMENT ON SPORTS
Strong Football Spirit at Cor
nell Sure to Bear Fruit.
OUTLOOK NOT HOPELESS
Dartmouth Will Give Harvard
Plenty to Do in Game
on Saturday.

on Saturday.
AL Sharpe and his associates on the
coaching staff, Dan Read and Ray van
Orman, are solving a difficult footDail
problem at Cornell, and in spite OF
most disappointing and discouraglhs
season so far as results go, have sue
ceeded I'm sowing the seeds Of system
which in time should bear fruit TINS
much l gathered in my visit to ithaca
on Saturday, where Dartmouth deleateu
Cornell by a score Of "a to 0. There are
reasons for the loss of five games THIS
year which must be understood to be ap-
preciated, and these reasons are apart
from poor streaks. in playing ana laoN
in some cases Of real football sense
Tney may be found IN local conditions
or hours, which make 1t hard TO get inc
players together for more than lhIee
DAYS of practice a week; in a change Oh
system. which often is slightly democrat
izing: in an unusual string or injuries
not serious but incapacitating, ana III
the lack Of a field general or leader OH
the field, with Captain Eddie Butter
watching most Of the games from the
.jdelines. 1t is not surprising that Cor
neu has lost so many games. but 1t VIII
he surprising If the darkest hours nave
not passed. An awakening came III tne
second half against Dartmouth winch
has been looked for these many ia! >,
md the season is not past saVl's
otonement can be made by defeating
Michigan, and in any case pennsylvania
on THANKSGIVING Day. l found tha' tue
undergraduates set great store on TINS
hone in spite of the fact that the y
orc have had almost as Disappointing
season as their own.
,rotber thing / learned. Everybody
srop the acting president of the unlNeI-
sjtv to the youngest freshman IS oehlhu
Or Sharpe. He has won their respect
end commanded their confidence. NO one
questioned his authority or MS Jus
nent. was il player or Undergraduate u
,,,hom talked, and the feeling was
strong that Cornell football was Wiling
90 etsnd or fall under his direction. TINS
means much. He has inspired ms H'eil
with some of his own spirit ana hsh''is
qualities, and if a proper football atHios-
nhere was lacking earlier In the seaSoii
tbere was plenty Of evidence Of IT during
NV visit One Of the players remarked
IN a straightforward, earnest way:
I'VE have made worse showing than
. wear ago, but we know lot more 1oou-
ball" ..,os
This certainly was an indication OF
Coward stem. and while the team mas
much to learn and is still far from
6nisbed machine, there is hope and
reasonable hope. that success in the TWO
remaining games with Michigan ana
Pennsylvania may turn Corneh Iootoa''
into the broad highway.
Now for a few words of the team
and what the game with Dartmouth
shaved In the first place. no criticism
could be made Of lack Of fight, courage
ord enirit Torn to shreds in the nrst
quarter. the men came back ana playeu
"A defensive game that was truly remark
ehIe I have rarely, if ever, seen such
.+and as the Cornell eleven made INSIDE
its own six-yard line, when, because Oh
two PENALTIES, the Dartmouth BACKS
struck. and struck hard, eleven times IN
ouicI, succession without being able 10
break down the defence or find an OPEN
ing big enough TO squeeze a terret
through. Dartmouth finally scored, but
q. was necessary to fall back on the for
ward mass. On the whole, the defence
,,t,ch has been weak most Of the season,
showed signs Of solidifying. OF offence
there was none on Saturday-that ls'
none worthy Of the name, for the reason
that only a few simple running plays
and the forward pass were used under
instruction from the coaches. Conse-
ouently Dartmouths' attack, clean, sharp
and decisive. looked all-powerful In COM
parison.
The tackllng was good in spots and Wo-
fully bad in spots-in fact, the Corneil
men still have much to do In mastering
the fundamentals. The generalship, too
was none too sound, but some excuse may
ne offered in that OConnor was giving
the signals for the first time this year
end WAS more or less handicapped by
combining instructions. What the team
needs Is more cohesion, more conf
dence In itself and a leader. All Of these
NAV come IL Captain Buffers troublesome
foot Yields to treatment. O'Hearne is a
good end. and OConnor can be counted
on as an offensive back, II slight in
fury on Saturday does not keep him out
Of the game. While 1 was impressed by
Bennett's work in the secondary line OF
dafence, and by the steady and consistent
uaay Of Champaign, Jess Whyte ana
Nunns on the line, the tackles were
green. and Reese, on one end, lacked eX-
nerience although he showed promise.
Hm. al fullback was not conspicuous,
but did reasonably well. while Taber,
Trainer and several others, who were In
mart of the time. worked hard, but en-
Dhasized the absence of such players as
Butler. Butch" Eyrich, Vanderbilt and
two or three other first string men. /
should Judge by the feeling Of several OF
the players that members Of the eleven
will not accept the coveted &C" this
wear unless Pennsylvania is beaten. That
shows a willingness to make sacrifices
that bespeaks the true spirit.
Dartmouth will give Harvard plenty to
do when the elevens meet on Saturday
The team is far more finished than when
II faced Princeton some two weeks ago,
and has drive and punch to It's attack
that spell scoring strength. There were
variety and scope, too, with plenty of
sueed and dash. A lack Of smoothness at
times was due to the use Of so many