Evening star., 1912-11-21
TWO RULES HAVE
BEEN FAILURES
One Part of Foot Ball Code
Cannot Be Enforced, and
Another Has Not Been.
FIRST Is PLAYING OF
LINEMEN IN BACKFIELD
The Other Is Regarding Inter-
ference With Men Eligible to
Catch a Forward Pass.
BY Il. q. BYRD.

BY n. q. BYRD.
There are two rules in foot ball this
year which are useless one by virtue of
the fact that it cannot be enforced and
the other because the officials have made
little or no attempt to carry it out. The
first is that In which it is forbidden to
bring lineman back of the line of scrim-
mage to run with the ball and then play
| him in the line on the defense, and the
second Is the ruling regarding interfer-
ence with men eligible to receive a for
ward pass
ihe rule which states that a lineman
cannot be drawn back on the line Of
scrimmage and used as an offensive back
and then be played in the line of scrim-
mage on the defense is useless because it
can be got around by playing the man in
the backfield all the time, except on the
defense. A ruling forbids the playing of
lineman in the backfeld on the offense
but there is nothing which states that a
oack cannot be played in the line on the
defense. The first ruling is therefore rem
dered void by the lack of a ruling con-
cerning the last
IL team has an exceptionally good
defensive lineman, who is at the same
time capable of carrying the ball WELL
py the first ruling he cannot be used on
the offensive in the backfield and then
in the line on the defense. The converse
or this does not hold true. though, and
there is nothing to hinder the playing of
such man in the line on the defense
If he is started in the backfield on the
offense. In other words. while there Is
ruling regarding the offensive play of a
ineman, there is nothing which curtails
the position of a backffeld man on the
defense
The other rule which has received scant
recognition on the part of the officials
this year is that which forbids q de-
fenSive player to interfere with any man
on the offense who is eligible to receive
a forward pass.
That ruling is all right, but the fault
to be found with it is in the fact that
the officials will not recognize it. and it
has come to be a common thing for
coaches to take advantage of the lack Of
enforcement by teaching their backs to
go after the man and spill him. 1t is also
common for coaches to send down an ex-
ira man with the one who is to catch
the pass and spill the defensive player.
Only once this year has it happened that
a penalty has been inflicted in either of
the mentioned instances in any contest
which has come under the notice Of the
writer; that was last Saturday when
Donnelly of Trinity enforced it against
Georgetown.
When the rules committee meets next
month it will find some work cut out for
it to remedy the aforementioned ruling,
and 1T can either modify the latter or
else recommend that officials adhere to it
more strictly.
In one game which has been played
thls year peculiar condition was no.
t1ced in regard to the lack of enforce
ment or the forward pass ruling by the
officials. One of the teams had a shift
play. and between halves one of the Of
fcials went over to tell the coach of that
eleven that he was afraid that the men
We're not getting up on the line of scrim-
mage. 1t had SO happened during the
first half that the only successful for
ward pass which had been made by the
other team had been the result of the
defensive man being bowled over by an
offensive player. who had been sent down
for that purpose. The coach whom the
official was trying to warn as to the
questionable status of the Shift play
asked the official if he had paid as much
attention to the watching of offensive
men interfering with men on the defense
who had an opportunity to catch for
ward pass, and called to mind the spe-
citic instance. The official stated that he
had seen the play; upon which the coach
wanted to know why he had not penal
lied that team on certainty, instead of
trying to determine the status of some
SnlnS questionable. Inc Off1C1al did not
make a reply, but beat a hasty retreat.
The point of the story is this: that the
official who had not penalized the play
when the man had been interfered with to
the extent that he had been turned topsy
turvy had been aiding in the coaching
of that eleven and had taught the men
just that way to make the pass success
full. This is the story as told by one of
the players on the team, with which the
Official had been connected.
The Virginia Polytechnic Institute
failed to accomplish much against the
Washington and Lee eleven. The Blacks
burg team did not show the power which
has characterized it in former years, ac-
cording to the reports which were sent
out regarding the game. Whether or not
It will do better against Georgetown re-
mains to be seen.
It is probable that the Virginians will
come here to play their best game of the
year. There is little question that the
team has been pointed for this very con-
test and has played all season with an
idea of being in better condition than in
any of the previous engagements
Georgetown may be a little stale for
this game. or it may come back in good
condition, as was the case last fall when
it met Lehigh in the final fray. 1t will
be a case. of one team having been at
it's best, though, and the other pointed to
.-l@~ d.