El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-09-14

- GW 1ORh, N. 4, sept I4.-N no
N will be the Sam White of the
= 1912 football season?
Sanford b White won the football
| and for himself he gained recognition
as the most brilliant athlete IN the
annals of American collegiate sport
His individual work won both the
Yale and Harvard football games of
1911. Many experts say that this years
new rules will obliterate this individual
starring; that the team whose players
are of the greatest average strength
will do the winning.
Now, it is only true that these ex-
perts know very little about what
football is going to be like this year.
Under the new rules, ways may be dis
covered to reyolutionize the grldiron
game. These experts no doubt reason
thoughtfully in doping out the end of
individual prominence, but still 1t is
the writer's humble opinion that more
than one Of the important games OF
1912 will be one-man victories, and
that next Thanksgiving will see new
collegian crowned the hero of foot
balloon. 1t was Sam White last year
and Ted Coy the year before, and it
will be someone else this year There's
a new one every year. Even when the
hero of one season has another year
in the game, he doesn't repeat
Four Downs Allowed.
The most important change that will
be brought about by the new rules is
the allowance Of four downs instead
of three in which to advance the ball
ten yards. This, it is widely claimed,
puts a premium on the oldtime game
the kill-the-tackle mass plays-giv-
ing a decided advantage to the heavy
teams that arc best at straight foot
ball. This argues that the 1912 star
will be another catapulting line
plunger Of the Ted Coy type. A little
thought, however, will make it clear
n
husky funback is not the logical
candidate A comparatively light man
is more likely to be the owner Of the
face favored for display on the No
vember sport pages, He will probably
be a 1.-THE, shifty Splinter, with great
ability in lodging and shaking off
tacklers, and a particular knaek of
catching the forward pass and getting
away with it fast.
Ascendency of Forward Pass
The reason for this lies in the fact
that the forward pass will reach its
greatest development this year This
is the play that is going TO make the
high scores, and that is going to win
games. And it is the star performer
in this play who will be the star of
the 1911 season The four-down rule,
coupled with the new rule which al
lows the attacking side to make for
ward passes of unlimited length, even
across the goal line, opens up unlim-
tied possibilities for the forward pass.
As the rule protecting the receiver of
the forward pass is still in force. the
offence is given vast liberty in the use
of this play. The right of the offence
to make forward passes over the goal
line will make it necessary for the de-
fence to keep its second line back in
stead OF massing its whole strength
on the line in the manner that caused
so many failures to score last year
after the offence had carried the ball
down to the ten yard line.
-zs-5 -.
Princeton- won't have Sam White this
year. but she may have his successor. /
Walter Camp once said, For brilliancy
Of achievement no teams have pro-
duced so many stars as those Of Prince |
ton" Princeton has had men like Nc /
Mann, AIcNair. AIoffat, Lamar. Anes, !
king and De Witt, who alone have won |
a great game, and it has had a Poe. /
who alone defeated Yale two years in /
succession, but never before Whites /
time has Princeton or any other col /
lege had a man who by individual 4
achievement won two baseball games |
from Yale and a football game from /
both Yale and Harvard
Whites fame has not been forgot |
ten with his graduation. His achieve |
ments seem all the more marvellous in /
retrospect. In 1911 he won Prfnceton's /
third and deciding baseball game with |
Yale With the score a blank White /
reached second base Sterrett. who is
now with the New York Yankees, 7
drove a short hit into right field which I
Corey gathered up on the run and !
swifuy whipped to Merritt at third
to catch White. White, according to
rule. should have slid to the base. In
stead. he kept his feet and taking
daring chance rounded the bag and
lcaped for the plate. The ball seemed (
to strike Merritt's glove simultaneous
" with Whites foot on the bag.
Something. perhaps Whites audacity,
caused Merritt momentarily to jugsle {
the ball. and in that moment White
slid across the plate with the winning
run.
White Quick Player.
Last autumn in the Princeton-Har
ward game Dunlap, Princeton's left I
end. knocked the ball from the hands |
of Hollister, of Harvard, who was I
about to try a drop-kick. Almost be- /
fore the ball touched the ground the
ever alert White had seized it and was /
off for the goal, 100 yards away, in a /
race in which he distanced his pur-
suers and scored d touchdown. Scarce
" had the second half opened when /
Gardner. Of Harvard, rashly decided to I
scoop up a bounding ball on his one
yard line instead of falling on it, and |
instantly he was swept over the goal 4
line in the strong arms of White for /
safety and the deciding score Of the /
game.
Two weeks later Yale. in the first |
ten minutes of play, was driving |
Princeton TO the goal line with a be- /
wildering shift play. Suddenly, on a /,
pass from center, the ball struck the /
ground at the side Of Dunn, fullback 4
for Yale. Sam White, dashing in from \
end. picked up the ball from the /
ground as he would a baseball In !
stantly he was in full stride for Yale's 4
goal, so yards away, which he crossed. |