Evening star., 1912-09-15
LITTLE DIFFERENCE WILL
BE NOTED IN FOOT BALL
Game Of the Coming Season Likely to Be
Mech the Same as the Game
of the Past.

ing Of the field. The field has been short
ened lO yards, which means that the Of
iensave team has that much less distance
to carry the ball to make a touchdown.
With less distance to go to make a touch
down, there is every likelihood that
touchdowns will be made with more ra-
p1d1ty and more easily. With less ground
10 cover It will take an eleven less time
10 ger the ball down the field, and it gives
the defensive men less chance to stem
the tide of play when it is going against
them.
There was another reason for the max
ing OF that rule. 1t was to make possible
the extension OF the field for room tn
make the forward pass over the goal
line Some fields are not more than long
enough for q gridiron. and with the ex
ira ~ yards necessary under the present
$50 yards.
Another Eule which has been nIaced
In the code is that allowing a forward
pass TO De made across the goal line
within a zone of 10 yards. This will
not only give another method of scor-
ing g. touchdown. but will. cause the
defense to stay scattered when the de-
Tending team is down under its own
goal line. Thus it will be much easier
for an eleven to score than under the
old rules. where the defense could
wall against an attack.
This change will abolish one Of the
prettiest features of foot ball in q
way-to see team driven back step
by step the whole length Of the field
until 1t had to close up it's defense un-
der its own goal, and make a stand
there by which it could drive back the
opposing eleven and hold it's goal line
inviolate. That will not be the case
under the new conditions, as when a
team goes under its own goal it will
be little stronger against line bucks
than 1t was in the center OF the
field.
The change in the, number Of downs
allowed to make the 10 yards has al
ready been mentioned.
Value Of Touchdown Increased.
The idea in raising the value OF a
touchdown to six points was the out
come of the controversy regarding the
relative value Of field goals and
touchdowns. Under the old ruling a
touchdown was not as much as two
field goals, and it was generally held
that a touchdown ought to equal goals
from the field because Of the greater
difficulty in securing them. With the
extra point allowed for kicking goal
after touchdown. team making a
touchdown can beat the one scoring
two field goals. {.
The change In the rule allowing for
ward pass to be made any distance is
not likely to affect the play to any ex-
tent. There will be few passes made
that will be longer than twenty yards.
the distance allowed under the previous
code. With ends and tackles rushing In
to smash the play it will have to be
quick work for the player to throw the
oval a greater distance than twenty
yards.
twenty-yard line after touchback. in
stead of being put in play behind the
twenty-five-yard mark. That will be so
much against the offensive team, and is
intended to make up for some of the
other changes which are in it's favor. 1t
will work against the offense only in so
far as it causes the eleven to have five
more yards to carry the ball to its OPP
ponents' goal.
The field Judge is eliminated. and the
head linesman is given control Of off
side play on the line of scrimmage.
The number of men allowed on the side
lines is decreased, and from this time on
only one man will have the privilege.
A bounding ball will not be allowed to
score a goal. even though it goes over
the bar This is merely Qualification of
a condition not governed by any previous
ruling.
The interval between the first and Sec
ond and third and fourth periods is de-
creased from two minutes to one. This
will barely give the team time enough to
change goals and will only cause the
conditions made by the wind and ele-
ments or field to be equaled.
On a kickoff the bali. instead Of being
put in play from the center Of the field.
will be kicked from the 4O-yard line Of
the team kicking Off. Taking into con-
sideration the shortening of the field and
this change in the rules, the kick is
heightened by yards.
Besides these changes there are sew
eral instances in which the code has been
clarified and in which rules which might
have been considered ambiguous were
rendered more explicit.