Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-12-03
CONCERNING SYSTEM
USED BY ARMY BOYS
They Showed New Things in Art
of Forward Passing.
WHAT AN EXPERT THINKS.
Not The Harvard Methods At All But
Full Praise is Given To Brainy
Work OF Cadets.

j. W. McConaughy, football ex-
pert, writing for syndicate of pa
pers, has the following to say of for
ward passes that featured the late
Army-Navy game
There is a matter in come ction
with the 22-9 defeat of the Navy at
the hands of the Army which we
would like to have explained. All of
the profound students of the dear old
pastime agree on one pint. This in
itself is remarkable, but that ism
what we are booting at. The experts
proclaim that the triumph of the
Army is really a triumph for the
the Harvard system.
'0ur contention in the premises is
that if the cluster Of points amassed
by the West Point cadets, contrary
20 all advanced dope on the situation,
is due to the Harvard system, why
the dickens doesn't Harvard try the
Harvard system herself?
This gu 'ry is propounded not in
a spirit of levity or light scofing.
Not for anything would we spool a
team with which Mr.. Brickley is con.
nected. We were introduced to him
Saturday, and it is our opinion that
ne could fight good draw with Cap
tain Kechsm. But we earnestly de-
sire to be placed hep on the matter.
Doubtless there is some good rea-
son for it, but when the Army can
make more touchdowns in thirty min
utes than Harvard has made against
good team in three years, we GER
tainly wonder why Harvard doesn't
try the Harvard system.
There is the matter OF forward
passes, for instance. This principle
of score manufacture nettt twelve
points for West Point and should
have resulted in eighteen. There is
a feature of the Harvard system that
Harvard has overlooked entirely.
Harvsrd's attempts at the forward
pass have in the past borne as much
resemblance to West Points as a
venerable lady vender's singing of
mature apples at a newsboy.
at is true that using an end to-
carry the ball and the activity .of
linemen in erd interference was quite
noticeable in the tactics of both
teams, but these things. especially
the latter, aIe basic in well-planned
running campaigns. We were not
aware that Harvard had them copy
righted.
1.-The Harvard system, Ell? No.
my children, we require to he shown.
Certainly no such forward passing as
the Cadets produced has been seen on
an Eastern gridiron this fall, except
ing wht four or five Western teams
had journeyed down here and reno
vated the premises with four or FIVE
Eastern teams.
"Those forward which un.
questionably won the game, directly
and indirectly-were certain looloos.
The Navy defenses were woozy and
wably at the first sign of one of
them, because the Cadets didn't fol-
low the established custom hereabouts
in such matters. 1t has been rule
to grasp the ball firmly as soon as ii
is passed and heave it violeutly into
the arms of a defensive back on the
oppo sing team.
''The Cadet quarterback, on the
contrary. clung to the ball as if loath
to part with it and the West Pointers
seemed to make bluffs at four or FIVE
plays before the ball was passed.
The result was that the receiver
usually had folded the pigskin snugly
to his bosom before any one got ne ar
him.
"And if while Mr.. Prichard was
fooling around brushing specks OF
the ball some Navy line man descend
ed on him, or he saw that he could
not make the pass successfully, was
he slung violently back into the
mud for a 10-yard loss? He was
not He merely chucked the ball on
the ground, thus making an 'unsuc-
cessful pass and the ball was put
in play at the same. old spot again.
This is new stuff around here.
Even the experts admit that