The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-02
Big TEAMS DEFENCE
BEING SORELY TRIED
Plenty of Work Ahead for Them
in Bracing Up This
Department.
MICHIGAN TAKES COURAGE

iron which have helped mako the pres
ent season the most uncertain in its
weekly results and the hardest to guess
or any season: Harvard tied once, and
2s points for opponents; Yale beaten
once, and 20 points for opponents: Prince
ton tied once. and &c points by oppo-
nents; one defeat for Penn. and 90 points
by tho opposition Dartmouth once
beaten and nineteen points on the
other side OF the ledger tho Navy beaten
twice and scored on TO tho extent OF
80 points: Cornell beaten twice, and 2s
points against the 1thacans the In
dians beaten oftener than they have
won--and all OF this before the fret OF
November. In the way of conflicting
scores may be mentioned the Prince
on-Dartmouth- Williams results further
to tangle the situation Dartmouth beat
Williams. 81 TO 2 Princeton beat Dart
mouth. is 20 12; but along comes Williams
and plays Princeton TO Z
Defence generally II being pretty well
rocked Opponents have SIeen going
through the Harvard line for loyg yard
age for the last four weeks. The Harvard
line M yet isn't near the form OF Harvard
lines for the last two seasons either
IN offensive power or defence. Against
Michigan the forwards appeared sluggish
and out Of harmony for a greater part
OF the game and played as II they hadn't
begun to quicken and cooperate az they
are expected 10 do for the big November
scraps, the drst or which is only a week
away. AS the Princeton line was Just
as erratic last Saturday both have a
good deal Of gazing together to do this
week
Rut shredded though the Crimson line
was between the % ward lines, II was
Arm around the yard line. where the
defence could concentrate Between those
points. however the secondary defence
had TO do a great amount OF work. con-
dition which prevails with the defence
having to- open out TO cope with IN" Ike
l.hood OF a forward pass In Harvard's
secondary defence on Saturday Bradlee
was to Harvard what CLICK was TO Prince
ton the week before Said man con-
nected with the Harvard team: "lf IL
hadn't been for Rradlee they tMiChigan)
would have smeared us fine
defensive back. Pradlee, a most useful
man 10 have around working. always
working.
II has vet 10 he seen how good Harvard
IL with Bradlee and Mahan both in the same
game and with pennock back at guard.
Whether the backhed consists OF Logan,
Mahan, Bradlee and Trancke or OF Logan.
Bradlee. Mahan and ILardwck. the team.
with Pennock in the line and with or
without itHF0WlCK ~ emu mas El'HA'i
posi- bilities than the eleven az last made
up but no combination seems TO offer
the possibility OF tho smooth proficiency at
tanned by last years team. Whether II
will be strong and smooth enough 10 de-
liver liz another matter.
Dr. W. T Bull ~ Yale, who. with Alecfs
Wilson and Walter Camp, was in the
stadium on Saturday 10 take notes for
Yale saws Harvard will have 90 step
fast 10 beat Princeton. The lines ~
both eevens tust now are playing alike
In one respect. that Ia. doing III" work
they ought to In flashes and mixing IN
ragged and ineffective play. There is
20 be LOT done 81 Harvard, Princeton
and Yale from nov on in steadying the
defence. The need Of II has been shown
clearly AT each camp. II may be that
az princeton there was lotdown fol
lowing the Dartmouth game, and the tie
with Williams should be as salutarv for
the Tigers ~ the defeat ny w. and j.
should be for Yale
Al New Haven the amount of defensive
drill has not been much comparativcly.
but the team IS likely 10 get IL IN the
next three weeks. Against Colgate the
Yale offence was tho hes' OF the year IN
these parts. though Just here enters the
usual question OF the strength Of the ad-
versary. Colgate, however, whatever mny
be the worth Of It's defence In testing the
Yale 0nPnCe, ~ no weaving on 'II'll'f
II has been able to score touchdown on
Yale. on the Army and on Cornell. and Is
the only team that has been able to score
on the Army The green Yale line has a
deal Of defence knowledge TO absorb. II
IL q green line for the only member or II
In the last two games who played IN the
big contests last year Is Brann. the end,
and he played only part Of the game
against Harvard
risa % br,a IN
the part OF Williams TO come from "a .
to 2 defeat by Dartmouth 10 n 20 tie
with Princeton. and such performance
rarely Is made by n so-called small team
\ few of these small teams seem 20 be so
only In name. The speed ardor and
nerve with which the Williams men waded
into Princeton were those OF men who
didn't admit that anybody had anything on
them Evidently Williams has a back OF
the biggest calhre In Toolan. who, like
Maulbetsch OF Michigan and Legore of
Yale. shone out on Saturday al advancing
the ball
The quick starting OF tho Michigan
backs and the fierce tacklinE OF Yost's
players were leading items In the playing
OF the Ann Arbor people The Wolverines
went down 10 most creditable defeat
Yost was quite pessimistic before the
game. Some OF that may have been put
on, but his team did improve greatly be-
tween the discoura ging defeat at Syracuse
and its advent on Soldiers Field Maui
betych's plunging was better than any
back in tho East has done. lie was going
AT speed In step or two and had a rare
gift OF picking his holes. II seemed that
he might have kept his feet better after
getting through. and apparently he went
80 low that he was Off his balance
After Maulbetsch had driven the ball TO
within easy scoring distance OF the Har-
ward goal and Michigan had yard to go
for a fourth down. Spawn was called on
to produce that yard. He headed for the
end and was stopped dead. The play
called for was n forward pass. but there
was confusion OF signals Splawn
didn't throw the ball at all. The receiver
was behind the line waiting for the throw
and Michigan might have scored then and
there had the miXup not occurred Doubt
less the chances for scoring would have
been better had the play gone according
TO specifications. but then Harvard might
have foiled Il.
OFTEN in situations OF this Kind some
thing goes wrong, There was no fault 20
find with the Reneralship OF the quarter
back in this case hut nearly always with
n touchdown In sight on the next play II
a line plunge Is tried and fails tho crlti-
clsm IL why didn't he try an end rum or
II an end run IL tried and fails. WHY
didn't he call for IA line plunge? Maybe
the defending side would stop either, and
sufficient credit isn't given 20 II for stop
ming what was tried.