Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-11-29

time, and so prevents the other sloe
from developing its attack. Thus mar
ward made it a defensive weapon ds
wei as an offensive one.
Finally, and probably most important
OF all in its influence upon the game.
HauShton's men demonstrated that the
oI,i-fashioned defense of simply lining
up the forwards and letting them
lower their heads and charge back the
other side blindly must be consigned
to the scrap heap as a means of stop
ping an attack that has in it any of
the varied possibilities of present day
foot ball.
There will be a lot said about the
superiority of the So-called "old-faSh-
toned foot ball. as demonstrated by
Harvard, against Yales ''newfang1ed'
open play. But when one takes into
consideration the entire play of Har-
ward in its conception it will be found
that Harvard offered fully as much of
advanced foot ball as has been seen
on any field for years. The attack did
not provide as much of this as did the
defense.
The man who was willing to divorce
attention long enough from the eXcit-
ing amusement of watching a runner
run or a tackler seize an opponent and
instead attend every time to the plac-
ing of the Harvard defense and the at
titudes assumed by the men when the
ball was in play, saw great deal
more of science and skill than the
gridiron has offered us in the last three
years.
At times. right in midfield, at the
actual snap of the ball by Yale. not
of Harvard's team was in a ira
ditional position of defense as ex-
hibited by most foot ball elevens to-
day. Furthermore. even when closer
TO the goal line, Harvard drew in her
defense. the men in her forward line
were not down low and with one foot
extended backward for a brace ready
to shoot into their opponents.
They were crouched, it is true, and
the middle was close up to the end of
the ball, but their feet Were drawn
up and their crouch was the prepara-
tion for 4 spring distinctly upward.
their shooting-out hands meeting their
opponents and thus leaving those
hands ready to act further, and at the
same time avoid getting their heads
buried under the line.
These men did not charge in a
straight line: they converged instead.
or, rather, their charge was somewhat
diagonal (as necessity might demand)
to the line, so that they occupied far
more space effectively than a man
charging straight through.
And they never were forced into
a position in that charge where, after
U
ponents, they could not get look at
what was coming.
1t was defense that might be forced
Il little; it was defense that occupied
an enormous amount of space laterally
compared to that of Yale and admitted
Of few clean breaks. 1t was like COM
pairing the space covered by the actual
body width of five men other than of
the same five men with arms extended.
As Yale would hop into what looked
Harvards defense assumed the most
effective positions to have men pro-
tecting the flank without too seriously
wea kening the center or tackle OPEN
ing. The only really volunerable point
was found by LIE Cores forward passes
after a run and turn. 1t might be
said, in extenuation, that this young
man is certainly wizard at throwing
Il foot ball
Now for Harvards attack. As l have
stated repeatedly in these columns for
the last three weeks, it has perfect
deception in il against any low straight
charging line. Otherwise it is compar-
atively simple. Harvard has in Mahan,
with his runs from short kicking for
nation, the most solid smothering in
reference thrown upon an end and
tackI- that can possibly be made out
of six men.
Other teams have seen enough of it,
SO they might we'll copy ii. Nor has
Harvard monopoly on this, for Vir-
ginia does ii very well indeed, and put
il against Yale for repeated long gains.
Several other teams have if in the same
form, but none of them has quite as
good man TO run behind it as the fleet
and powerful Mahan.
Yet lie Gore. behind that same inter-
ference, would have been hard to stop,
a. he showed on several occasions when
he managed TO thread his way long
distance with far less assistance.
Mahan and Bradlee were the two
kingpins OF the Harvard attack. and
Bradlee was not at his best through
iameness. Mahan was never better.
Now a word for the tackling. Yale,
for two periods. was very weak. but
improved somewhat toward the end of
the game.
Harvard was, with the exception of
letting lie Gore stop it several times,
very good. The rubber that was sewed
10 the inside of their sleeves and their
stickier hands made it harder for a
runner to slip out of their arms when
they once had him in their grasp.
Yale repeatedly found the Harvard
runners, Mahan and Bradlee. pulling
right away from them after they were
seized Thus the lessons Harvard, the
victor, has written upon the pages OF
the season of 1914 are:
First A blind charging defense must
he abandoned for one that has its hands
out and a Chance 10 diagnose the pay
Second One of the strongest weap-
ons of attack is a run from short-klck
formation, with a fast man to carry the
ball
Third 1t pays to look to all the
small accessories of the game. as they
play a no inconsiderable part in results
Fourth. Men who have learned that
crouching position with feet well I'M
der them for attack can, with start
ing signal, get across the neutral zone
and pocket their opponents.
Fifth. AS line can do this. back
can come as fast as he likes at his
opening with absolutely no fear that
his shoot as he goes through has nc
risk of hitting anything until it strikes
the secondary defense.
Every team in the country Will dc
we'll to profit by these lessons.
When Illinois defeated Wisconsin. II
gave Illinois a clear title to the mid
lie west championship, while second
place must be given Minnesota for the
triumph over Chicago. Lehigh gained
the victory this year over her old-time
rival Lafayette. which was expected
though Lafayette put up a game fight