Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-11-29
SOLDIERS DISPLAY
THE BETTER GAME
Continued from First Page.)

yards, and the Navy partisans were
cheering wildly and any foot ball play
err felt that the Navy had started on
we'll.
Now, it was practically certain that
the Army would not kick on first
down, and its formation showed that 1t
was likely to be n run from fake KICK,
tor the Army backs, up under the line,
were in position to shoot out as in.
terferers rather than to try a line
plunge Nor did the Navy pay any at
tention to the way the Army was llned
up Instantly the ball shot back to
fulIback, and as he started around the
caught in close and the end completely
SIN hered. while the secondary defense
man was too near in toward the center.
The result was that the Army put in
pretty run around the Nays right
end for forty yards. In fact, so entire
iy by surprise was the Navy caught
that only its last man saved them from
seeing the runner go clear down to q
touchdown. 1t was pretty tackle that
this final defensive man made.
The Army lined up quickly, and after
a couple of line punches ripped off a
forward pass to the Nays 1l-Yard
line. Here. even though the general
feeling is that it is worth while to try
are outplaying the opponents, the
Army lost a chance to score because
1t did not throw another forward pass
at once.
This was demonstrated a little later in
the game, when I'ritchard took advanta ge
of similar conditions and got touchdown
by it. 1t looked very decidedly as though
the Army would get a touchdown right off
the reel here in the first two minutes Of
the game, and had l'ritchard pulled the
pass then to either Merillatt or Neyland
the chances are, from the way the Navy's
secondary was playing, that instead OF be-
ing stalled at this point and being forced
to try field goal, which he missed, he
would have had six points. Notice, we
say SIX points advisedly, for goal kicking
would not seem to be in the Army's rep
ertoire.
There is one point that Is worthy of con-
sideration and should be noted by all the
teams in the country, and that Is the
tackling in this game was far better than
the average in the contests during the
year. Both the Army and the Navy
spect that is worthy of admiration and
limitation. by the rest of the teams.
The lateral passing game was put
on exhibition and pretty sorry eX-
hibition. for it was merely second
| recipient of the ball forced to run
| back and out toward the side line while
the holder of the ball drew all the
would-be tacklers over to that side of
the field. SO that when the rear man
did finally receive the little toss he
men who came to him almost stimuli
taneously with the ball. AS a matter
of fact, had the man who was carrying
the ball looked at the opposing line
out he would have seen an opening
large enough to drive coach and four
| through. which he might have turned.
Army Showed Better Line.
Altogether. to sum up, the Army had
much the better line en- attack and de-
Tense. Its weakness was the slowness
of the tackles in getting down to and
under kicks. and an occasional block
ing Of the ends. The Army backfield
men profited by the strength of the
line. and this enabled them to work a
lancing run Just off guard and through
the tackle that was good. With the
exception of the first run from fake
kick formation, which already has been
noted, they were not very strong in
circling. The Navy was soft from
tackle to tackle and could make no
rift for their backs, but the Navy ends
covered kicks well and tackled in good
| shape, and the tackles also got down
field and backed them up. The Navy
backfield was big enough, but no mat
| ter how big a man is he can't drive
through if his line is coming back on
| him when he hits.
In generalship the Army was consid-
erably the better and had a clever
| sense of what to use in certain posi-
| tons in the field. There was quite a
considerable period of the game, how
ever. when the Army defense to for
| ward passing would have been very
vulnerable had the Navy quarter re-
allied his opportunities, for the right
secondary man was within four or five
yards of the line on a second and third
| down. and any kind of forward pass
| thrown over his head to that side of
| the field would have worked, and on
one or two occasions would have
worked not only for a long gain, but
| for a pretty certain touchdown. The
field was in pretty good condition and
| every runner had tair chance on it.
| On the whole. the exhibition had in 1t
| a more than average show of line work
| by the Army, good tackling for the
| most part by both teams. some good
| kicking. but not much star backfield
running.