New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-09
Crimson Coach Likens the
Ball Used in Game
at Cambridge to
Creased Pig.
By PERCY ID. HAUGHTO\,
UnrXnrd Innthnll Coach.

Boston, Nov. S.The football with
which Harvard and Princeton played
resembled creased pig wnen if came
10 retaining possession of il.
Even in wet weather | never remem-
Der seeing so many iumbles in an i'm
portant match. II ny memory is cor
rect. there were thirteen fumbles dur
ing the game. nine b. Harvard and four
by Princeton. Harvard. however. re-
covered six 20 Princeton's two. The
other five fumbles. which were recov-
cred by the defensive, We're sufficiently
critical to win or lose championship
game as Il is usually played.
In this case. however. they were not
so critical, because the other side al
most invariably returned the compl-
ment. either OF the next play or before
Il had taken full advantage of its OPP
ponents' error.
Fumbles Lost Many Games.
I can remember fourteen champion
ship games which have been won or
lost through the agency Of a single
tumble, and in almost every case where
a tumble occurs and the defensive side
RECEIVERS. il means that the side which
made the tumble loses from thirty 70
forty yards before II begins offensive
operations again. In contrast with this,
in yesterdays game not one Of the
thirteen fumbles resulted disastrously
10 the offending side.
To the casual observer Harvard APP
peared to be much the stronger team,
especially on offence. but on close
analysis | believe that had Harvard al
lowed Princeton to play her own game
the latter would nave proved 10 be
much stronger than the score shows.
To be sure, Harvard gained by rushing
almost three hundred yards as agains,
forty for Princeton, but aside from
ground gained by running back kicks
/ Harvards gains were made almost en-
tirely in her opponents territory,
while Princeton, with three exceptions,
never held the ball outside OF her own
territory.
From the style Of play which Prince
tor has shown this year has been
her policy to kick on the first or sec
ond downs until she obtained posses
sion of the ball around midheld. This
she has been able to do through the
agency Of her own superiority in punt
ing, plus the mistakes made by her
opponents. Having shown such marked
success by following this policy, il
was but natural that Princeton should
attempt TO do the same thing against
Harvard.
That she failed utterly is not the
point which ! wish TO make, but. rath
er, to bring out the fact that, with
the exception Of the three times al
ready mentioned. she had no oppor-
tunity Of making ground by rushing.
ard il would not have been good pol
icy, according TO her standard, for her
so TO attempt. On the three occasions
when Princeton had the ball in Har
YARDS territory she twice lost il by
fumblng on the rush ensuing from
first down.
The other occasion. however. was
one time when she had an opportunity
Of showing q strong running attack.
On this occasion the Harvard line
proved equal to the task, and stopped
four rushes for a gain Of six yards,
so that il was but natural that
Princeton should essay TO drop kick.
Tigers Not Necessarily Weak.
For "a team TO fail TO make ground
in the one opportunity offered it dur
ing the game does not conclusively
for this reason | am of the opinion
that the Princeton team was far
stronger than most Harvard adherents
are willing 20 admit. To be sure, the
Princeton defence was open 20 criti-
ciSm in that the spacing Of the pri-
mary line Of scrimmage was uneven,