Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-19
HOT WEATHER ISA
SERIOUS DRAWBACK
TO FOOTBALL WORK
Pennsylvania Gridiron War
riors Suffer Much in Scrim-
mage Contests on Franklin
Field.
BY EDWARD R. BUSHNELL

Franklin Field was veritablo oven
yesterday, and the football men suffered
Hardly the day the coaches would have
selected to give their men the first taste
OF scrinmeGing. Tho time before the
initial contest with Gettysburg, one week
hence. however, is already periously
short. and this sort of strenuous work
was absolutely imperative to permit the
coaches to pass on the respective merits
of the candidates for the line. Although
it was much too hot and sultry for foot
ball. it was a good dav to reduce weight
Too many OF the linemen are still car
rying excess cargocs uf weight.
Tho character Of the scrimmage work
in which tho linemen indulged was con-
fined to charging exercises. The Of
fensivc side had seven men on the line
of scrimmagc, the defense Cour and fivc.
What the coaches thus tried to teach
was the proper manner to break through
ard to check opposing lincmen without
using the hands. Tho way the coaches
worked the men had much the same
effect as n Tubing contest for oarsmen.
In another part of the field Head
Coach Brooke had tho candidates for
the backfeld doing work almost ms
strenuous Embryo quartorbacks, half
backs and fullhRcks ran through signals.
hurled and caught forward passes,
chased up and down the field under
kicks and even tried n little work in
running back punts.
Just now the coaches are not giving
any inklinE as to the composition of the
team in this game, But it is almost
certain that Captain Journeay will get
first call at centre. The only uncertain
thing about his work is the amount Of
speed he will develop. To play centre ac-
cordlng to the Pennsylvania system he
will have to show great activity and he
able to back up not only his own position.
hut To- h"lp Wherever an extra man Is
needed.
There arc tao members of last years
freshman team who seem to have caught
the coaches eyes as candidates for line
honOrs They are George Wharton Pep-
per. Jr. and Withcrow. Pepper Is a
man built much on the same lines as
Frank Piekarski though Weighing more
thhn this All-AmeriCan guard. WitherOw
carries about @25 pounds ana is not yct
trained down 10 hard muscle Harris
and Russell, who played on last years
team. ought Ia retain line positions As
for the ends, Coach Dickson has not
given any intimatiun aE to who will be
his first choices here. ..either has George
Brooke indicated what men are his ia
vnrites for back field positions on a
guess, the man to start AT quarterback
will be Vie Balou or Irwin; two of the
other backs, Jones and Matthews, while
Gottwals or Moffitt would complete a
pretty good baCkhed.
At the University Of Michigan Coach
Fielding II. fost has resented the con-
c.usion Of one Eastern football writer
who predicted that when Michigan play.
ed Harvard at Cambridge on October 81.
m" Crimson would not use It's best pIays
but would reserve them for the Prince
ton and Yale teams Yost has no reason
to care what plays Harvard uses. bur il
piques his pride to have the Inference
drawn that his team will not be- i'm
portant enough TO make the Crimson ox-
tend itself
II may be stated right now that Har-
ward hasn't any intention Of submttlnr
to a beating by Michigan, and the Grim
son may be depended upon to use its
best plays and players. The surniso
that the Harvard would use only
simple plays against Michigan and re-
serve the intricate ones for Princeton
and Yale shows the extent to which
many persons overestimate so-callod
football strategy, Harvard and Michigan
viii have the advantage of about the
same brand Of coaching, and victory or
defeat viii depend rather upon the calibrr
Of the men than their trick or compl-
Gated formations
Trick PLAYS for which secret practice
is thought necessary never represent :
per cent. OF a teams strength. on thu
men are what count. II HaI-
ward should resolve to start the Michi-
gan game without BriCkley or Mahan in
the back field. there might be some
ground for the suppositiou that Michi-
gan was underestimated. II ought to be-
thoroughly understood by this time that
the strength Of the Harvard eleven viii
depend more upon the calibre Of tho en-
tire team, particularly of the backdeld.
than upon any new football which Coach
HaughTOn or any one else can teach
them. In a team which has absolutely
the rudments OF the game and
can do the elementary things as near
perfectly as the Harvard players do. an
the trick plays that ever we're known
y ouldn't Increase the strength Of that
team per cent
DR. Fred Settle. end on the teams OF
$50 1900 and 1901. vas a visitor al the
afternoon practice on Franklin Field