Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-08-03
FEW CHANGES IN
FOOT BALL RULES
Game Not Altered Much by
Slight Encouragement of
Governing Code.
LAMBETH GIVES CREDIT
TO GEORGETOWN ELEVEN
His Article in the "Guide" Says That
Local School Must Be Awarded
First Place.
BY n. c. BYRD.

dltlOnS ana that tlnkeTlnS WIN the pro-
visions will not alter the sport to the
best advantage.
One Of the most important alterations
Is that in relation to the forward pass.
1t was the custom last year, when man
ran ten or fifteen yards back behind his
own line of scrimmage to make a for
ward pass, if he found no man clear to
throw the ball to, to toss 1t ahead of him
on the ground and thereby get the bene-
fit of the penalty for an incompleted
pass, instead of losing the distance as
well as the down. The penalty was that
the ball should be played over from the
spot of the previous down. the failure
to make the pass simply counting
down. Had the penalty not been DELHI
have been lost Any time the player at
tempts to evade the loss of the distance
when forced back on an attempted for
ward pass by this method now, his team
will be penalized ten yards.
1t used to be that any kick that hit
the goal posts, other than a free kick,
was a touchback, but when free kick
struck one of the uprights and bounded
back into the field of play the ball was
not dead This has been changed so
that all kicks hitting the posts and
bounding back will be touchbacks: this
was done to avoid confusing the play
ers. The rule relative to the roughing
of the fullback has been made a little
different. SO that now when a lineman
breaking through to block a punt Is
carried into the kicker by his momentum
his side will not be penalized unless
in the opinion of the referee the action
is intentional.
The rule made to prevent the head
coach from walking up and down the
side lines probably will not be adhered
to any more than the one which de-
n nY1IN oh h1v,
that privilege. There is likely to be
an agreement between coaches that
each allow the other that much laxity
Especially will this be true in the early
getting as close a line as possible on
his men.
A forward pass that goes out of
bounds this year on the fly, or after
go to the opposing eleven There will
be no kick-out from behind the twenty
yard line after a touchback, the team
making the touchback being given no
mage: the ball must be put in play on
the twenty-yard line by scrimma ee
There are one or two other slight modi-
fications which will not affect the game
considerably in any way.
The changes in detail as outlined in
the Guide for 1914. just issued. are as
follows:
The last privilege of the head coach
has been removed and in 1914 no one
will be allowed to walk up and down the
side lines
Those who witnessed one of the prin-
cipal games of 1913 will remember the
safety made by a player caused by his
failure to diagnose between an ordinary
hitting the goal post. In order to have
no complication of this kind arise again,
the rules have been altered so that a
free-kick hitting the goal post and bound
ing back into the field Of play becomes
automatically touchback just as
though it was an ordinary punt
THE field judge is to be brought back
(optionaD to act as assistant to the ref
cree and lfnesman in the big games. This
was voted by the rules committee, al
though. on account Of the expense in
small games. the addition of this official
is left optional
1.-THE words running into the fullback
after a kick have been changed to
Z" 'roughing' the kicker etc. in order
that a man coming through and trying to
cur a penalty if he happens to run
against the kicker.
"A rule is also added putting a penalty
on man who roughs man who has
just made forward pass.
"a forward pass that goes out of
bounds either on fly. direct. or after
being touched by an eligible player of
either side. goes to the opponents.
1T has also been determined that the
receiver of a forward pass in the end
zone. regardless of the position of his
hands and the ball. must have both his
feet within the end line or side line to
make the catch legal.
''One of the most important changes Is
the cutting out Of the hck-out. After a
touchback or a safety, the ball must al
ways be scrimmaged on the 20-yard line.
Another important alteration Is de-
signed to prevent a man taking advan-
tage of the rules when he finds himself
forced back. The trick was 'e clsve a
worked last year of throwing the ball to
the ground and thus, by the loss of a
down, having the ball go back to the
place where 1t was scrimmaged. This is
measured from where the ball was put
in play. against any man thus inten-
tionally grounding a forward pass
when the bali was put in play. the play
is not made over again. but a ive-yard
penalty is exacted.
Hiding on the side lines is classed
under unsportsmanlike conduct
Teams will no longer be allowed to
encroach upon the neutral zone in max
ing shift plays. As soon as either team
is lined up on the offensive, any shift
must he made without a player passing
of five yards
"A clause is inserted to include trip
ping by hand under the rule of tripping
which formerly only covered tripping
with the foot and leg"
1t is interesting to note that in the
article on Foot Ball in the South. writ
ten by w. A.. Lambeth Of Virginia
gets more credit than usual. considering
the conditions. Here is what the author
has to say:
In the South Atlantic division the
scores of games make it impossible to
give satisfactory rating. for each Of the
Two
some other team in the division.
If first place must be given It should
defeated Virginia by one point in
crucial game. Georgetown was defeated
in an early season game by the strong
North Carolina a. and NJ. Yet it must
be said that the team which played
against A. and NJ. was not the team
which PLAYED against Virginia. George
town opened its season with many stars
absent from the lineup. College pride
and college pressure. however. was strong
enough to rout them from their hiding
places before the season ended.
Virgina's position in second place can
hardly be questioned. having won from
%i,,o. .oufborp to uuiVersifie4 and Van