New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-07

or her material and her system. She
overlooked nothing. Princeton, with
power just trife greater. slipped and
skdded az two vital spots along the
highway. and the price she paid was an
even chance for victory
Two fumbles one In the second and
one in the final quarter which she
failed 70 recover opened Up a sufficient
breach 10 let the Crimson attack
for its fourth consecutive VIC
% 1911. Two mistakes we're
zen stacked up in the account
a.. .st rival play that was flaw
less 10 the closing down.
Yard for Yard.
Princeton rushed tho ball 1913 yards.
Harvard 1873. Princeton punted 3sl
yards, Harvard $50. Princeton ham
mered out eight first downs, Harvard
FIVE But Harvard returned kicks l05
yards to 10. and Harvard added 20 on
forward passes where Princeton's for
ward passing game Melted her exactly
zero.
In the face of these figu<es the score
might well have been tie. But they
fail to tell the complete story of the
game. They make no mention Of those
two vital Tiger fumbles. They make no
mention of the wonderful way IN which
Haughton had his batteries masked for
the decisive fusillade-as completely
hidden as II they had been covered by
heavy foliage and tangled underbrush.
And they make no mention Of the heavy
shadow which Eddie Mahan threw
across the Princeton defence-the
shadow of constant threat which
paved the way for others, and the
shadow of a reality with Mshan him
self driving headlong through.
Mahan the Winning Factor.
Mahan was the winning factor Of the
game. First, al the start, those long
booming punts Of his drove Princeton
back. The first three averaged forty
eight wards. Then il was Mahan's
fine pass 10 Harte, masked by a re-
volviag process that threw Princeton
off guard, which first upset the Tiger
defence.
And then. on the 21-yard line. it was
the Mahan threat which sucked IN the
Tiger eleven in whirlpool fashion tow
ard the centre that gave King his
chance TO skim out around tackle and
romp across the line for the only
touchdown Of the day. On this play
Princeton's defence was drawn in as II
some mighty magnet had impelled each
man 70 the centre of the line. King
had only one 10 elude, Dave TibbOtt,
and Dave missed the tackle, which cost
seven points.
Combining his punting, his place
kicking, his running and his eterna!
and bewildering threat, Mahan doomed
as the winning factor Of the day a
factor even more important than the
Haughton system.
Tiger Errors.
Princeton made but two vital errors,
FOR which she paid a record price. In
the second quarter Shea fumbled, and
Soucy. the alert, recovered on the y
ward line from Princeton's goal Then
on a double pass Mahsn rushed 20
within four yards Of a second touch
down. Princeton's hghting defence
held for downs. But though briggs
punted forty-one yards back down the
field. what are forty-one paltry yards
10 Eddie Nahans major toe? About
one-tenth Of nothing. a fair catch
che toot-and that tumble bad cost
three more points.
The High Cost of fumbles.
Yet. you say. Harvard had seven
points anyway, and those two fumbles
would not have lost the game. Just a
moment. The first tumble Melted three
points. In the fourth quarter briggs
kicked out of bounds on lIarvard's D.
ward line, a wonderfully directed punt.
Mshan, nodding with Homer or striking
out with Cobb. punted out Of bounds
on his own 32-yard line. The score
was then 10 to in Harvard's favor.
Princeton had shown possession Of a
rugged punch for certain stated dis
tsnces, ranging from thirty 20 forty
yards.
Here was chance again. Harvard,
for the moment, was Keeling. The Tiger
eleven was flush and buGant again
with the dream OF conquest. The stage
was set for the climax, and on the first
play briggs fumbled, and banners Of
orange and black that were Auttering
high in exultation dropped Imply out
Of sight. Princeton's last volley had
been fred.
With the ball on Haryard's 32-ysrd
line u is no part OF certainty that
Princeton would have scored a touch
down. But driving along as she was II
L u almost a certainty that Tibbott would
have had 9 chance at field goal from
within easy range, and with that first
tumble eliminated and the score set az
TO 9, perhaps three more Tiger points
would not have helped. After that you
can perhaps again. Post-mortems and
vain ''ifs"? Quite so. But Of what other
material is sportive gossip made
Tiger defeat. For fumbles are a part
Of football, and the team that makes
them must pay the price. IL was Har-
wards alertness that recovered these
mistakes. and IL was Harvard's slightly
better grip upon fundamentals that
prevented her from miseuing in the
same way.
Lines Well Matched
The two lines were evenly matched
They fought All even fight, considering
the fact that Princeton's line was
forced 20 battle against Mshan's eter-
nal threat Princeton had the better
balanced backheld with Click, briggs.
Tibbott and Shea, but Princeton had no
Mahan.
IL Was one Of the grim laws Of fate,
~ applied 20 sport, that briggs. who
ouistarrcd any other Tiger for all
around value. should make one Of the
two costly fumbles Of the day. But