Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-27

PENNS FOOTBALL CHANCES AIDED
BY FINE FRESHMAN MATERIAL
Backfied Weakest Point in Last Years Play Will Be
Materially Strengthened-Berry and Dorizas Ex-
pected to Add Power to Attack and Defense

Ten days in advance Of the begin
ming OF preliminary practice. football
prospects at the University of Pennsyl-
vania look rosy enough. How they mate
rialize will depend upon the usual number
OF ifs" The disposition of the coaching
problem Is the work OF the best football
brains Pennsylvania possesses, past and
present
II the new coaching staff fails, the
Quakers will not know where to turn
next The material left over from last
year. coupled with that available from
last years freshman class, should give
a squad which for weight and ability
equals any of the last 10 years. The
''if' here depends upon how the new and
the old men, too, have come through the
last year in a scholastic sense
One of the weaknesses Of Pennsylvanias
team last year was that the backheld was
made up of men who for the most part
were both inexperienced and below the
average in football skill.
Nearly all Of last years back field reg
ulars have been graduated or left the
University, so that this years back field
will be almost entirely new. Merrill and
Murdock alternated at quarterback. al
though Merrill played the position most
of the time He has been graduated.
or the other backs, Avery has been grad
uated and Moffet has left the University.
and so is Matthews. who did most of the
drop-kcting,
It Is a safe wager that the Quakers will
start the back field with a clean slate, in
which members OF last years freshman
and scrub elevens will have first con-
sideration 1t was well known last year
that the freshman team, particularly as
to the backs was superior to the varsity.
First consideration undoubtedly will be
given to Howard Berry, who has all the
earmarks of a wonderful player.
Berry has all-around cleverness of the
Jim Thorpe type. Everything he does in
an athletic sense he does extremely well.
| As a member of the scrub team last year
| he was the best football player that
stepped on Franklin Field. Where he
| will be tried this year has not been de-
| termined. He played quarterback on the
! scrub team, but If Bell or Grant can make
| good in this position Berry will probably
| be tried out as a hafback, where his
lodging, speed and line-plunging ability
| can be better utilized. Berry weighs les'
| than 100 pounds, but he can do more will
| his weight than most men of 175 pounds
| In running through a broken field he Il
| the equal of eX-Captain Roy Mercer.
Both Bell and Grant, who alternated a
quarterback on the freshman team las
year, will get a thorough try-out here OF
the varsity. Bell is handicapped by lacl
of weight. but he is a clever field genera
and an unusually promising drop kicker
better under fire than any man on las
years varsity.
! Both Welsh and Quigley are wei
| thought of for back field positions be
cause of the work they did on the fresh
| man team. OF last years varsity backs
| Matthews and Wray look the best. Mat
thews is a 2OO-pounder and a very gooc
| drop kicker. His weakness is lack o
speed and defensive play.
There were four fair ends last year
Seelbach and Koons have been graduated
but Hopkins and Urquhart are stin avail
able. The latter two we're good men T.
catch forward passes and they wer
speedy. But they were hardly in tn