Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-14
RED AND BLUE
FOOTBALL TEAM
FACES CRISIS
Much Depends on Coming
Games With Navy and
Pittsburgh
WARMERS SQUAD STRONG
By EDWARD R. BUSHNELL


Every football team has to meet a
crisis some time during its season The
University of Pennsylvania is face to face
with one right now. on what the team
does against the Navy and Pittsburgh
will depend to a great extent its success
In the three championship contests with
Dartmouth, Michigan and Cornell in No
vember
The Quaker coaches realize the situation
and are concentrating every effort on
whipping the team together for these two
games They feel that they must win
from the Navy on Saturday or their
season will be ruined. They are not cer-
tain that they can beat Pittsburgh. They
appreciate the fact that the Pittsburgh
team has been pointed for this particular
Rame, that Coach Glenn Warner is moro
anxious to win 1t than any other on his
schedule 1t is the climax of the Pitts
burgh season, and Just the beginning of
Pennsylvania season. Some Pennsyl-
yania men who understood the situation
at Pittsburgh before the game was
scheduled felt that n serious mistake was
being made to schedule such a strong and
ambitious team 50 early in the season.
or course, no one can blame Pittsburgh
for wanting to win this game and point
pretty hard on the Quakers to meet a
team at this time which is several weeks
ahead of them in it's development. 1t was
because Cornell could not compete with
Pittsburgh under these conditions that
Pittsburgh lost its place on the schedule
at Ithaca.
Apparently the Navy is weak this year.
The Middes have been beaten in both
games to date. They lost to George
town, go, and last Saturday to Pittsburgh,
47-I2 1t is, therefore, a fair assumption
that the Navy is weaker than last year,
when Pennsylvania won, and since Penn
sylvania is stronger than in 1914. the
ouakers ought to win by a comfortable
margin. That. however, is not saying
they will do it, for football this year is
mighty uncertain.
Pennsylvania's coaches feel that their
team was at a decided disadvantage in
the State game, because of lack of physi-
cal condition. They willingly give State
credit for having the better team last
Saturday. States superior condition,
particularly in the second half, taught
them how far behind they really are in
physical condition. AS a result they are
now trying to hurry the development OF
their team so that it will be coming
when Pittsburgh is met They will try
to avoid the danger of reaching top form
too quickly, because their most important
games are those in November.
There Is a lot of uncertainty about the
lineup of the backfield for the Navy
game. 1t is pretty safe prediction that
Howard Berry will not play quarterback
unless the coaches need him. His knee
Is rounding into condition, but a second
injury might put him down and out for
the season. Either Bell or Grant will
have the call over him. It will probably
be Bell for this youngster. while mex
perienced,, is about the nerviest man on
the whole team. Quigley has been nurs-
ing minor bruises for some time and was
hurt again on Tuesday, but he will prob
ably be in shape to start at fullback.
The coaches frankly admit that they
do not know who their best halfbacks
are but they expect to know definitely
after the Navy game. The trouble is that
some of the players shine on offense and
others on defense. The difficulty is to find
a pair who are equally strong on offense
and defense. Williams is unquestionably
the most brilliant of the halfbacks in
advancing the bali, but he is not so good
on the secondary defense. Tighe, on the
other hand, is the best defensive back,
but not a good ground gamer Ross and
Welsh seem to be the best all-around
halfbacks, but both have suffered so much
from injuries that the coaches haven't
been able to get them in shape