Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-05
BY II. c. BYRD.

Except for technical changes, tend
ing to better the game particularly
from the standpoint of players and
officials. foot ball will be played this
fall under the same code as last year.
There are one or two parts which are
made more stringent, others are given
clearer and more definite meanings,
several disputed rulings are decided,
but as far as the spectator is concerned
there will be little or no difference in
the gridiron games they watched in
1914 and the contests that are to take
place this fall.
Two definite alterations have been
made in rules governing the forward
pass. One relates to throwing the ball
out Of bounds and the other the PEN
atty for member of the side touching
the ball after it has first been touched
by another player of his team. Last
year, particularly down near the goal
line where the distance was not SUI
fcient to make a punt, it was Gus
tomary for many teams to throw the
ball out Of bounds when 1t could not
make its distance ands the ball would
point two or three yards in front of the
goal line instead of being brought out
from touchback, which would very
often result from punt. This year
forward pass when thrown out ot
bounds is simply an incompleted pass
and will not be made on fourth down
in such cases as that mentioned, be-
cause the ball would go to the opposing
team, provided 1t were fourth down, at
the spot of the previous down. Under
the code of 1914 when a forward pass
touched a player of the side making
the mass after it had already been
touched by member of that side, the
ball went to the opposing eleven at
the spot of the, foul. That has been
qualified and now the ball. If touched
Nv q. second eligible player. will simply
20 as an incompleted pass also. VI
course. If the ball at any time to's;hes
an Ineligible player it will go to the
opposing team.
Undue Roughness Prevented.
There was considerable difhculty ex-
perienced by officials last year IN pre-
wanting the interferers knocking down
unsuspecting defensive players AFTER
the ball was dead. 1t was common oc-
currence last fall to see men have their
feet cut from under them and be spill
ed long after the play was ended and
the ball had been declared dead by the
referee. provision has also been In
serted TO keep the ucIcHSiSC pay oi o
from running into their opponents I'M
der lust such conditions.
The use of substitutes in the last
quarter has been considerably abused
After the antagonism aroused against
foot ball in 1903 had reached its zenith
A provision was placed in the code al
lowing players to be resubstltuted IN
the last quarter, so that coach or
trainer could remove man VINO ap-
reared more fatigued than usual In
ne n
on that account. The best use, though.
to which this has been put was the
sending in Of substitutes with fnfor-
nation from the coach as TO now the
game ought to be run. The toe mas
been changed in many games because
some coach has gotten Information to
his quarterback in this way. There
have been cases wherein the coach has
sent a player on the field and even
before he reported to the referee mas
the information he bore and was then
removed from the game. and his pred
ecessor again substituted, without
having taken part in a single play.
The rule about "roughing the 1ull-
back" has been divided into two parts
It was realized that in the majority
Of instances when the fullback was
"roughed" 1t was not que TO such IN
tention on the part OF the player ad-
judged Of being so guilty, put resulted
almost Impossible for powerful line
man to halt his progress quickly
enough to keep from running into the
SnIlhack while charging fast, yet the
ssvsre penalty of disqualification
awaited him unless he did. This has
been changed, and In such cases the
nenaIty will be fifteen yards. while In
the Intentional instances OF roughtng
the penalty will be fifteen yards for
The team and disqualification for the
niever The penalty for unsportsman-
i've conduct, too, has been lessened,
afteen wards being the result of such
on act instead Of disqualification. The
offlcials have been given power,
though, to disqualify in fragrant cases.
Ball Must Leave Center.
A play that has been practiced con-
siderably is that of having the center
ma "a the ball back. but instead of let
ting 20 of it hold 1t against his leg
"a that a lineman could come around
and take 1t from him and run with 1t,
nerhaps in another direction. after the
hacks had gone off as in a regular
Nav This was deceiving many times,
vet IL was not adjudged a play of real
a method of advancing the ball has
been eliminated by changing the rule
Governing passing back the ball 10
make the ball actually leave the CEN
rhe method of blocking, heretofore
exercised. of placing one or both Of the
hands on the ground and throwing the
body and LEGS In the air is ruled
against. II man now blocks with his
lower leg in this manner his team will
be penalized Is yards. A great many