The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1916-12-26
PASSING
d ID amM~ @S~ u d ~
FEATURE
IN 1915
So Says Walter Camp in
Reviewing Past Foot
ball Season
PICKS THE ALL-ANERICAN
Gives Baston Place on
Mythical Intercollegiate
Fares Right Well
(By Walter camp)

(By Walter camp) .
Every season there are certain
marked developments in football play.
Last year the run from kick formation
came to its own, and proved the
strongest feature OF the attack. In
several cases this year it was shown,
however, that this formation must
have connected with it the threat of
the forward pass and the kick. In
case the last man in the back field Is
known to be a runner only it naturally
simplifies the problem for the de-
fense quite materially. The most
marked feature of this seasons devel-
opment was. however. the. various
methods of thinning the defensive line
that is. forcing the secondary de-
tense back, by the threat OF forward
passing and kicking from close for
nation. and. at the same time. by for
nations and shifts in the backfield,
compelling the men playing on the
forward line of defense to separate
farther from each other and thus
make thrusting and plunging plays
more effective. The University Of
Pittsburgh, under Warner. showed the
simplest method of doing this by
They were not complicated. and they
involved the principle of the direct
pass.
Colgate, under Bankart, used a
somewhat more complicated method
Of quick shifts from regular forma-
tion with tandem, and a pass through
the quarter out for a line plunge on
tackle like that of Huntington's day.
Brown. under Robinson, used splits
in the line and also quick shifts and
developed the best kind Of attack to
get a star like Pollard loose
Minnesota accomplished similar re-
suits through rapid shift plays, the
taking of linemen back into the back
field and then "hepping'' them UP into
the line Of scrimmage, thus putting
enormous pressure suddenly upon the
predetermined spot.
Washington and Jefferson had the
most effective forward passing and in
McCreight one of the best men to
make the pass.
The best individual defense was de-
veloped by Yale in her two final
games. This defense practically stalled
the Harvard attack-an attack which
had formerly been very, effective.
The conclusions of the season on
this point would indicate that no team
has as yet introduced a sufficiently
elastic system to meet all attacks, and
there will probably follow more eX-
periments in the placing Of the sec
ondary men in the attempt to cover a
greater range and to anticipate the
play of the attack. This will be most
marked in the endeavor to force the
forward passer so that he will have
less time in which to work and thus
make the longer passes less likely be-
cause the receiver will be unable to
reach a point so far down the field.
Now as to the quality of play. The
first and most important feature of
the season Of 1916 is the consideration
Of the unquestioned fact that teams
failed more generally than In any 9TH
er season to run true to form. Even
the admitted leaders seemed guilty Of
temporary Iapses. In some cases these
prevailed entirely through a game,
and in others only for period or two.
There are some who contend that
the forward pass is responsible for
these extraordinary reversals, but the
facts do not bear out this conten-
ton, and we must look deeper for the
cause Investigation of this kind
proves pretty conclusiVeIy that these
lreversals have come in a great meas
ure from sudden upset of the spirit
of q team. This upset may be through
lfumbling at critical moments, a serl-
Gus mistake in judgment or knowledge
of a rule, or some catastrophe of a
kind that has a strong psychological
effect on the team. Pittsburgh's stu
alton in the Navy game was brought
about by fumbling and muffing: Min
lnesota's in the Illinois game through
a lack of snap in the plays and the
sudden depression caused by the in
perception Of a forward pass which
resulted in the appalling score OF ii
| to against her in the very first per-
liod The Yale Brown score was due
to too hard line plunging by Yale In
the early periods. followed by a couple
of brilliant runs by Pollard. VINO had
seemingly been unable to get loose in
the first two periods. Many of the
teams were put into difficulties
through a poor kick at critical mo-
ment In fact. the longer one consid-
ers the seasons play the more the
conviction is pressed home that neith- :
er teams nor individuals exhibited the
Inconsistency that has characterized
other seasons.
OF coaches one could write volumes
and not cover all there is to be said
Football is a game whose fascination
| from a coaching standpoint has no
equal. Tad Jones turned the corner
| for Yale and succeeded in defeating
Harvard for the first time in many
seasons. He brought Yale out OF the
| slough Of despond and placed the Blue
once more securely upon the bedrock
| OF those fundamental principles upon
which all that long list of Yale foot.
ball successes was established. Ban.
kart of Colgate developed the most
powerful attack of the year. as ex-
Inhibited in Providence. when he liter
Tally overwhelmed the supposedly un-
beatable Brown team. Robinson OF
Brown. in spite of the defeat by Col
gate, enjoyed the greatest triumph OF
his coaching career in defeating botf
Harvard and Yale. Gilrnour Dobie OF
the University of Washington remains
still unbeaten. Glenn Warner brought
Pittsburgh through another year OF
Itriumphs. Foster Sanford continued
his good work with Rutgers and intro
duced the new multiple kick. Wilce
of Ohio State and Murphy of North.
western both brought teams out OF
lobscurity this year to the limelight OF
success. Folwell of Pennsylvania took
on the new task at his alma mater
having left Washington and Jefferson
| to take the job. and he succeeded IN
defeating Cornell and building up q
machine that ought to stand Pennsyl-
vania in good stead in future years
Sol Metzger made Washington and
Jefferson a dangerous opHonent for
anyone. Whaien Of Tufts also made
| a name for himself by defeating Har-
u