The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-06
GRIDIRON ECHOES
Ry FRED BODEkER

With the improved showing of Au- burn in Saturdays game against Georgia, the prettiest fight for the championship of Dixie in years is in store for the gridiron bugs AL though there are but really three teams left in the fight for the cham pionship, five elevens are still in the undefeated column. Vanderbilt, Tech, Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee are the only elevens in Dixie who have not been defeated by southern ma chine
 Alabama and Tennessee are general ly counted out of the fight. Tech, with their mighty machine, will un- doubtedly crush the Crimson Saturday in Atlanta, while Tennessee is slated to go down in defeat before the Com modores. Surprises, however, fre- quently occur and neither the Crimson nor the Tennessee eleven is certain to taste defeat, although the odds lie in that channel.
 Saturday furnished two beautiful games as expected. Alabama and &c., vance struggled in one of the greatest games ever witnessed on a local grid iron. Open play, the kind of football the spectator caters to, was the pre- dominating feature of the Crimson vic- tory. The introduction of the Kelley formation, the play which worked so effectively against the Tiger, was the of its equal had ever been witnessed. Time after time Quarterback Green called the formation from which at least four plays could be worked.
 The majority of the football fans understood the game. That was some thlng which is seldom the case. Usual ly a number of people go just to say they went and other purposes of the same fashion. The open play, where the spectator has the slightest knoWl- edge of the game, is easy to under stand. It is very simple but yet it takes an excellent team to be suc- cessful in it.
 The majority of all successful teams use the open play. Auburn is the only prominent eleven in the south to use g the mass play and the rock road which
 
 travel for the past two years shows clearly the advantage of the spectacu- lar type. Auburn cannot work for ward pass. The Plainsmen, however, have not a peer in the game when it comes to hitting the line and de- fensive play. This year Coach Dona- hue has three men who can circle the ends very effectively.
 Prendergast is perhaps the most dangerous of the trio. Captain Hairs ton and Pat Donahue are the other fleet-footed stars who shine in this respect. And, as usual, Donahue has about a half dozen battering rams, effective as ever
 There was one spectator at the Ala -Sewanee game who was very undesired. He was Jim Senter, the star end for Georgia Tech, who is out of the game for the season. Jim suffered two broken bones in his right ankle in the game against North Caro- lima, which put him out Tor the sea son.
 Senter was very much interested in the game Saturday. He watched the Alabama team very closely and took notes The writer did not see the for mer Tech star, but 1t came from re- liable sources that he was present. Senter was collecting dope for Coach Heisman to use during the present week in practicing his squad for the game with the Crimson. The open formation of the Crimson has spread to all parts and it has been named the Kelley formation"
 Auburn's victory over Georgia came as expected. It was predicted in these columns last Thursday that Auburn would win, but the score would De very close. It was also predicted that the Crimson would win. Auburn mas a great team, even greater than the majority of the fans in Birmingham think, following the poor showing or the Plainsmen against the Mississippi A. and M here a week ago
 Auburn, however, is slated for de- feat at the hands of Vandy. In the opinion of the writer, the Vandy eleven is the greatest football machine in the south. Coach Dan McGugin is perhaps the greatest offensive coach in the southern colleges and he has wonderful offense built around Rab- pitt Curry, who will be the all- southern quarterback for 1916 as was the cast last year.
 As to the Tech-Auburn game, it is too far off to predict, but odds at the present are in favor of the Yellow Jackets. A situation can change nightly and that may be the case in this game.
 Birmingham will be dark" next Saturday in regard to football This