New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-10
CRIPPLED TEAM
FORCES CRISIS
ON COLUMBIA
Injuries Weaken Chances
of Blue and White in
Coming Games
By FRANK O'NE1LL

Football affairs at Columbia are
reaching a crisis.
swarthmore, Wesleyan and New YORK
University are to be met on the GRID
iron. and the Blue and White squad Is
shot to pieces by injuries. Nelson Met
calf has had no easy time OF 1t this
year. and, just at the time when his
team began TO find itself and work as
a machine, JEFF Healy was cut down.
This is the most serious loss OF all, for
Healy was frst-class player, who' IN
the opinion of keen judges, would win
his place on almost any college team
in the country.
The loss of Healy comes as the cui-
minating misfortune Of a streak that
has logged the Columbia team
throughout the season. When Howard
Miller injured his knee early in the
season the green-eyed jinx rubbed his
hands and smiled, and then set about
the work of reducing the squad.
One after one the players were hurt
and kept out of action. Sterling Van
de Water, guard; Bud WILDER, tackle;
Joe Hegeman, a back; Raimando, quar-
terback; Jimmy Rosen, back; Vollmer,
line man; Munroe. back; Raegner, line
man; Cochran, line man and back, and
Jimmy Cleveland, line man, are among
the more prominent men who are nurs-
ing injuries of various natures.
Injuries Numerous
Munroe has a sprained wrist, Raj
mando a broken collarbone, and Cleve.
lands ribs are damaged, but mostly all
the other fellows are suffering from IN
juries to their legs.
To be sure, the greater number OF
these boys will be ready to take their
places in the games to come, but the
fact remains that they are not at their
best and hard wallop may drive them
to the side lines.
The Swarthmore game will be moth
ing of the tango tea variety. The
Pennsylvania team has cleaned up for
Lafayette, Pennsylvania, Franklin and
Marshall and Ursinus and Johns Hop
kins, while only fifteen points have
been scored against them. Swarthmore
has not a smashing, man-killing team,
but it is powerful and we'll balanced
and thus far has always been able to
develop sufficient power to win.
These days are devoted to expert
menting with the Columbia line. Hand
icapped by injuries to his best men,
Metcalf has been forced to develop
versatility among those who are physi-
cally fit, and throughout the long sig
nal and formation drill he worked his
line men in various positions. Jimmy
Cleveland was moved to right tackle
and then to his place at guard, while
Raegner played tackle and guard also.
Bud WILDER and Sterling Van de Water
moved around in the first line.
Lack of Aggressiveness
For all the beef and Drawn in the
Columbia line there is a noticeable
lack Of aggressiveness, or. to be more
exact, perhaps, wisely directed agrees
siveness. This was brought to light in
the Stevens game. The men are prone
to look for the play first, then charge
and finally, if possible, block. Against
well coached, aggressive team, how
ever, the delay necessitated by stop
ping to look first will prove fatal. 1t
will give the opposing first line the
opportunity to get the first lunge and
then carry through to clean up the
secondaries. An old established rule in
football demands that the line charge
first, then find the play, if possible. and
finally block. The secondaries will find
the play, meet it and tackle or block
as the necessity arises.
Long Signal Drill
The signal drill lasted until long
after shutdown yesterday, and the white
ball was finally called into play. The
varsity lineup was as follows: Ken
nedy, left end; WILDER, left tackle;
Donaldson, left guard; Brown, centre;
Raegner, right guard; Cleveland, right
tackle; Cochran, right end; McCabe,
quarterback; Dunn, left halfback; |. T.
Rosen, fullback; Hegeman, right half
back.
Swarthmore will probably take the
field against Columbia as follows:
Smith, left end; McGovern, left tackle:
Wilson, left guard; Ridpath, centre;
Stow. right guard; Endicott, right
tackle; DIN, right end; Johnson, quar-
terback; Baker, right halfback; Mi
chael, left halfback, and Bush, full
back.
Smith, Ridpath, Endicott and Bush
are men Of reputation, and are expected
to play a WhirlWind game.