The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-11-21
SPORTS
Football Eyes of Country
 Focus on Auburn Ohio Till
Plalnsmen Have Two Tough Battles in Rotation-nterest Great in Camp Gordon-Alabama Game-Central and
 Bessemer Slated For Another Bitter Contest
ny FRED BoDEkER

The Dixie gridiron will occupy the at tention of football fans in all parts of the country Saturday when Auburn and Ohio State clash at Montgomery in the first intersectional game of the season for the Plainsmen. The Plainsmen and western champions will be battling, while other major elevens in the nation will be idle, resting for the annual Turkey Day contests.
 The Ohio eleven comes south with a swell record. With two championships to their credit in as many years over western teams, southern fans will have their first opportunity to compare the strength of the game onered in the diff ferent sections. The fine showing of Georgia Tech against northern and eastern elevens has labeled the Yellow Jackets as wonders.
 Auburn compares favorably as the sec ond strongest team in Dixie. Consequent ly their showing against Ohio, followed the next Saturday by their game with Georgia Tech, will afford the dopesters some real foundation for their comparf- son of western, eastern and southern football.
 The Plainsmen are expecteing to go down in defeat at the hands of the Ohio eleven, but they will enter the battle with the usual Auburn spirit. Georgia Tech is in class far above the remain- ing southern elevens this year, and Au- burn, it can be truthfully said, stands at the top of the list of the secondary eevens.
 Ohio undoubtedly has a mighty team With star in the backfield of the cali- bre of Chick Harley, an all-American last year. and almost sure to repeat again, to lead the attack, the Plainsmen will find a difficult offense to crack. And much of the offense of the western champs is based on the open play, chief ly the aerial attack.
 Should Auburn make determined stand against the invaders, then their prospects for giving the Golden Tornado the toughest battle of the year will shoot skyward. Auburn deserves praise for their gameness in tackiing two teams of the calibre of Ohio and Tech in success sion, and followers of the Tigers from the plains will be proud of them, even though they suffer duo of setbacks.
 The clash here Thanksgiving Day be- tween the University oY Alabama and the crack team of soldiers from Camp Cor
 
 tracting increased interest. The desire to see former southern gridiron stars in action again Is chiefly the cause, and a large crowd will undoubtedly be on hand to welcome the ''Sammies'' at Redwood.
 With former stars like Bob McWhor- ter. the whirlwind of Georgia, Kirk New ell, the game little halfback from Au- burn, Adrain Vandegraaff, the scrappy fulback from Alabama, and Charley Woodruff the brainy quarterback of Georgia, composing the backfied, fans are assured of some brilliant playing. The first three named are we'll known to the local colony for their performances on Dixies fields, and their return in the pigskin outfit once again is rightly causing much rejoicing.
 But the backfeld is not alone with their stars. A line with heavyweights of known quality, will attempt to stop the famed open formation of the Grim son-something no eleven to date has been able to accomplish with any de- gree of certainty The team has mem : bers from every college in the south,