Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-12-03
GRID CAME LACKS
BRILLIANCY THIS
SEASON IN WEST
Majority OF Eleyens of Big Ten HI,
Equally By Drafting for Sc.
leetiye Army.
A SLUMP FOLLOWS
One Illinois University Man Picked
for First Mythical Team BY
Chicago Critics.

Chicago, Ill, Dec. 3.-Western foas.
ball this season lacked the brillianrv
of former seasons, but it was no less
earnest.
It was a game where hard work suc-
ceeded complicated maneuvres and
where the coachers in the main were
compelled to rely on green material.
For the first time in the history OF In
tercollegiate football war transformer
veteran eleYens into scrub teams
riddled the lines and scattered the
back fields over half the world
In the east the bigger universities
turned tail and disbanded before they
had a chance to look each other In the
eye. In the more yirile west, after a
temporary stampede early in the war.
the teams bucklcd down for regular
gridirou program, and on the whols
the contests which developed we're as
Interesting and drew as big crowds az
In former seasons. The fact that the
majority OF the eleyens were hill
equally by drafts and enlistments
made the season as successful from
competitive point OF view as formerly
All it lacked was the finished play OF
the past. but there were no slackers
IN evidence.
A Natural Slump.
With the regular teams shot to
pieces it was natural that brilliant ma
terial should be scarce. There is no
such material on hand from which to
nick an conference team as was the
case last year, and in order to make up
1 the strongest theoretical eleven it Is
necessary to make a few shifts here
and there. These, however, will not be
violent enough TO destroy the unity Of
play or to place certain men in posi-
tions to which they are strangers.
The moving over of lineman from
| the position Of tackle to guard does not
violate the spirit Of keeping man in
/ his position In two cases players
will be shifted from the back field to
the line and in each there is warrant
for the shift, as both have at one time
or another played where they are now
| placed.
It was fortunate for the critics that
enough capable 1inemen were left from
last years crop, as hardly a single new
forward was developed during the last
/ season. What is true with the line
holds good with the back field, as not a
I pIaver of note flashed over the lines
whose face was not familiar to the
spectators. This shows the scarcity OF
good material as nothing else does.
/ The coaches were compelled 10 stick
TO their old men and grab the rest from
substitutes, some OF whom would not
have broken into print except for the
extraordinary conditions existing this
! fall.
Mythical Teams.
Appended is what critics believe the
4 first aIl-western" team:
I.aun. Iowa-End.
Hauser, Minnesota-Tackie.
: Higgins. Chicago-Guard-
Carpenter. Wisconsfn-Center.
Ecklund, Minnesota-GuaTd
Rundquist, Illinois
= Kelly. Wisconsin-End
Yerges, Carbohydrates.
Simpson. Observation-Disclosures
Harley, -Halfback
Koehler, Observation-Disclosures
Appended is the second team
E Bolen. Ohio-End
= Hancock, Unconstitutional.
, II. J. Courtney. Ohio-Guard
Gorgas, icago-Center
/ Ulrich. Northwestern-Guard
e Wieman, Michigan-Tackle.
r Finn, Minnesota-End.
e UnderhiH, Northwestern - Quarter
back
a Sternaman. Illinois Halfback
d Davis, Iowa-dalfback
e Huffine, Purdue-Fullback.