The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-09-18
SEASONS FIRST BIG
GRID BATTLE AT WVU
Pittsburgh Will Play At
Morgantown Last Sat-
urday In Month.

MoRGANToWN, Cept. 18.-While
the November game between Pitt
and W. & j.; Pitt and Penn State; W.
& ]. and West Virginia; West Virgin.
Ia and Wesleyan, and Their less i'm.
portant clashes will occupy the at.
tention OF fans all over the Tri.state
section when they take place, there s
no question but that from every stand.
point the game to be played here on
Saturday, September 20, between the
University OF Pittsburgh and West
Virg mia University is the premier
grtdiron struggle of the first six
weeks OF the 1917 season that West
Virginia, Western Pennsylvania and
Eastern Ohio fans have access to.
Pittsburgfh was conceded to have
the strongest eleven in America last
fall, winning by decisive scores from
Pennsylvania, W. & j., Syracuse, Navy
and all other opponents. One Of her
men made Walter Camps All-Ameri.
can Eleven and half dozen others
were placed on the second or third
team an dgiyen honorable mention 1t
Is generally thought that because
Hastings and ~DeHart had left the
team to fight for Uncle Sam that
Pop" Warner would have trouble in
getting together formidable aggre.
cation, but this is not the case. Warn
er has five whom weight 1870 pounds
and play at guards; Seidel and Hilty.
tackles, both OF whom also weight
1870; and Captain Carlson the $50
pound end. This in itself is a great
nucleus, but in the backfield. too,
Warner has experienced men for ev.
cry position. McLaren the Varsity
fuilback, is in camp and he was the
backbone of the Warner backfield in
1916 although Hastings and DeHart
did most OF the spectacular work;
Foxy" Miller who VS. the regular
quarterback and played two seasons
as regular for Pitt before DeHart
beat him out is Senior and Will step
right back into his former position,
while Gougler, another great half,
back is ready to take Hastings place,
as he did last year in the w & J..
and other important games when
Hastings was i'll. 1t is true that Peck
the great center is gone, but Tom
Hendricks, Peck's substitute for two
years Is a most able substitute He
we!ghs $50 pounds and Is the heavy
weight wrestling champion of the
university, which latter fact would in.
dictate that he has an active person,
and 1t is generally conceded that
Peck's greatness is all that kept him
Of fthe team in former years,
So, the Pittsburgh team will be a
football In ~,
and will attrack a crowd even aside
from the fact that West Virginia, if
her teams comes up to expectations,
will put up battle against her worth
going long way to see.
West Virginia had an eleven in
1916 that compared favorably with
the best in America. She played
Pennsylvania, Dartmouth and Rutgers
TO standstill, being beaen or tied in
hes games by the barest margins.
Rodgers, King, Bailey and Hager
four regulars from 1916 remain for the
team this year, together with at least
three of the 1916 substitutes who will
step right into Varsity positions this
year. namely, Lentz at halfback; Ice
at Tackle and Lewis at Quarterback
LUIS raves lOul PoeAIlOHS W oe hhISur
but West Virginia has no Freshman
Rule as does Pittsburgh and she can
pick the best football men from her
four hundred freshmen and play them
in the Pitt game. West Virginia
due to her great gridiron record dur
ing the last few years is drawing this
year a large number of seasoned pre-
paratory school players who will fill
the vacancies made by the loss of
Webster, Hite, Hutchinson, Curry and
Brannon.