The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-10-20
(By Sol Metzger, Coach of Wash

AASloA iIu JO1lcISOn AOA1CSO OoAAL.}
For the first time in the history of
football, the South has come into its
own. No matter what the alibi. no
matter what the excuse, the fact will
ever remain that the eleven of Georgia
Tech coached by J.. w. Heisman, 8
long time ago Penn player himself,
not only met and defeated Pennsylva-
mia at Atlanta this fall but gave the
Quakers the worst drubbing they ever
had with but one single exception
since the football sun arose in Phila-
dephia away back in 1892-the year
that the Red and Blue first took the
measure of the then great Princeton
team; 41-0-the score that Georgia
Tech ran up against Penn at Atlanta
lis no f1uke or no mean victory. 1t
is such an unheralded performance
that one cannot quite get his breath.
There was nothing out Of the usual
about this victory. It was well earned
and it remains a tribute to the coach
and players who, won it. It was sys-
tenn against system and the honors
rest with Heisman and Everett Strup-
per, the 19-year-old half back of $50
pounds, playing his second year of
football, who literally ran circles
around the vaunted Red and Blue de-
Tense. \
That Georgia Tech is no will O. the
wisp in football circles is quite evil
ident when one considers its record.
Last year its team, coached by Heis-
man won the Southern championship
on Thanksgiving Day by defeating
Alabama Poly in a rafting good game
which proved beyond doubt that
Southern football was high class. The
victory over Penn but accented this
| as it will awaken the football world
to the fact that all the science, brains
and daring in football is not confined
| to a narrow strip Of territory along
the norM Atlantic seaboard.
Recently J. W. Heisman, an outdoor
man, told me of his. team winning the
Southern title last year. Let me give
you the story in his own words that
] you may Judge whether or not South
ern football is on par with the East
srn article, whether the one-sided
score run up on Penn was due to the
/ Quakers having a very weak eleven
which seems odd when the backf1eld
was about the same as that which de-
feated Cornell and Michigan last year
Tor whether Georgia Tech is unusu
| ally strong and well coached.
/ Georgia Tech had to win from Ala
bama Poly last year to make good it's
title. The game proved to be a nip
and tuck affair. At the end of the
| first quarter neither team had shown
| any advantage. For, ten minutes of
the second quarter it was just as close
land as savagely fought. Finally Geor-
i gia Tech got the ball on Alabama's
40-yard line. This is what Heisman
told me about the next move:
s8This was the opportunity we were
awaiting and sent into the game at
il half Everett Strupper, then 1 8 years
old, who was playing his first year on
the varsity! AS a Freshman the pre-
vfous yearshe had given repeated evil
a denceS of his ability in open field rum
81 ming. We Immediately used a forma-
ton somewhat like the punt line up
4 and sent Srtupper, with heavy inter
1 ference. around left end. He was
a easily the fastest man in the state of
Georgia and his swift rush., like that
of greyhound. carried the ball to
Il Alabama's 20-yard line.
"A tackle buck brought the ball
near midfe1d& and another line play
was used to rest the kid. Neither
gained ground, It was Third down
and still 20 yards from the goal line.
We had planned for just such a situa-
ton and very cody and deliberately
Tech unfolded the enc special play re-
served to win the game Morrison
Iour quarterback. remembered his in
structiens very well.
fNThe formation consisted in spread
ing our rush line across the field
each man about seven yards from his
lnearest cemrade. -Four yards back OF
center stood the quarter and two yards
back of him the other backs in regu-
, lar line of three. strupper, the mar
of destiny, stood at left half -
? I'VE had figured that by allowing q
little time to elapse before using the
play we had planned for this moment
. that our opponents would spread
, themselves apart in some loose for.
nation to oppose US. This they did
; The formation had succeeded in max,
, Ing them draw back some of theil
men to guard against forward passes
. Fhus'was offered to us the finest kline
J OF an opportunity to thgow Strupper
our great open field runner, into
broken field. Our faith was so srronf
i IN his ability to make his own wa,
4 over the goal under such condition.
that we coaches were willing to en-
!, trust the fortunes of the game to him
Fhe pass to Strupper was perfec
and he was off, with all his accuc
9 TONED confidence and binding speed
= The other three backs were depended
. upon to take care of any opponent
! who might break through our widel,
scattered line of scrimmage. We knew
five got Strupper that far he coult
= well shift for himself. This duty wa
!, well performed. In fact, but one mai
d came through SO that our backf1el,
: interference not only took Strupper t.
. the line but wen beyond it.
a Five yards beyond the scrimmag
O line tacklers came from all direction
n and massed in front of him. The XII
veered sharply to the left and knife
IS his way between two coming in tina
: direction before they could ge
4 him Immediately another Pol
70 man appeared in his front
i blocking his way; but here cam
r one Of his match1ess dodge
!. which left this opponent sprawlin
d helplessly on his face. Tacklers az
2. peared from all directions now an
> Strupper, half way to the goal lin,
y turned to the right and we thought b
n was gone. Fortunately a Tech inter
e ferer bowled over this opponent.
IS "By this time, both teams wer
around him SO he jumped behind on
j i of his laicr ORC ,.f7S n ouoid Quot ~