The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-11-18
GEORGIA TECH COACH
DENIES THAT PITT
HAS DETER ELEVEN

Says His Team Held Back After MAX.
ing Score Safe In Game With
/ Pennsylvania.
/ BY JAMES J. CORBETT.
Copyright. 1917, BY King Features
Syndicate, Incl
Exceptions have feen taken to Bob
Folwells statement, printed I'm this
column a few days ago. that the UNI
| versity of Pittsburg team is greater
than that of the Georgia School of
Technology. Both sievens, as win be
remem bered, defeated Pennsylvania
Georgia Tech won by the score of IL
Ito 0; Pitt was able to defeat Pennsy
only IA to 6. Despite the apparent
superiority OF Georgia Tech. Folwell
fatty stated that Pitt had team
which. In his opinion. was better than
that of Georgia. Tech and thst IL the
two teams met Pitt would win.
Copy OF the interview I obtained
with Fofwell was cent to J. w Heis-
man. coach of the Georgia Tech team.
( Below follows in part a letter which
the writer received from Mr.. Heisman
and which answers certain state
ments made by the Pennsy coach
| In one part of Mr.. HeiEman's let
! ter it will hA noted that he states that
| had Georgia Tech SO wilied IL could
have beaten Pennsy by q greater score
: Folwell frankly admitted this and
stated that the Georgia Tech team
could have beaten Pennsy 100 to Q
had 1t so willed, but "HeisY1an and
| his Tech team were mercifui after
they had ciinched victory"
The Heisman letter follows.
My Dear Mr.. Corbett:
Il am in receipt OF the story of
your interview with Coach Robert
Foiwen OF the University Of Psnnsyl-
vania- giving his opinion OF the reia-
tive strength of the University OF
Pittsburg and Georgia Tech football
teams. The fact that you sent II 70
me seems an indication that you
would be pleased to have me submit
any stateme nt / may have TO make
I'm reply to Mr.. Folweli on this SUD-
Ject Deeming 1t but fair to my poFs
that some one should state what
might be said for them in this con-
nection, ! take pleasure IN Flag pc
fore you the following:
'Mr. F'olwell lays stress on the fact
thai Penn. has improved greatly since
PLAYING Georgia Tech. This I do not
doubt: but what should mare him
think that Georgia Tech has not aleo
i'm proved greatly His assumption
that our game against Penn marked
the height OF our condition and play
ing skill is completely negatiyed py
our IS TO score against Washington
and Lee and by our 80 to scors
aSafnst Vanderbilt last saturday.
washington and Lee and Vanderoiit
both put W a much etiuer oehehs"
against us tlan did Penn.
ssOrr victory over Penn. was
aenteyed by the use of seven plays
,onIv. three were used but once each,
so that we really won the Penn, game
,hx the use of but four plays--au OF
them sna straightest kind of football
Nh tricks were used 20 fog up the
green Penn team. so cannot see
that II makes any difference whether
Mr.. FoIwell had had time to drill his
team. on trick plays or not,
Mr.. FolweH speaks Of his green
team But he had Just as many vet
Grams as had Tech. He had Captain
Miller. Berry. Bell ana Light; while
Tech had Captain Carpenter. Phillips,
Fincher and Strupper.
Shortly after his return to Pnfla-
delphia from Atlanta, Mr.. Folwell
gave an interview to a Philadelphia
reporter In which he stated that he
might have seen other teams in the
past as good as Georgia Tech. but GER
tainlv none better Yet now. on the
heels of that statement, he tells. even
I'm your story. that Pitt. hasn't the
great team OF year ago Then this
is to say that Pitt hasn't as good a
team as he has seen before, and even
kAE "
his previous statement surpassed
Georgia Tech Ergo the Pitt. team
OF this year could not be equal in
strength to the Tech team Of this
year Is my logic faulty or not!
Zone more point. We let up on the
Penn. team and quit scoring on them
when the game was two-thtrds over. |
Why Because 7 am II Penn. grad
uate myself and 7 just hadn't the
heart. Beginning with the closing of
the third quarter I took out every
star of the Tech team. and I kept on /
taking out the first string men until. /
by the time the last quarter had been |
on less than four minutes, / had ten
OF them out and had left only Captain /
Carpenter.
"On top of this ordered the team /
to punt on the first down every time
the ball came into their possession.
This they did unfailingly: thereby CIV
ing ourselves no further chance to |
score. yet giving Penn. every chance
In the world to score Ii she was able
which she wasn't, My tea., contented /
itself with total of forts-one points. /
achieved. practically. in three quar-
ters, whereas we might have run it i
up with ease to over sixty points,
bob should remember that Tech /
ran up her forty-one points against !
Penn. in about thirty-six minutes of |
play--with the whole of the frst team |
in and when we had not begun to
punt on first down-whereas Pitts
score OF 14-s. required sixty minutes i
to play :.
Whether Georgia Tech could de-
feat pittsburg / do not know. Ger
tainly we make no such claim. We
claim nothing. II we win every game
on our schedule we will not claim the I
we are not Interested
In that phase OF the gafne--rot this
year. at least.
Our boys speak In the highest
terms OF PENIS gameness and sports
and we hold Pitt. In the very
highest respect, that IL all.
Very sincerely,
(SignedD ~. w. HEIEMAN"