Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-11-24
MAY MODIFY GRID CODE
PROPOSE CHANGE OF TWO
RULES IN FOOTBALL GAME
Committee VIII lie Requested to E.Iim-
mate Try for Goni After Touch
down and Clipping.
{ Special to The Times -pispatch. ]


down and Clipping.
{ Special to The Times Dispatch ]
] NEW YORK, Nov. 2S.-The football
rules committee at It's next meeting
following the close OF the present
: sridiron season will be asked to legis-
: late on number OF things to improve
certain TO be Ql the elimination of the
Try for goal after touchdown, and
60 the prohibition of clipping Both
OF these changes have been advocated
fos a long time in one quarter or
other. but this year events on the
gridiron have been such as to compel
attention from the rule-ns,kers. Take.
for example, the small matter of kick
ing goal from touchdown.
Failure to secure this extra point
has already killed whatever chances at
least two big teams in the east had
for the football championship. Last
week Dartmouth lost 20 Brown in its
closing game simply because the goal
was not Kicked after making a touch
down Up 20 this game Dartmouth
had not been beaten. 1t would have
how, had Dartmouth been awarded the
gridiron title. ,but Dartmouth would
have Mad the better of the argument
had the Green escaped without this
one defeat. What makes it the harder
! for Dartmouth to bear is that Dart
| mouth was able 10 beat Pennsylvania
| GRITTY in this very matter. Two weeks
| ago Washington and Jefferson. the
team which put Syracuse out of the
running with>a score of 14-o, was it
| self beaten by Pittsburgh. 80, simply
4, through failure to register this extra
hut very essential point.
Many coaches now argue that the
rule-makcrs ought to amend the rules
SO that the try for goal would be
eliminated. They point out that there
is no justice in it. and that it is
largely n matter of luck whether the
goal is kicked. If each team were per-
initted to try for the goal from the
same spot in front OF the goal. ire
spective of where the touchdown was
to it But Il is largely matter OF
luck whether the touchdown is made
close to the soalpot or in, one corner
OF the field. Heretofore little atten-
ton has been paid to the advocates of
this change. but this year so many big
teams have suffered so severely tina,
the proposed amendment TO the rules
Will certainly be we'll aired.
May Rule Out "Clippinr.,
In regard to the suggested rule
against clipping" that, too. has lot
. r.ore sentiment behind it than ever
, before. In the Middle West they are
against it to a man. IN the East it
has been tolerated largely because OF
5 the difficulty of securing uniform
Several games have been played on
Eastern gridirons where the rival
coaches got together in advance AMI
agreed that there should be no clip
s ping. However, If players arc taught
} and permitted to clip" in practice. it
is pretty hard for them to resist in a
, game. The surest way to get rid OF il
, | is to legislate ~ out OF existence.
The first discussion OF the rules will
s come, up at the meeting OF the Ma
h tional Collegiate Athletic Association
: which will Ctnycne in New York dur
y ing the Christmas holidays. The com
: mittee on the football, rules will make
0 it's report at this time and the associa-
: ton. II it thinks sucn action appro-
|, nrintn will CHANGES the
Rules Committee which usually meets
: IN February. There is much interest
in the coming meeting Of the \. c. a.
a. For instance, IL will be interesting
: TO see what the convention says about
| 'he unanimous decision of all the col
leges of the East not to play football!
tees OF before the war. The y. G.
a. A. by resolution. went on record
as opposed to preliminary training, to
training tables and other pre-war ex-
rravaGances. But led by several in
stitutions whose representatives had
'rawn up the resolution In question.
body IS sure to bring the matter up
and IL ought to start q lively debate.
Hopper Great Coach.
A lot of Princeton men are wonder
ing now why they didn't think Of
CHI Roper during the. years they
in charge al Princeton for several
. years ueClue ago. In l"ll ne gave
Princeton one of that institutions first
( championship teams That year both
Harvard and Yale were defeated. After
trying many men and as many svs,
/ TENS the Tiger authorities this fall
/ re-engaged Roper. Presto. he practi-
cally' duplicates his 1911 record. II is
true that Harvard was not beaten
hut all unbiased critics viii admit
that the Crimson didn't deserve the tie
score Il obtained. 4 weeI: later Princs-
tor beat Yale. As has been pointed
IT -
one Of the most rescurceful coaches
ws have. Ee is ? bundle Of nervous
energy hirnFe,t and ai|ayE on the look
out for new ideas aud a.ver afraid
70 take . chance. Tae resuI, is that
his vearls ere aiwzyE fu;: of energy
and alert for olI,o-tgn.,isE. such as
Es3e game That so-t Of football.
other tat.ss t%jar eq4sI. IL always
I:ope- performed .ToaferY -5itt the
Tiger .ieve,l ll.'.orzf r.syjrr ysa[.
ard sr-a'jc :rotsa5i ~ n. early rarnes
he T!gEcE came isr. wi.f a ysupe-
snee ara = my olayed zgajas, Yale
could hz.t oea'e- eIIAsr Colgate or
West Virgins. VIM won .aDi- panss
%sr!:"r "a re tszEori. Princeton will
. TEppaDiy maze eTarw Effort to retain
elected " TIE asw phijzdslpfia citw
.CouI.cli, "ns-s his salary ~ilI b. 81 900
: ysM: ..!t .sT position viii keep
, IL only an aoI-. ysae f-orq PEfladeI
: ph;a II Is likely that greet pressure
VII De bFoush 20 bear IN Roper 20
continue as the Tigers head coach.
Big Thanksgiving Day Gane,.
!, Thhfe are ta<o big paroea m y.
played On Thanksgiving Day. penn
Ey!vania meets Cornell az FranLIin
Fle!o "hi!e Pittsburgh plays itg an
nual game with P.<ngylYsnla c,a..
: College, at Pittsburgh. More hiuges
on the Pittsburgh game. perhaps, than
J; on the FRANKLIN Field scrap Pitts