Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-11-24
ILLINOIS HAS
GREAT RECORD
IN CONFERENCE
zuppke's Team BY Win Over Ohio
Have Strongest Hold on Con. !.
ference Title.

Chicago. Nov. 24.-The most sue
cessful football year since the
adoption Of the forward pass and
10-yapd line rule Is years ago came
to q successful close Saturday.
when Illinois won the western con-
ference championship by defeating
Ohio State, 8 to Z, and Harvard tri-
umphed over Yale by . score Of
10 to 8.
In winning from Ohio State. Illi-
nois deserves all the credit which
possibly can be bestowed on the
coaches and players. It developed
into a team Of remarkable strength
in less than q months time. Al
though beaten by Wisconsin in the
middle of the year, it showed the
proper football stun by going into
succeeding battles with renewed
fight, which resulted in winning the
title.
Crippled, but Still In Game.
Illinois Is one Of the gamest elev-
ems which has appeared on q west
ern gridiron in years. Some Of
the players were hurt in the early
part of the year, yet few Of them
were laid of long enough to recov-
er entirely. They were sent into
games when they should have been
in the stands. They did not COM
plain or protest. They simply did
what they were told, no matter how
painful, and this accounts for the
championship.
Like the team Of the last two
years, Illinois was improving as
the season grew older, while Ohio
did not show q marked advance
ment since its game with Michi-
gan in mid-season. Coach Zuppke
knew the Buckeye attack and he
knew how to stop Harley. That he
accomplished his purpose was
shown all through the champion
ship battle. 1t was a great victory
for the Orange and Blue eleven,
but a bitter disappointment to the
Scarlet and Gray.
Badgers Finish Strong.
Chicago was knocked out Of Sec
ond place in the conference rating
by losing to Wisconsin. 10 to 3. The
Badgers great game against Ohio
q week ago plainly, showed the
Cardinal eleven was one of 0ffen-
sive and defensive power. 1t re-
covered rapidly from its defeat by
Minnesota and at the close Of the
year was playing just A. good foot
ball as any eleven in the Big Ten.
As expected, Minnesota took
Michigan into camp easily. the
count being "a to Z. The Gophers
showed the improvement character
istic Of former Gopher teams late
in the season. Michigan experience
ed its worst season In years. win
ming only one conference game
and that from Northwestern. Coach
Yost simply did not have the mate
rial this year to cope with other
conference elevens, which were
stronger than usual.
Purple In . Complication.
Indiana sprung a surprise by
defeating Syracuse. one Of the
strongest elevens In the east. II
will be remembered that North
western defeated the Hoosfers, 3 to
=, and that Syracuse won easily
from Northwestern, % to o, which
goes to show there is no such thing
as form in football this year
Coach Stiehm was handicapped all
season by injuries and his team
was Just beginning to find itself q.
the curtain dropped on the season
Notre Dame continued to keep
its slate clean by winning from
Purdue, 80 to Is, in game which
gives Coach Rockne's eleven the
championship Of the Hoosier state
The Catholics are a strong scoring
aggregation. which was shown in
this contest.
Iowa's Record Good.
Iowa annexed the championship
of the Hawkeye state by trimming
Ames, 10 to 0, in an interesting
battle. Tho struggle marked the
end Of the most successful season
in years for Coach Jones eleven
The team lost two conference
games, one to Illinois: 8 to Z, and
the other to Chicago, 8 to 6.
Northwestern showed eastern
football fans how the forward pass
should be executed, although 1t waa
beaten by Rutgers, Is to 0. The