Evening star., 1919-11-05
LITTLE OPTIMISM
IN NAVY REPORTS
However, Coach Dobie May
Really Be Expecting to
Tr0unce G. u. Eleven.
BY H. C.. BYRD.

Optimistic reports are not coming
from the Naval Academy regarding
the game with Georgetown Saturday.
However. that may mean nothing
more than that Coach Dobie is not
saying anything favorable about his
tests. And again it may really indi-
cate that the middies are not up to
the standard of last year and the year
before. 1t is true, though. that just
prior to the North Carolina State
game this year there were walls from
Annapolis about poor backfeld ma
terial, crippled linemen and the US
Cal bear stories. but when North
Carolina State went to Annapolis it
was smothered.
Anent Dobie's pre-game opinions
and expressions an Annapolis man
told the writer the following:
Just prior to the Georgetown game
of 1917 Dobie made an address to our
regiment and said: Don't you fellows
bet l cent on this team of mine, be-
cause, we haven't a single chance to
win Just after the game was over
and Navy had won. Dobie remark ed: :
1 saw Georgetown play two weeks
by two or three touchdowns'
1t may be that Dobie actually feels
this year as he did in 1917. and in
reality does not expect anything
other than a Navy victory George
towns line has been weak; Navy's
line has been exceptionally strong,
and not to give Dobie credit for
knowing what great advantage that
gives his team is like saying that
a college student, well drilled in cal
culus. would funk in a problem in
simple arithmetic. incidentally, be-
sides having the advantage of a more
powerful line. the supposedly mex
perienced backs behind the Navy
forwards probably had just as much
experience before entering the Nava.
Academy as McQuade and his running
mates did before coming to George
town.
Georgetown may beat the Navy
Saturday. There are thousands of it's
followers hoping it will. but it is
pretty likely to go into the contest
with the oGds slightly against it
that is. unless wonderful improve
rnent has been made within the last
week or two in the work Of the
errors in carrying out the funda-
mentals of tae gridiron. Put George
town teams, even when whipped. put
up great fights and the game is GER
tain to be worth the trip to An
napolis.
Just what kind of foot ball may be
expected in the games between Cen
trail end Western and Central and
Technical high schools was shown
yesterday when Tech and Western
played the first contest in which two
of the trio have met. The result was
I to and the game probably develop
ed better foot ball thar any other
high school contest in years. Both
elevens played well. collectively and
as individuals. The contest was a
splendid forerunner of what may be
each meet Central. That game yester-
day proved conclusively that the Blue
and White is not going to have an
easy row to hoe in attempting to get
away with the Ped and White and
Maroon and Gray Central meets
A man who of11cialted yesterday in
the game between Tech and Western
made this statement:
'I have worked a great many high
school games in Washington in the
last few years. but yesterdays was
the best have ever seen. Both
schools played fine foot ball and made
few mistakes of any kind. Each
eleven was well drilled in the funda-
mentals and the attack and defense
on eocn SIDE reacheu point OF ex-
cellence seldom attained in scholastic
foot ball in this section"
The game was somewhat marred
near it's end by a wrangle over a de-
cision of the officials. A punted ball.
which Burke Of Western touched, al
lowed to roll over the goal line, and
then fell on, was ruled a safety for
Tech This gave Tech the game by 8
to l. However. after the contest the
error was rectif1ed. the play declared
g. touchback. and the officials an
nounced that the count was to and
that as to tie it should stand in
the records.
Three brothers took part in the
Western-Tech game, one with West
ern and two with Tech. Morris Pugh
played a fine defensive game for the
Red and White. and John and Edward
Pugh did creditable work for Tech.
Tech was at a decided disadvantage
at the end of the game, Westerns
forwards blocking a kick and getting
first down, which put them on Tech s
7-yard line. where they had the ball
when time was up.
Eastern and Business meet in the
high school series Friday. The team
which loses is almost certain to go
through it's season without vic
tory.
Wet fields have furnished many
alibis for losing teams during the last
three weeks. Any team that has lost
game on the soggy grid1ron that
have been general of late could have
done much better and probably could
have won on dry field" according to
claims of the losing elevens. While
winning elevens have not said much
about it, they probably felt that they
could have run up bigger scores If
their backs had had sure footing.