The evening world., 1919-12-29

For important contests there are
scouts. aerial observers and almost
as complicated an information de-
partment as Ia used In war. The
study OF men and methods used by
opposing teams Us more important
than the development Of the team
itself. One in possession of facts
concerning the style and the plays Of
an opponent. It is the JOB OF coach
and his helpers to figure out way
70 nullify the superior strength of
the opponent in one position and to
use his own strength against the
weakest point in the opposing de-
Tense.
No coach, however, dares calculate
upon the weakness OF an opponent
The finer strategy Is to create
weakness by Outmanoeuvrng the
enemy.
The Penn State-PittsburEh game
this fall was won through that kind
Of strategy-and the credit for the
victory belongs to the board OF STRAIT
egists who helped me in planning the
battle against Pittsburgh quite as
much as It does 70 the boys who so
brilliantly carried out the plan OF
cam paign down To the smallest de-
tail and who had the nerve and cour-
age 20 try a preconceiVed plan or
attack at exactly the right Instant
The strategy OF the Penn-ilt,
game was one OF the finest examples
nj football planning have ever
known. Lest this seems n bit I'M
modest permit me to say that | am
leaving myself out of the thing en-
tirely.
The game with Pittsburgh Is, Of
course the most important one on
the schedule OF the Penn state team
every year. In 1915 when ! took
charge at Penn State as coach the
one big fact that was impressed upon
my mind WIS that we must lick War
ner. Why it should have been
Warner instead OF Folwell or some
OF the others was not then quite
clear tn my mind. or course there is
the natural rivalry between the in
stitutions, but there was something
more. IL was not long before l be
came acquainted with conditions at
Penn State and throughout the East
and discovered that to lick Warner
was the object OF almost all the
coaches in the East.
The work OF winning the game Of
late November, 1919, began early in
1915. had an excellent opportunity
during the 5. A. T c. period in 1918
70 figure out "A programme to follow
N Warner was to be beaten. During
that entire season | made a study OF
Warmers style OF defense and Of lit
lie characteristics that go 10 make NJ
his style Of play. | found Out how
conditions stood for our game in 1919
Warner | knew had great
wealth Of athletic mnterial. Their,
was little use to figure on any vita
weakness in his team or to attempt e
discover some haw IN some weak
man upon which 20 concentrate ar
attack I gathered all the informa.
ton possible regarding Warner, his
men and his methods, tabulated II
during the season Of 1918 and com.
menced IN figure how to win
game year later At the start NJ
the training season ~ 1919 ! com,
menced 10 point both the oflense an,
the defense toward Pit.
Handling q baseball team ~
Forbes Field an year naturuIl-
anew the condition Of the soil, an,
| knew from experience that II was .
very slUshy. muddy Geld, and In
quiry developed the fact that condi
lions In the tall were about the SAM
every year. Part Of the ground il
Allied in and becomes soft quickly.
! worked for an offensive on tina
sort of q field first m all. In this
was extremely fortunate N this TO
spect because ] have had cODsidcrlhl,
experience with teams plnSin on we
aolds IN the Northwest when | wnl
coaching up there; l was furthe