New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-29
Change in Punt
Out Rule Wins
Wide Approval
Elimination of Old Play
Gives Plugging Team
Its Just ward
By Raw Mccarthy


to hand and we are again reminded
that the gridiron season is nigh. And
q great one it promises to be, what
with more than 1900 college and 1000
prep school contests scheduled. The
receipt of the guide means that the
training season has officially begun.
For the first lesson in the great col
legiate game is a study of the rules.
Within recent years there has been
a tendency to change the game as little
IS possible. The officials feel that
football as it is now played is about as
satisfactory as it can possibly be made,
80 that with the exception of several
slight changes the game remains as it
was last year. Notifications of the
rules are bound to creep in each year.
The most important change in the
playing code for this season is the
establishment of the punt-out and the
kicking of a goal from directly in
front of the goal posts. whether the
ball was downed under the posts or at
the extreme corner Of the field.
Touchdown Given More Value
This change places more value on
the touchdown, which, is as it should
be, as it gives the team plugging
after a strenuous struggle the same
chance for a goal from touchdown as
the eleven scoring on a long run or q
fuke.
Thus it will be or should be quite an
easy matter hereafter to make a goal
from touchdown. At least both teams
will have the same chance, and un-
doubtedly many 7 to scores will be
eliminated. More ties may result, but
the chances are that they will not.
For instance, heretofore two goals
from field in many cases proved to be
as good as a touchdown, which is I'M
fair. Ofttimes a to 6 score resulted
Now, if team gets a touchdown, it
is almost bound to kick the goal, so
that two field goals will not be as good
as one touchdown.
The great development of shift plays
has necessitated change in the rule
regarding player in motion. Georgia
Tech became noted by the Heisman
shift, Dartmouth gained many victories
through use of the Minnesota shift,
varied to a slight degree, and Pitts
burgh, Syracuse, Colgate and the 9TH
ers used several shifts to advantage.
The referee and the linesman are
both charged with the duty this sea-
son CT watching a man in motion be-
fore the ball is put into play. Also
the explanation reads: "Another rule
bearing upon this is that when q player
in making q shift comes to a position
he must have both feet stationary upon
the ground"
We venture to say the officials will
have trouble interpreting or enforcing
this rule. A players feet may be sta
tionary, but his body can still be in
motion, and yet he cannot technically
be said to be offside However, the
Idea is to bring the player or players
to distinct halt after shift, and no
doubt this purpose will be accom-
plshed.
Clipping Abolished
Clipping this year is taboo; that is.
1t Will not be permissible to cut down
man who is obviously out of the play.
The rule is aimed at "Indianizinr" by
which many fellows are injured. Such
practice seldom aids in scoring vic
tories, although we saw Henie Miller
put Penn in a position to go over in
the Cornell game last year when he
clipped Shiverick. The Cornell captain
was thrown forward, his foot struck
the ball, and Hopper, of the Red and
Blue, recovered.
Chipping comes under the rule of un-
necessary roughness and will apply
whether the ball is dead or not. Also
ness IS the rule prohi biting the rough
ing of the forward passer. Many of
The officials think this a good change
and one that has long been needed
But it means that more emphasis is
to be placed on the forward pass. A
player making the pass will now take
better aim, knowing that he will not
be roughed.
The player can be tackled before he
makes the pass, but the fact is, oppos-
ing players, for some reason or other,
do not tackle the passer, but instead
try to block the pass.
Regarding substitutions it has been
ruled that after a player has reported
to the proper official and the change
has been made the substitution shall
be considered complete.
A few technicalities are cleared up
as to the point of infliction of pen
nlties. The penalty for a man start
ing before the ball is put in play is
measured from the point of the scrim-
mage and the penalty of man thrown
when out of bounds is measured from
thu point where the runner crossed the
side line.
Time is taken out on forward pass
from the time the pass becomes in
completed until the play starts again.
If, in the opinion of the official, q
false starting signal is used on play
designed to draw the opponents off
side, the official may demand that the
play be made over again.
Following is list of officials for
the most important games this season
as printed in The Tribune last spring:
Yale Harvard at New Haven. November
20--Nate Tufts, Brown. referee Tom
Thorn Columbia, umpire; NJ j. Thompson.
Georgetown head linesman: W. G.. Crowell,
swarthmore. field Judge.
1s-W. G. Crowell. referee; T. Thorp,
umpire; G. n. Bankhart Dartmouth head
linesman; V. A Schwartz. Brown, field
Judge
Harvard Princeton. at Cambridge. No
vember S-R. W Maxwell swarthmore.
referee: Tom Thorp. umpire: G. N. Bank :
hart. head linesman; Fred Murphy, Brown,
feld Judge.
Yale Colgate. at New Haven. October 80
Mate Tufts. referee: David Fultz. Brown
Judge '
Colgate Syracuse, at Syracuse November
xomEar' Reed. referee: r. w: Maxwell
man: David Futz, field Judge
brown- Dartmouth. boston Noyem-
per zV~J a. Evans. referee; f. w Bur
islsh. Exeter, umpire; II. c. McGrath head
''n Dsr.,,,, =. . Haiiahan. field Judge.
phia, November l3-Charles Mccarthy.
Germantown. referee; w. r. Okeson nm .
&irc: j A. Evans head linesman: David
Fultz. field Judge.
o Syracuse Sc. Dartmouth. at Hanover. N. r.,
Sctooer 23-J. A. Evans, referee; r. w
6urleigh. umpire; J. J. Hauahan- h.ad
Hnesman; David F'ultz field fudge