New-York tribune., 1921-11-10
! Quarter Only
Uncertain Job
On Els Team
Rain Forces Squad to prac-
sice in the Armory; Are
Evenly Matched in Weight
By Grantland Rice

NEW HAVEN, Nov. 9.-~As the Yale
hattie with Princeton in the Bowl on
Saturday, ran through signal practice
in the artillery armory here this after
noon with driving rain beating down
outside, this thought kept coming back:
"Can young, more or less untried and
inexperienced team in big game play,
however brilliant it's future may be,
beat veteran machine that is Just
arriving at the crest Of its top form ?"
No one who saw the fire and enthu-
siasm of Yale practice and watched the
highly modern trend Of Tad Jones sys-
tenn could doubt. for an instant that
Yale at last was out of the old rut-
No one could doubt that with
o'Hearn, Into, Aldrich, Mallory, Beck
ett, Jordan and others that Yale had
her share Of football stars, with an
unusual run of strong reserves.
1t was also interesting to see how
much keeuer this team was for play
than the team of 1920, willing but q
rather sluggish aggregation that could
never seem to get started.
Nothing like that to-day. Escorted
out under the guiding care of Messrs.
Baker, Thompson and Stoddard we
found Tad and his team on edge, ready
for test they know will take every
ounce of football they have.
, They haven't underrated the strong
Tiger team in the slightest. But they
all believe that with fair share Of
the breaks Yale can win through the
stoutness Of her line defense and
through the power and versatility of
her backfeld attack.
Tad Jones is still uncertain as to
whether he will start Beckett or Char
lie O'Hearn. The latter is now about
ready to rise and go, but Beckett is
no second rabcr in any sense. Yale
will have good man at quarter with
either on the JOB.
In the Backaeld Attack
Aldrich. Mallory and Jordan will
open the backheld attack, with Neid.
linger ready for quick call. Jordan
looks to be q big Improvement over
was troubled with bad legs. Now he
is right. Mallory as defensive back
is an offset for the brilliant Gilroy,
while Aldrich and O'Hearn can run,
pass or kick as the case may be with
astonishing eelat.
The two teams will be about evenly
matched in weight. Yale has line
that averages 1876 pounds from tackle
to tackle, with an average weight of
1872 pounds for the eleven men that will
open the fray.
Where, then, is Princeton's advan-
tage, if at all? In this respect Yale
has only three men in Aldrich, Jordan
and Into who have known big game
experience through four completed
periods. Most of the others are either
sophomores or last years reserves.
Beckett, O'Hearn, Huffman, Sturm
Guernsey, Lands and Cruikshank are
all facing their first tests under No
vember fire in the positions where they
will start on Saturday.
Against this Princeton has eleven
men who have known big game expe-
rience, and of these Keck, Gilroy, Lou
rie, Garrity and Wittmer have had two
years of it against Yale and Harvard
Most of the others have had the ex-
perience that comes from two or three
big November games within the last
two years, not forgetting the grueling
tests against Navy and Chicago
stronger teams than Harvard and Yale
were year ago.
of the year to find itself, through va
rious injuries and accidents. But ii
looks to be primed for it's one great
game against fast, courageous, well
coached, but comparatively green Yale
lineup that will have, under the condi-
tions, to rise to dizzy heights to over
come veteran machine that on paper
at least is fully as strong as the great
Tiger team of last November.
Against this Yale can show far great
er reserve strength. If Princeton loses
any of her regulars the advantage will
rest with Yale. Tad Jones has the
reserves to throw into any open gar
st line or backfield. Roper hasn't, II
one is to judge the play of reserved
used against the Navy and Chicago.
Yale Comparatively Green
yale's comparative greenness in big
game play makes the outcome more
OF guess than anything else. One
can figure what team ought to do
but one can never know until it is
actually tried against strong op
ponent. And apparently West Poin,
isn't as strong as it looked to be last
month
Princeton has had the greater ex
perience and the harder seasoning fol
the year. Yale must depend upor
speed, power and courage that are ye'
to be seasoned in any such fashion.
There was no chance to give the team
any work in the open through the raw
November rain, but the indoor prac
tice was sharp and spirited, showing
the general alertness Of the squad.
O'Hearn and Beckett both ran tn,
main squad with effective leadership
with the entire backfeld ON the juml
throughout.
Whether this Yale team can hea
Princeton or not it is on its way t.
future glory, for moSt Of them will b,
back next fall witt the experienc,
needed to bring about q great ma
chine. il one cares to look as far as
year ahead. And Saturdays game will
De nectarine in every way. cork
ing, battle from both sides Of the neu
tral zone, with little chance for an,
runaway, decisive score.
AS the case stands now the team 4
Tor Tad Jones and Tad Jones is for tn,
TEAM. as fine cooperation as one coul,
ever hope to find. And the sophomore
aboard don't mind 1t being know
mat they have never been beaten.