The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-09
EAST AND WEST
REVIEW GIVEN
BY AUTHORITY
laurence Perry Ranks Notre Dame
first Among Country's Foot
bah Elevens.
PERRY.

Noted autuOi NY IN =
copyright, 1891, by the Consoh-
dated Press Association)
rootbaH in 1921 saw its greatest
.oason There have been seasons
n which leading elevens were
sanarated by narrower margins
en- has been the case this year
~, tbe handful of 1921 which may
- named as outstanding compare
,s.vorabIy with the best elevens OF
-.st years. while in point OF alb
sorbing public interest and attend
snre at games in all sections of
,ho country the present autumn
stands Incompatible.
In ranking the various teams OF
yhe country the task this year has
heen 10 some degree simplified by
fine numerous intersectional games
that have been played; this phase
A. the schedules of many of the
seams which annually play import
ant roles in a gridiron season has
haen wholly conmendable, mark
ing as il has the towering of a
+rend which has been in evidence
for some years. The casual fol-
lower of football, or one whose
ureiudices are his guide, will, with
out TOO much thought, permit COM
narrative scores to stand as the
sole basis of reckoning when it
comes to a question of relative
form. And while it is indeed diff
cuIt and often dangerous to oppose
more or less expert theory against
established facts yet, taking the
game OF football by and large, the
critic who is willing to accept
scores as his chief basis of COM
parison, is more likely than not
sacrificing the interests OF ac-
curacy for the principles of safety.
We may for example select the
eight important unbeaten teams of
the country and place them in a
superior class, but the classical
ton would be unfair if only be-
cause of discrepancy in the caIibre
Of opponents encountered The big
student elevens that went through
the season without defeat are:
Cornell, Centre, Lafayette, Cali
fornia, Pennsylvania State, Iowa
and Washington & Jefferson. But
second or third rate with the eX-
ception of Dartmouth, whose form
this season was well below the
Hanover standard Centre must
start high because of victory over
Harvard in the one game she play
ed against team of superior grade.
Penn State was tied by Harvard
and Pittsburgh, outplaying the
Crhnson, however, and being
slightly outpiayed by the Panthers.
Iowa must stand high because she
defeated Notre Dame and Illinois.
Had her schedule been as stiff as
that Of Ohio State, Chicago, Michi-
gun and other conference schools
shoe might or might not have her
dean record. None the less the
HaEkeyes were a splendid team
whose success was due as much, if
not more, to her star players than
to team efficiency.
In fact, having seen Notre Dame
play twice, the writer is inclined
to discount the defeat of the South
Bend team by the margin of field
goal in her third game of the sea-
SSAA7 OtS- c--AONa bC111S Tic FLC@Ot
and to rate her as the leading
team Of the country in general ex-
ceaience. This means team pro
ncency, individual merit and YER
sanlity There was nothing NOtre
Dame could not do and did not do.
her short forward passing game
vas deadly, her long overhead
game equally so, while her running
attack, including the opening of
holes, the celebrity of backs in tax
ing them and interference, was on
par with that of Cornell, to say
which is to leave nothing more to
oe said. Her showing in three
games within 10 days against In
diana, the Army and Rutgers was
nothing short of marvellous and the
taet that the week before the In
diana game Rockne's men beat the
powerful Nebraska eleven, Missouri
valley champions and conqUerers
OF pittsburgh, should also be taken
INTO consideration.
Dur ranking, therefore, is as fol-
lows: =
1-Notre Dame.
Iowa.
-Pennsylvania State.
@Centre.
Lafayette.
e-CorneII
Cofnell might have displayed heI
QeShing power AGAINST mora aX.