The New York herald., 1921-02-20
First Score Wins.

First Score Wins.
"In the above are 104 games. and
when Yale or Harvard has scored first
only three games have been lost, bar
ring the Harvard-Yale game of 1915.
This is convincing enough to make
shrewdly coached team feel that scoring
first is the vital thing. This year the
only important Eastern game--I can re-
call where the side that scored first lost
was the Dartmouth-Penn State game,
which came very early in October.
after my article of year ago Har-
Yards two leading coaches and Prince
tons leading coach said there was just
as much stalling by plays as by ina
watch Here is the difference, as anal
yzed at the rules committee meeting
last year; BY plays team on the OF
fence can use up four plays before II
surrenderS the ball. Four plays are lO
per cent. of forty plays, the suggested
number Of plays for period. On the
defence a team by plays can do no stall
ing. BY time a team on the offence
can use up three minutes in four plays
Three minutes is 20 per cent of fifteen
minutes. the time for period.
ION the defence they can delay enough
so that the offensive team can not get
off four plays in minute and half,
the proportion of forty plays in fifteen
minutes This shows that there can be
over 100 per cent. more stalling by time
than by plays in other words by plays
the stalling is reduced over 90 per cent.
with the stalling reduced over 90
per cent by the play basis At stands to
reason that the tremendous premium on
scoring first will be materially reduced.
This tremendous premium on scoring
first should be reduced. as the side that
wins the toss of the coin can have the
wind first and therefore has q much
better chance OF getting the first score.
With the premium on scoring first re-
duced. the excitement of the game will
he much more sustained ard there will
be less i'll feeling
'sThis wear. with che aid of two or
three of the leading officials, IN some of
the important games, | have recorded
not only the number of plays but also
the number of times the watch was
stopped. This brings UP very impor-
tant point and IL probably Will be
worked SO that il will &c very detrimental
10 football. This latter is the other i'm
portant cause for the variation in the
number Of plays on a time basis and
might be developed INTO as serious q
detriment as stalling. Through Mr.. j.
w. Farley / offered 20 show the figures
TO the Harvard Footb Ill Committee. He
said to publish them.
! where Time Is Lost.
I with the watch stopped time does
not begin again until the ball is actually
put in play. Putting the ball in play
takes on an average about 25 seconds.
After the ball is put in play on an
average it Is in motion for from to
seconds and then the play ends. Here
is saving OF 90 seconds out of 30 sec
onds on each play by simply having the
watch stopped.
"The watch is stopped for out of
bounds, touchback. incompleted forward
pass, fair catch. penalty, injury. substi-
tuition, measurement and doctor coins
on the field, so IL is extremely easy tc
! have the watch stopped. By penalty re-
| fer 20 the penalty for calling for time for
/ injury more than three times in either
| half The penalty is only two yards. the
! stakes are moved and the distance to be
| gained and the number of downs remain
tho same. Twenty-Five seconds is often
worth more than the difference of two
yards in the position OF the ball on the
| field With the watch stopped on every
! play every game would be called on ac-
I count OF darkness.
Having shown that in the past the
first score is the vital thing, 1t now be-
hooves tho team that is behind to get
the watch stopped practically on every
play so they will have almost infinite
opportunity to win. score or get the game
called on account OF darkness.
'1t has often been said that II both
teams played forward passes entirely
every game would be called on account
Of darkness, simply because there would
be SO many incompleted passes that the
watch would be stopped a great deal.
This brings up the much discussed for
ward pass. An incompleted forward
pass, which In other words IS n failure.