The New York herald., 1921-10-31
NAYY-STATE BATTLE
A COMING FEATURE
Midshipmen Are Playing
Tighter Football on Defence
Than Nittany.
BY WILLIAM b. HANNA.

A football game of unusual import
this year. more so because Of the de-
cisive way in which Penn State laid
Georgia Tech low on Saturday, will be
between the State eleven and the An
napolis midshipmen. Nobody can gain
say that Penn State Is riding as high
on the crest of the wave at present as
any other team extant. That much
must be granted whatever one may think
of the strength of the, Nitanny Lions as
compared to some other unbeaten team,
the Navy. Yale. Cornell or Lafayette.
Tor instance.
The Penn State crowd is a right eff
ciei,t point producer and whatever may
be its laxities in defence the team with
the punch catches the crowd. No team
fights harder. as represented by the ex-
ertions of the backs. for distance than
the State ball carriers.
AS the Navy's season so far has been
impressive-due principally to the VIC
tory over Princeton and not being scored
on--the State-Navy game in Philadel-
phia on November IL will be as impor-
tant in q football way as the Yale
Princeton game the same day; fully as
much even II it does not have the senti-
mental interest and the prestige and
glamour. 1t will have fully as much ar
tistic interest. and, since the United
States Naval Academy is inv olved, may
be as much sentimental interest.
Bezdek Expects Hard Game.
Hugo Bezdek, Penn State coach. said
yesterday that he looked for the hardest
kind of game from Carnegie Tech
next Saturday. and that that game
rather than the Navy was occupying his
attention for the present. It seems that
Carnegie Tech is pretty husky this fall
and is laying for the Bezdekian en-
tourage. If State and the Navy are un-
trimmed by the 12th their encounter will
loom as one Of the best of the year.
In the way of personal opinion the
writer does not think the game played
by the Nittany Lions against Georgia
Tech would have beaten the Navy. He
thinks better football than that will be
needed to beat the navy. Neither the
Harvard nor the Georgia Tech defence
against Penn State Is as good as the
Navy has. Neither was first class. The
Navy so far has been. though 1t must
be admitted that 1t hasn't been tested
but one severe test, that against Prince
ton; but 1t did stand up to that one
with more alertness and all around
adaptibility than State has done against
an opponent.
The Navy, however will face a much
more powerful and dangerous offence
when 1t runs into the State assaults
than the Tigers provided There is every
bit as much power in the States run
ming attack as in the Nayy's !: that Is, the
power is there. though It isn't as well
organized or as well applied. 1t hasn't
the sweep and precision but individually
the linemen and the backs Of Penn State
are capable Of as much football as the
Navys. 1t will be a question on the
18th Of coaching and condition.
Folwell has the job of bringing his
men back to or keeping them at a fight
ing edge. He has Bucknell next Satur-
day as a means to getting the proper
tone for the State and Army games to
come. Incentive seems to do lot for
the Midshipmen. and they'll have that
element in large and circumambient
quantities when they come to grips with
State and the Army.
They are playing tighter football than
the State people, meaning a stronger and
better knit defence; but these loose.
slamming. pell nell teams, such as State
was against Tech, can raise Cain when
under way and have the best of all
defences-when you do have it--an Of
fence which doesn't let the other side
have the ball.