The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-10-06
BIG CROWD WILL SEE MANDY PLAY HOWARD BULLDOG.
McGugin Building For Two Big Games In Success
 sion For Vandy

NASHVILLE, Tenn, Oct. 5.-(Spe- ci al.)-With the two big early sea son games with Michigan and Texas looming up on successive Saturdays and both requiring long and rough road journeys, Coaches McGugin Cody and Hardage of Vanderbilt are hard at work trying to whip the Commo odore squad into form for these crucial frays.
 The work of reconstruction fo. the season is not one so much of re- placement of Captain Neely. "Scotty" Neil and "rot" Mccullough. who have passed out, the former via gradua- tion and the others by the summer baseball route, but in providing re- serve material so much needed in these strenuous early season con- tests in particular.
 In the effort to rebuild a machine to maintain the undefeated record of last season, the first step natural ly is to find men capable of perform ing satisfactorily instead of Captain Nicely at halfback, Neil in his great tough at tackle. Meters of last years backfield reserve element, came rapidly under the special tutilage of Lewis Hardage, in charge of the backs, and the blond local boy, al though light, is expected by the coaches to show better ground gain ing ability than the former popular leader. although not so good in get ting down under punts and nabbing the receiver.
 Rives and Bryan of the 1922 fresh men are available for replacement work this year ill the line while Wakefield also will do the drop kick ing at which he is proving adept under the guidance of Frank Murrey, Princeton phenomenal toe artist of few seasons back, who lives in this city. and who will now devote his time in teaching this art at Van derbilt instead of his alma mater as has been his custom the last two seasons.
 For the fullback job, made vacant by the shift of Wakefield Coach McGugin is developing the possibility of triple threat that is certain to put new and dangerous aspect to Nanderbilt's offense if plans sue ceed. In Tom Ryan, 1S0-pound rangy Texan, out of the game last season by faculty edict. the first plunging many years, has been discovered Rysn's work in this department of play against the strong freshman team last Saturday provided most en- couraging.
 Other features of the triangular labors cut out for Ryan are punt ing and hurling the oval for forward passes. Ryan can show the distance at present in kicking that Scotty Neil demonstrated last year and practice is expected to give him the additional ability in which Neil ex- celled of accurate placing of his wallops. He is not finished forward passer as yet, but time also is ex- pected to remove the rough spots in this feature of his versatile labors as he has natural aptitude for the heaving role.
 The line should certainly be as good as last year when crossing the Commodore goal mark proved a fea: so difficult that even Michigan, which defeated all conference rivals, could not reach it. With vacant holes seem ingly well filled, the team as a whole should profit by the experience galned in the hectic campaign of 1922 and the confidence that came of an unblemished record for the entire year.
 Saturdays game with Howard col lege of Birmingham is expected to offer about the right degree of re- sistence to round the squad into shape for the Michigan and Texas struggles The fact that Howard played Sewanee virtually to a stand still last Saturday is expected 10 draw to the great new stadium much larger assemblage than was present last Saturday when 5.000 spectators viewed the interesting tussle with this years freshman crew, which the varsity was only able to conquer to the extent of couple of touchdowns and a field s goal