The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-12-07
SEASON REVIEW SHOWS
STRENGTH OF vAnDALS
UNEXPECTED SETBACkS FEAT
IRE PACIFIC CONFERENCE
Idaho, California, Washington Bril-
liant, But Oregon Teams Play
ListIess Ball
Louis A. Boas.

The Pacific Coast conference foot
ball season which came to a close on
| December 1, was n filled with tales
of unexpected setbacks and games
won through opportune conversions
of timely breaks, in which the Unlver-
sity of California rounded out her
fourth season without a defeat n
again took the conference champion
| shin. IT was not the same Callfor-
MIA team, however, which won the
pennant this year that won Tor the
Golden Bears the three previous sea-
sons. 1t was a team composed not
of outstanding national stars, but OF
innumerable ordinarily good players,
nodded into a finished whole by the
master mind of western football
Coach Andrew Smith.
The season for a majority OF the
teams was an uphill grind, hard close
games piling up at the finish Wltnou
breaks. California, Washington, n
Idaho ran neck and neck until the
final stretch, when the stamina OF the
latter two broke down under the
weight of inconsistent
California too, was forced TO play
three of her hardest games at the END
of the season, meeting Southern Cal
ifornia, Washington, and STANFORD IN
order. Stanford. Idaho, and Washing
ton State likewise finished up with a
trio of conference clashes, ldaho
playing three away from home on a
single trip, an impossible arrange
ment.
SUCCESS PROMINENT
To what factor was due the sue
cess, or lack of success, Wnlch chdr-
acterized the season for the 1ndlVld-
members of the conference mas
been discussed by fans from any num-
Der of angles, nearly all of which,
however, overlook the underlying
of football upon which sue
cess depended. A study of the sea-
son discloses the fact that the three
followed practically the same
general field strategy, aptly termed
percentage football. Those which
along at the rear, on the other
hand, are excellent examples OF
Leams drilled in the old, still popular,
style of mass" football, which func-
lions on the principle that once you
gain the ball, keep it, play it, run 1t
and kick it as a last resort only.
. percentage team, on the other hand,
waits for it's normal percentage OF
breaks in the game, advances the
)all only in enemy territory, and
)unts out of danger at all other times
IN the first or second down.
KEEP THE BALL
California won three of its hardest
James in just that manner, those over
Washington State College, Washing
and u. S. c. The first, over the
cougars at Portland October II, 9 to
+, came as the direct result OF blocked
UNITS on fourth downs neal w. S. C.'s
anger line, the first being converted
v the Bears into a touchdown, the
econd into a field goal with little
fort.
Teams which relied upon percent !
ge tactics were California, Washing |
IN, and Stanford. while Oregon, |
Washington State College, and Ore
on Agricultural College adhered to
lie OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES" meth
/. Idaho used a peculiar mixture OF
lie two, built around a short, swift
sriaI attack, while the University OF
,uthern California Trojans inclined
a conservative way toward the
alifornian style.
)UTH STRONG
AS a whole, the strength of the
inference this year lay in the south
n division, Stanford, California, and
uthern California playing neS rly
ual ball. Washington State Col
re of all conference ag~gregations,
owed the most marked improve
mt during the season. With a new
ach, A. A. Exendine, Of the famous
amer school of football, the Coug-
opened the season hopelessly
and ~disorganized. But after
ing a nom conference game and
ir first conference clash with Ida
they settled down in a determin-
manner, with the result that at
close of the season, Coach Exen-
e was able to place in the field an
ven equal that the Cougars have
duced in the past eight years.
or pure potential possibilities.
shington had it over all others
DIS down. Coach E. A. Bagshaw
worlds Of material, heavy, fast,
high ealiber material. The
ahowinp however was any,