New Britain herald., 1926-11-29
GENERAL FOOTBALL REVIEW

GENERAL GOOlBALI REVIEW
BY The Associated Press.
The climax of a record -shatteriug
football season of thrills and spills
has left a legacy Of greater dispute
over mythical national champion
ship honors than any campaign in
years.
Where Notre Danes -Four
Horsemen" roamed VIGOROUSLY far
and wide in 1924 and Dartmouth's
famous aerial artists decorated the
heights without much controversy
In 1925. The, close Of the regular
1926 season finds at least four out
standing elevens in the title debate.
Rebuttals from two or three others
further complicate the situation.
A projected New Years battle at
Pasadena between Alabama's South
ern champion, and Pop Warmers
Stanford outfit, titleholders on the
Pacific coast, may do a lot to clear
the air but 1t can't entirely settle
the issue. These two teams share
with Lafayette the distinction of be-
ing neither tied nor beaten. Victory
at Pasadena for one or the other
would establish as strong a cham
pionship claim as any contender.
In spite of its spectacular tie with
the Army In Chicago's record
breaking service classic, the Navy
still regards itself as very much in
the running when title laurels are
passed around. simultaneously the
Army's claims would seem to be on
tho same level but the Cadets tasted
defeat, at the hands of Notre Dame
while the Navy, up to its final tus-
sic, sank all opposition in nine sue
cessive games some Of the most pow
srful outfits OF the east or middle
west.
Brown, too, enters some claim for
recognition In spite of having its
winning streak checked by a final
tie with Colgate. Notre Dame after
eight straight victories over rugged
foes and a defensive record of yield
ing only one touchdown had its case
already for argument until Carnegie
swooped over the PROSTATE Hoosiers
in an astonishing 10 to 0 upheaval.
Notre Danes elimination left the
middle west without a real hational
title contender for the first lima IN
years. Michigan and Northwestern.
who finished tied for the western
conference championship. both me.
defeat by outsiders the Wolver-
Ines losing to Navy and Northwest
ern to Notre Dame.
Except for a tie with Missouri,
the Mustangs of Southern Methodist
University. Southwestern Conference
champions, would be in the timex OIL
the fight. They won all of their re-
naming games. Oklahoma Asgles'
Missouri Valley champions for the
first time, met several defeats out
side the conference fold.
While the argument of experts
races over the relative merits or
these title claims, assessing OF the
more stable products of ths season
reveals these salient features.
Establishment of new records
for attendance and receipts, with es-
Inmates placing the total number OF
spectators at 100000 and the
nationwide gate" at s30,o0o,ooo,
featured by figures of 10000 on
lockers and 100000 in receipts Tor
tho Army Navy game. breaking the
previous high mark of $4,000 spec
tators, set at the Ohio State-Michl-
gan contest at Columbus earlier IN
the season.
1.-The dethronement of nine out
of fifteen 1925 champions In various
sectional groups and conferences
featured by the fall of Dartmouth
in the east and Washington on the
Pacific coast.
S-Elevation Of the field goal as
a decisive factor in an unusual num-
Der OF big games, corresponding with
a somewhat sharp decline in the
general effectiveness of forward
passing attacks, except those OF
Brown and the Navy,
4-Emphasis on the development
OF eleven men attacks. as opposed TO
the one or two star offensives, a
trend which produced fewer individ |
ual performers of the conspicuous
stamp OF Grange, Nevers, George
Wilson, Oberlander or Flournoy.
5-Agitation against the use Of the !
shift play, eliminating in the deci-
sion of coaches of the western con-
ference big Ten" to enforce a two
second halt after all shift forma-
lions, a move interrupted as likely
to mean nationwide adjustment of
the shift.
6-Rupture of the historic big