Evening star., 1926-12-10
BY LAWRENCE PERRY.

s the poet says, full many
~ flower is born to blush unseer
IA and waste it's sweetness or
"A the desert air. So Is many a
star foot ball player ano
many a crackerjack eleven.
In the post!SeaSon discussion of foot
ball, not a few outstanding tackles
and ends have been mentioned
Coaches or critics who acclaim Ger.
tain tackle or q certain end have had
this season but one reply to make
when queried concerning the merits
OF the men who played the opposite
end and the opposite tackle to these
stars.
Almost as good" they have said.
Hardly a shade between them.
So saying, they admit very inter-
esting fact which has been more ap-
parent in this season OF emphasis
upon line play than in any previous
Fall To be more specific, the ends and
tackles who have had the greatest
success this season have been those
who worked in conjunction with the
men who played these positions on the
other side OF the line.
Great Pair at Navy.
Wickhorst and Eddy of the Navy
ana STlltn anu I1cdSS VI LII "" ~
Broda and Towle of Brown, may be
named among the many pairs OF
players who through their interlock-
ink work have brought prestige to
their teams and credit to themselves.
Watching Wickhorst and Eddy, for
example, going down field as pair.
blocking as a pair. tackling as a pair,
the writer often wondered this season
1ust how good Wickhorst would nave
been without his side partner ana
vice versa. Doing practically the
same style and sort of work and CO.
Sng 1t about equally well, the greater
notice. ii would seem, is attracted 10
that one of the pair who can impart
to his play a certain advertising value
of color and personality.
So one of the pair gets all-Amertcan
honors and the other does not, the
fact remaining that without the aid
Of the lesser celebrity the other hero
might not have warranted selection
to the mythical galaxy of gridiron
immortals.
II the Mississippi Aggies had got
into the limelight this season through
contests against nationally known
elevens, how high would Meek. the
Aggie quarterback. have stood? High
above all comparison, perhaps. For
Meek was an extraordinary player.
And Rogers of Mississippi College,
when playing against strong teams of
the South, would roam about the field
and knife through Il line, making 65
per cent of the tackles. Where would
he have stood had he played as a
member, say, of Alabama or some
other well known outfit?
Ray Matthews OF Texas Christian
and Gerald Mann of Southern Metho-
dist are two other submerged stars.
Matthews is an end and Mann a back.
John Heisman says that Matthews
defensive play is wonderful to see and
his catching of passes and blocking
are equally brilliant. Mann, he says,
runs like a deer. throws the ball with
the speed and accuracy of bullet
and can place kick and punt. Well,
there you are.
The one line upon these hidden
gems is when they go to West Point
and stand out in the national lime
light with no less distinction than
they did in a more provincial envi-
Sonment.
There seems hardly a doubt that
Southern Methodist and Texas Chris
tian would have been able to hold
their own with the best teams In the
country. Line play Is not stressed so
greatly down there-that is, defensive
lar, daring and yet extremely well
conceived.
One That Davis Missed
Homer used occasionally to nod, ac-
cording to legend. Herein he was re-