Evening star., 1927-10-12
BEARS ARE IMPRESSIVE
in DOWNING ST. MARY'S
Not Only Show Good Foot Ball. but Display Fine
Mental Professionalism California Also
Has Formidable Combination

LON. in the Bear backfield. will be
heard rom. Dougery is fine plung
ing back. Coltrin is superior tackle
and Riegais an effective center. Gill.
too, is an excellent guard.
Bettencourt. St. Mary's center, bids
to take position with the great pivot
artists of all time. Merrick, for st.
Marys, was a sprightly back. and so
was Rooney.
s. g. Has Giant Gridmen.
One of the strongest impressions
the writer received on the lower West
Coast was the man power in foot bali
at the University of Southern Cali
fornia. 1t was not So much that there
were giants trying for the various
positions as that all the candidates
for regular positions were ideally
fitted in Dulk and biawn for the jobs
they were trying to win.
The Trojans' narrow squeak in the
game against the Oregon Aggies last
Saturday pointed less to the weakness
of the southern Cal.fornians than to
the strength and versatility of the
Corvallis, .am. This Aggies, in point
of proficiency, especially in open play
were mucI farther advanced than the
Trojans, and but for those breaks that
arise to spoil we'll designed and beau
tifully thrown forward passes the
Aggies might have won the game.
Southern California will he the bet
ter for this test. Not a few of the
men are green, even granting that
they have natural foot ball ability.
Howard Jones. Trojan coach, Is
stickler for technique. especially in
the line, where technical proficiency
counts more than anywhere else. Ii
is interesting to see n man of light
build who played foot ball AZ long ago
as Jones did TOPPING 1870 and 200
Founders through ability to charge
with just the proper drive and to
apply leverage with the utmost nicety.
Jones Is a StyIist.
Jones. as Sid ziff of the Los Angeles
Express points out, is one of the styl-
lists of foot ball. but in watching the
Trojans at practice the other day the
writer wondered whether Jones has
not shaved down lis shift timing to
too fine point.
The typical Southern California
formation places the center alone on
the line of scrimmage, with eight men,
including two backs, lined up i'm a
row back of him. Behind this line
stand two other backs, practically in
tandem. AS the forwards step into
position, forming a weak and strong
side, tianking center, the back who
was lined up on the left wing darts
around hack of the line toward the
right end. The bali is snapped just
when this hack in motion" is behind
the center. Since a halfback ought to
cover 10 yards in a second, Jones may
come to find that the second pause in
the shift Of the forwards into the line
is not being observed
If the full pause were being OBJ.
served, the backs in motion would be
clear out of the right end when the
ball is snapped. THIS is a detail, but
it Is mentioned because the shift rules
are being regarded in this country,
quite Wisely as extremely important.
Look to Chicago Game.
They are speculating at Southern
California as to what effect the late
November Chicago climate will have
upon the Trojans when they play
Notra Dame on Soldier Field. Save
for the trir of the Oregon Aggies to