Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-18

TT seems that there are more strong
foot ball teams in the South this
year than for many seasons, pos
i Sibly more than there have ever
been in any previous year. Virginia
seems to have three teams above
the average, North Carolina one, South
Carolina one and Alabama, Georgia,
Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana and
Florida at least one each. Only Mary
land and Mississippi so far seem to
be somewhat below par.
University of Virginia has about the
best eleven it has turned out since
1915. Washington and Lee is also
powerful, and Virginia Polytechnic In
stitute is rated to be way above its
usual team North Carolina University
undoubtedly has one of its best elevens,
and South Carolina is far ahead of
anything it ever has been. Georgia Tech
and Georgia are two teams IN Georgia
that seem to be more than holding
their own, the former being said to
have one of its greatest outfits.
Alabama is being picked by its sup
porters to clean up, and the results of
its games so far indicate they may
not be far from right Florida is better
than last year and Tulane also is good.
Vanderbilt has one of its powerful
teams and Kentucky seems to be much
better than usual. Only Mississippi and
Maryland seem not to be up to their
previous standards, and it is possible
that they may come up rapidly before
the end of the season.
So far Alabama, South Carolina,
Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and North
Carolina seem to stand out. 1t is doubt
full if South Carolina will be able to
hold the gait it has set, although it
possesses a brilliant backfield and
fine pair of ends. When the end of
the year is reached, it may be found
that either Vanderbilt, Alabama or
Georgia Tech will stand out as the
premier eleven of the whole section.
Virginia, by holding Princeton to
tie, has shown that it has great pos
sibilities, and it may be that the Orange
and Blue will come through and clean
up a big part of its schedule.
In this matter of Spring foot ball prac-
tice, discussed good deal at some
schools, and disliked generally by foot
ball players, there always have been
some people who doubted If any real
value comes from it. Be this as it may,
it generally is thought by foot ball
coaches to be very valuable, especially
in giving line on the material avail
able for the following Fall.
In this connection it may be point
ed out that there are one or two re-
markable condolences in the results
of recent games. Take the Navy, for
instance. For two years prior to last
Spring Navy had seven or eight weeks
Of Spring practice and its teams of the
two following seasons whipped prac-
tically all teams that were met. This
year Navy had no Spring practice,
the three teams it has met did have
Spring practice, and Navy has been
whipped by all three of those teams.
Virginia and Maryland had no Spring
practice; South Carolina and North
Carolina had eight weeks of real foot
ball, and it is a matter of record what
South Carolina and North Carolina
have done to Virginia and Maryland.
There is not the least doubt that the
team that gets in a good Spring prac-
tice session gets in shape earlier and
begins to play more accurate foot ball
sooner than the one that does not
have 1t.
When the good play of North Caro-
lima and South Carolina elevens was
commented on to coaches of those elev-
ems the answer was in both cases:
well, we had a mighty fine Spring
practice and got lot of good out of it."
Miller, playing quarterback for West
ern Maryland College, is regarded by
many as one of the best all-round
backs in the section. He punts, passes
and carries the ball and is regarded
as the handspring in the Western Mary
land offense. He is older than the
average player and seems to know how
to run team to get the maximum
efficiency out of it.
Incidentally, it is not stating a secret
to say that Western Maryland conf
IDENTIFY expects to give MARYLAND a
trimming Saturday in their game at
College Park.