The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-11-12
ALKING
IT OVER
WITH JOE WILLIAMS
NEW YORK, Nov. Il

n TOOlDhLL expert HIO JdhSo
IA himself seriously may be char
acterized as a very courageous soul
or an unfortunate person who was
kicked in the head by Missouri
mule at very tender age. Quite
number of interesting-and accord
ing TO the experts-startling devel-
opments occurred last Saturday. For
example: Harvard was beaten by
Michigan, Army by Illinois. Penn
sylvania by Penn State. Minnesota
by Iowa, Boston college by Ford
ham, Villa Nova by Bucknell and
Georgia by N. Y. u, to say nothing
Of Yale being tied by Maryland.
Many columns OF type are being printed
explaining why these developments occurred
and the rank injustice thereof. But foot
ball 10 no longer a game in which the
superior fundamentals always sway the
gods Of fortune. IL Is now a game In which
anything can happen and most frequently
does. team that is great one week may
be ordinary the next. Football form seems
to Be almost as elusive as golf form.
u
TT Is seldom that you find excep-
L ton. Notre Dame may be
listed as one, and yet the odds that
this seemingly great team will go
through the season unbeaten are
very slim. A lot Of things can
happen in its three remaining
games with Southern California,
Northwestern and Army.
Pittsburgh Is another team that has
shown fine consistency. team that blends
great power with hnesse. Right now it
rates above all others in the east. The
probabilities are that it will finish the
season with a perfect record. Its hardest
game comes this weekend with Carnegie
Tech, always a dangerous foe. Following
Tech only Penn State remains, and the
staters showed plenty of power in beating
Pennsylvania.
One of the major games this COM
ing Saturday brings together two
fine southern elevens, the unbeaten
Tennessee eleven and the crack
Vanderbilt squad. In recent years
Tennessee has risen to position
of great importance in southern
football. 1t will mean much to the
team if it beats Vanderbilt, uncon-
quered by all to date save Mime
sofa.
TT Is matter of regret that
Il Tulane, another unbeaten team
in the south, will not face either
Tennessee or Vanderbilt. Tulane is
another new power in southern foot
ball. Tulane is likely to go through
the season unbeaten. Only Sewanee
and Louisiana State stand between
it and a perfect record, and the odds
are favorable.
perfect record in football these days
is something to point to with pride. but it
does not necessarily mean that the team
possesses national invncibility. Football
class Is too widespread to permit of in
dividual dominance. The technique {
play Is pretty much the same all over the
country, and so is the man power and the
spirit. That is why there should be no
marked surprise when a supposedly power
full team is Unexpectedly knocked over.
=
Still, there are times when the
records are embarrassing to one
seeking to establish this point. The
defeat of Army and Harvard by low
ly esteemed teams in the western
conference are examples. Michigan
had been beaten in all three of its
conference games-30 to 16 by Pur-
due; to 0 by Ohio State. and
IA to O by Illinois. Yet Michigan
turns around and beats the team
which is generally considered the
best Of the ertswhile Big Three.
THIS Is not all Of the story.
L Chicago, victors over Princeton,
was unable to win from Wiscon-
sin. hitherto the conferences dis
ciple of the phantom touchdown.
Yale, conqueror of Army, in turn
beauten by an ordinary Illinois team,
could no do better than tie Mary
land. The complications grow.
n
And there Is still more. Northwestern,
which had been beaten by Minnesota, 26
TO II, beat Ohio State. IS to 6. Pittsburgh
had beaten Ohio State by nc more than
Is to 2. and had beaten West Virginia by
nothing more than % to !. Over the
weekend West Virginia was rolled into a
tarpaulin BY Detroit, SO to o. This thing
gets worse as you 20 along. and proves
nothing.
!