Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-04

- understanding VIII De inclined
to disagree with the statement
i that Notre Dame came, I'M
beaten and united, through
more difficult schedule than Pittsburgh.
Notre Dame defeated, in order, In
diana, Navy, Wisconsin, Carnegie Tech,
Georgia Tech, Drake, Southern Cali
fornia, Northwestern and Army. OF
this group, Indiana, Drake and Georgia
Tech were mediocre, to say the best
for them. But the Navy was nobody's
setup at any time and Wisconsin was
a far better team than her record for
the season would indicate. The Badg-
er's play against Colgate, Northwestern,
Chicago and Minnesota was of high
grade, and Notre Dame gave Wisconsin
worse beating than Purdue, Iowa,
Minnesota and Northwestern. Southern
California was a powerful outfit, fine
team judged by whatever eXacting
standard. And the Army. geared in
tensively to meet the South Bend
team, was a great team last Saturday.
whatever It may previously have been.
OF Pittsburgh's opponents, WayneS-
burgh, Duke and Allegheny were minor
teams. West Virginia did not amount
to very much and Washington and JEFF
ferson was below standard. Penn State
was nothing more than fair to mid
ding; Ohio State was an in-and-out
team, mainly out; Carnegie Tech was
good workmanlike outfit, not in
spired
Notre Dame and Pittsburgh met one
team in common, Carnegie Tech. Pitt
beat the Titans "a to IS. Notre Dame
defeated them to 0. This would make
it appear that Notre Danes offenSe
was less effective than Pitts, her de-
Tense much more effective. But the
10 m NntPn a..
Carnegie game and witnessed as ex-
pert an exhibition of offensive stalling
by Notre Dame as any big team ever
had the nerve to perpetuate.
The writer heard the remark some
time ago that Pitt could defeat Notre
ion was based upon the sustained power
of the Panther attack. Well, practi-
cally all the teams Pitt met were soft
tor sustained power. Modern foot ball
defense, as brilliantly exemplifled by an
eleven such as Notre Dame, can take
care of power. You need more than
power when you meet opponents who
rank in the major class Of foot ball.
Foot ball games, of course, can never
accurately be played on paper, and the
vagaries of the preSent-day game are Sc
may with confidence predict the out
come OF contests between teams of the
same class. Accordingly. the writer will
not hazard the opinion that Notre Dame
could defeat Pitt were the two to meet
but he does, none the less, assert that
on the basis of the relative merits OF
the opponents Of the two outfits Notre
Dame is entitled to distinction as ma
tional foot ball leader. And thus the
writer defines this South Bend eleven
as matter of personal opinion. realiz-
ing at the same time that others have
perfect right to dissenting opinions.
Sometimes tie game in foot ball Il
as expressive as victory. Had that
Notre Dame Army game ended in 9
most unseeing partisan would have left
the field with any emotion other thar
exultation over as perfect an exhibition
of the art of foot ball as two team:
ever have given.
Even in defeat it would have beer
fitting at the close of that bitter after
noon had an Army bugler gone forth
solitary on that field and in the mids
of great silence have sounded SOM
call-if such there be-high in Its
brave. brazen notes that would havI
ltldJ 10 1tClu W NC WOIbt
while and immemorial among Soldier
and gentlemen.
West Point came upon q hard, frozer
| field to face one of the truly grea
Notre Dame elevens of all time. It wa
called upon to handle a running attacl
which, at least so the writer thinks, i
uneXcelled in this country today. A
the same time there was the problem o
launching plays against as superb I
defensive outfit as the writer has eve
seen.
The way in which the Notre DAM
thruSts were checked short of DANCE
| erritory-consiStentl throughout tn
! game-always will stand out in tn
writer's mind as one of the most in
spring demonstrations of indomitabl
will. untiring energy and skilled posi-
ton play that any eleven has given il
| years.
(Copyright, 1921