Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-20

OOLLEGE foot ball squads
are being rushed along
~ faster this Fall than per-
haps ever before. Many Of
the groups were put to work
scrimmaging after only three
days of practice, while it has
been limited that in two or three
camps the young men began to
tumble around their first day out.
Apparently the coaches have more
difficult tests than usual in their
early games and realize that they
cannot afford to let any grass
grow under their feet.
One reason for the attempts to get
the squads developed earlier than usual
is the fact that bigger games come early
in the season. For instance, out In
the Western Conference few schools
have easy opening games. Most OF
them meet other conference elevens, or
strong teams from another section, and
Just about as much depends on the
opening games as on games scheduled
later IN the year.
And meeting strong teams In the
opening game is not entirely confined
70 the Midwest, as Georgia Tech, for
example, in the South, plays South
ern Conference rival in its first contest
and keeps right on meeting them, ex-
cept for the two Saturdays when 1t
faces Carnegie Tech and Pennsylvania.
Here in Washington Catholic Uni
versity is the one school that must get
ready for one of its toughest battles
on its opening date, as II Is not likely
TO play many games as dificult as that
with Boston College.
Early Work Tells
Coaches. however. are beginning TO
realize another thing in connection
with the development of their foot ball
teams, that teams not made in the first
three or four weeks of practice seldom
are made at all. The real work with
q gridiron squad Is done In the flrst
month, and after that it is a process Of
polish and polish until a smoothly
working organization is developed.
Some coaches almost 60 10 extremes
IN developing their squads for their first
games. They issue pads and heavy
harness the first day out and set their
men to doing the same rough work
that usually Is postponed until a week
or 10 days of hardening exercises have
been gone through. Still other coaches
line up their teams and give out sig
nails the first day of practice and actu-
ally scrimmage the third or fourth day.
This seems to be about what Zuppke
did at Illinois this year, according to
report.
Dobie's whole theory Of foot ball
practice Is to work the squad so hard
~ fhA Hrst HW0 Or fhTan WaekS that
only the fit survive. That is not so
brutal as 1t may seem. though. as what
Dobie tries to accomplish is to deter
mine which players are brittle and have
q tendency to get hurt, and weed them
out from the harder men who do not
have a tendency to get hurt.
It Is Dobie's claim that 1t Is useless
70 try TO build a machine with two or
three integers that cannot be depended
on to stay there as q part of the ma
chine. Give me eleven men who can
stand the gaff throughout the season"
says Dobie, and I'll make a foot ball
team out Of them" And II may as
well be said here that Dobie's theory
b not far from right.
Yale's forward passing game has
never been particularly good and it is
trying to rectify that this Pail by hav-
Ing Benny Friedman, one of the greatest
passers foot ball has known, teach It's
players that department Of play. Fried
man spent last Spring with the squad
and Is said to have accomplished much.
He Is former Michigan man and IL
may be that he will institute some of
Yost's passing tactics, especially from
kick formation Under his direction
Yale ought to do a lot more in the way
OF successful forward passing than it
has In any recent season.
This Falls foot ball schedule in the
South Atlantic section probably will
bring out some of the best backs that
have worn the colors Of South Atlantic
elevens in years. Georgetown has sew
eral exceptionally good men, among
the best being Johnny Bozek and Bor-
desu. Catholic University has Oliver
whom Jack MeAuliffe last year classed
as one Of the "slipperiest ball carriers
I have ever had"
George Washington is said to have
o raft Of good players Maryland has
one or two who may be considerably
above the average, Virginia Military
Institute has Dunn, a remarkably good
fullbsck, Virginia has a pair of stars
IN Thomas and Bryant, Washington and
Lee has behind its line three excep-
tional players in Thibodeau. Martin and
Mitchell, and North Carolina has so
many good men that its own coaches
probably do not know who among them
are the best.