The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-11-27
TALKING
IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS

NEW YORK. Nov. 27.-After a
IN years lapse the Army and
Notre Dame move back into the
big town to play football game at
the Yankee Stadium, Saturday
afternoon.
Though both teams have already been
beaten and nothing more important is at
stake than the determination Of an an
nual intersectional rivalry the game will
draw around 10000 customers. A Bronx
magistrate was around TODAY Offering zeal
money for a pair Of tickets That's how
tough the ticket situation is.
This has always been New Yorks one
big football orgy Even the growing
stature of the N. Y. U.-Fordham game a
strictly home grown feud hasn't dimmed
It's Importance
There's generally touch Of the spectac-
ular and bizarre to these battles between
the Cadets and the mid-westerners which
Ands an eager receptiyity among the metro
politans. And more times than not the
hRhtinR is fierce and close with the out
come in doubt until the last punt is sent
5pirallv into the dusk. Pretty?) 1t IS
one Of those games about which YOU are
advised to throw away the dope sheet.
This YEAR for instance. on the face Of
things Notre Dame figures to chase the
Soldiers right into the Hudson. Notre
Dame lost It's first game of the season
last Saturday. a field goal BY Southern
California in the closing moments OF play
deciding the controversy. On the other
hand. the Soldiers couldn't beat Yale and
we're beaten BY Harvard and Pittsburgh.
Thus on comparative performances.
Notre Dame is so far above the Soldiers
as TO imply a loose one-sided futile game.
on top Of that YOU are told that the
Notre Damers. smartinR under the first
defeat thew have suffered in three wears
Of play. viii 90 into this game roaring
for revenRe-although Just how swinging
at a bunch of Soldiers from West Point
is going 10 do anything to Offset what
happened at South Bend a week ago is not
wholly clear.
WELL, anyway all the physical
w and statistical indications
point to an overwhelming victory
for Notre Dame and yet the history
Of the game shows that these indi-
cations are seldom trustworthy. On
the contrary, they usually turn out
to be less substantial than peace
pact
You don't have to 20 any farther back
than the last two games played between
these teams to prove that ANYTHING can
happen Consider the 1929 game. Army
didn't figure to have a chance. The
Soldiers came UP to that game with
fraved and fuzzy record tied by Harvard
beaten BY Yale and routed by Illinois.
The games was decided largely by two
dizzy turns of luck-turns which favored
Notre Dame. one was touchdown pass
from Red eagle. in the second quarter
which went fluttering into the arms OF
Jack Elder. the fastest man in football
that year Elder took the ball on his
own two-vard line and romped ninety
eight yards for a touchdown Rockne ad-
mitted after the game that If the ball
had been Intercepted by any other player
than the AS sprinter the chances are
he would have been spilled at midfield.
Another turn of luck which went against |
the soldiers came in the fourth quarter
A pass from eagle failed by inches when
the receiver Hutchinson. with clear field |
ahead. slipped and fell on the icy field.
OF course these are common breaks. they |
pop I'D a dozen times during ball game |
and in the end they even themselves up. I
recall them here by way of showing what
might have happened if they had broken |
the other way.
The soldiers that year had as poor rec
ord as the 1881 squad. vet except for that
long. stabbng run bv Elder they prac-
tically PLAYED one of Rocknes greatest of
great teams to a standstll. So how can
Won figure them?