The Washington times., 1936-11-12
Flu Wedkens
West Point
GriidderS
BY FRANK BUCK" O'NEn

Lieut.. Gar DAVIDSON, coacn OF
United States Military Academy
football team, finds himself appre-
hensively scanning the team roster
these days, hoping that each roll.
call will discover no new casual
ties.
We've been hit and hit hard"
said Lieutenant Davidson in dis
cussing the Army squad. I'VE
have a first team ready for action.
But the wealth of reserve upon
which We counted at the start of
the season has been sadly re-
duced by illness and injuries.
"Our scouts who watched Navy
and Notre Dame came back with
the story of how Elmer Layden
substituted not one or two men,
but squads at a time. He kept
hurting fresh and refreshed men
into the game all afternoon. We
can't do that. We may have to
emulate that Army team of a few
years ago which used only eleven
men in a game against the Irish.
We don't want to do that, but we
may have no choice In the mat
ter"
Army lost heavily against Har-
ward. To be sure the Cadets ran
riot and won the ball game, but
Woodrow Wilson was stricken
with q severe case Of influenza
and languished for days in BoS-
ton Hospital. Davis, who had
won a position in the backfield,
and Gilman, a smashing line re-
placement, joined Wilson on the
list of those who are through for
the season. It is remotely possible
that Davis will face Navy.
Monk Meyer Escaped Flu
Lieutenant Davidson is thank
full that Monk Meyer escaped with
q light touch of the flu and hopes
that some of the ailing boys will
soon return to action.
The first eleven that will face
Notre Dame will be strong enough
to battle anyone. Capt. woodrow
Wilson, Stromberg and KobeS will
be the ends. Moose Erickson, who
did some terrific blocking against
Navy on Franklin Field last year,
and Mather will be the tackles.
Smith and Kimbrell will be the
guards, and Hartline will start at
center.
This boy Mather is graduate
of last years plebe team. He
weighs 223 pounds, but steps
around like lightweight. He has
plenty of range and is clever at
DIAGNOSING plays. He has enough
power to hold his own against any
effort at housekeeping him.
This housekeeping is nothing
new in football but it is now stand
ard equipment on every well
coached team. When a man is to
be mouse.trapped the defense sim
ply lets him charge through to
the backfield, making no effort to
stop his charge. It then becomes
the duty of back or a lineman
to sideswipe him and carry him out
of the play so that the ball car
rier can charge through the hole
left vacant by him. Unless a line
man is particularly alert he will
overcharge and that is just max
ing an open bid for disaster.
The starting backfield for Army
will be comprised of Monk Meyer,
Kasper, Ryan and SchWenk. Day.
idson is making no promises as to
his replacements, for the very good
reason that he cannot tell now
who of his men will be stricken
before Saturday.
The Army-Notre Dame game
awakes a host Of memories among
football men. 1t was % years
ago that the Ramblers came out
of South Bend virtually unknown
to play their way to glory.
Fooled Eastern Critics
Notre Dame had had a good
year in 1912 and in '13 started
by beating Ohio Northern 81 to
z, South Dakota 20 to Z and
Alma 62 to 0. These scores
should have indicated real power.
Eastern football critics were more
than skeptical. They refuse to
concede that the teams beaten
by Notre Dame were anything
stronger than good prep elevens.
Army had beaten Stevens "a
to 0, Rutgers 20 to 0, and Col
gate Z to 6. This great struggle
was followed by another, in
which Army beat Tufts by a
score of 2 to 0. That was the
only game Tufts lost that year.
Consensus was that Army would
slaughter these boys from South
Bend and send them back to
CONTINUED on Page IS, Col. II