Evening star., 1941-12-03
Aerial Markers
Inside 20-Yard
Line Common
This, Free-Sub Rule
Held Main Trends
In 194l Game
By BILL BONI,
.ssociated Press Sports Write


NEW YORK, Dec. 3-The new
college football rules which were in
troduced this year and already have
been Endorsed Fundamentally by the
Nations coaches also were re-
sponsible for two of the strongest
trends in the games development
during the past season.
One innovation provided that an
incomplete forward pass thrown in
side the defending teams 20-yard
line no longer should be ruled a
touchback. Instead the defending
team took over at the point where
the ball was put in play.
An Associated Press Nationwide
survey shows that as a direct result
far more teams. once inside that
zone of intense resistance to run
ming plays, elected to gamble with
fourth-down aerials-and good
many CANDLES paid off. Virginia's S
star back, Bill Dudley, for instance.
connected for touchdowns four
times from within the 20.
SndHse is Dig Hcip.
Or. as Coach Jimmy Phelan of
the University of Washington put it:
we scored our second touchdown
against California on pass with
fourth down and five to go within
the 20. Under the old rule we never
would have tried it. Under the new
one it was the only logical move"
Wally Butts of Georgia estimated
the increase of passing inside the
90 at so per cent. Increases Of vary
Ing strength also were noted in the
Pacific Coast. Southwest, Southern
and Western Conferences. in the
East and in the Big Six. where Mis-
souri, provided the exception because
it lacked an outstanding passer, but
had little trouble running the ball.
The unlimited substitution rule
also had considerable effect. Coaches
were able to develop defensive and
offensive specialists sometimes al
ternating individuals and sometimes
entire units as their team switched
from attack to defense and back
aoain. In the Western Conference
it meant development of place-klck-
ing specialists. whose average OF sue
cessful eXtra-polnt kicks was III,
compared with $50 in 1910.
Backfires in Florida.
Occasionally. though this spe-
cialization- backfred. On fourth
down against his team in the Mary
land game. Coach Tom Lieb of
Florida sent in a star offensive half
back. But there was a penalty on
the play, Maryland retained the ball
and on its next play completed a
touchdown pass in this halfback's S
territory.
After the success which Stanford
and the pro Chicago bears had with
the IT" formation in 1910. it was
predicted a mass Of coaches would
adopt that style of offense this year
The swing didn't live up to predic-
tions. but two new disciples, Don
Faurot Of Sugar Bowl-bound Mis-
souri, and Frank Murray of once
beaten Virginia. used the IT" with
exceptional success.
Use of shifting, unorthodox de-
fenses also was noted, though not so
generally as a year ago. Harvard.
under Defensive Specialist Dick
Harlow. had % different alignments
on top. Oregon State took big step
toward the Rose Bowl and the Pa
ciflc Coast Conference title the day
it snapped Stanford's winning
streak. 10-0-and a major factor in
that triumph we're the changing
five. six and seven man lines the
Indians faced.
Midwest Coaches Like 1t.
In the Midwest Harry Stuhldreher
of Wisconsin said he noted a con-
tinued improvement in offense The
best I've seen in many seasons,
echoed Gus Dorais of Detroit.
Few coaches. however. took ad-
vantage of the new rule permitting
forward handing of the ball behind
the line of scrimmage. which had
tcen expected to increase the use Of
lateral passes.