ATHLETIC 





NOW FOR FOOTBALL. 



Once more we are on the eve of ringing 

 cheers about the college gridiron 



Harvard and Pennsylvania arc in the best 

 position of the leading colleges as they line 

 up for the start. 



Princeton comes third in point of material, 

 with fewer veterans and better new material, 

 with Yale a poor fourth, have no old men of 

 consequence and many new. The Tigers may 

 be counted on to make the most of their 

 chances, but Yale must demonstrate in just 

 how far she owed her determined spirit and 

 her ability to come to time to Mike Murphy. 

 When this is decided it will be more evident 

 what Yale can do. 



Take first Pennsylvania. The loss of Smith 

 and Piekarkski, the two mainstays of last 

 year's team is serious. But Penn. ought to 

 find men in her squad to replace these, and she 

 has left Weede and Sinkler, Rooke and Law- 

 son, Ziegler, Torrey, Reynolds, Greene, She- 

 ble Foleyall, Hollenbeck, Bennis and Steven- 

 son. In that last name lies her main hope. 



Those who best know football know that 

 the one indispensable factor in success is a 

 capable quarter-back. Any other lack may be 

 remedied, but without an able quarter-back a 

 team is helpless. Increase the efficiency of 

 the quarter-back 50 per cent., and the team 

 efficiency increases 200. And on it goes in 

 geometrical progression. So in having Ste- 

 venson, than whom no better all-around per- 

 former has appeared in years, Pennsylvania 

 has the greatest factor well provided for. 



In Reynolds she has an extraordinary kick- 

 er, and in Lawson a man to gain ground quite 

 as well as either Smith or Piekarkski. It re- 

 mains to find two men to work beside him 

 and to find a man to bear the brunt of the 

 secondary defense as Smith did. Given these 

 tilings and the tactical possibilities of Steven- 

 son open up an invincible combination. With 

 the influences governing the team as last year 

 and the added strength of Murphy's personal- 

 ity, there seems no reason to believe that 

 Pennsylvania will not be first of the colleges 

 this year. 



As for Harvard there is material there 

 every year for a first-class team, but it is rare 

 that proper use is made of it. This year there 

 is more and better than usual, ow T ing to the 

 thorough system of inquiry instituted by 

 Coach Reid. According to present indica- 

 tions there will be over two hundred men out 

 for Harvard's team, half of whom would 



be gratefully welcomed at any other college in 

 the country. 



What will be made of them? Judged by the 

 results achieved during Reid's last service as 

 coach, much should be accomplished. There 

 is only one thing to prevent him doing as 

 well this year — then he knew his men person- 

 ally, and they knew him through close daily 

 association. It is doubtful if he knows any 

 so well now. But this is not an insurmount- 

 able obstacle. His personal force and untir- 

 ing zeal are sufficient to overcome most any 

 objection, and all things being equal Harvard 

 should have the best chance she has had in 

 years to humble Yale. 



For Eli is in a bad way. It is rare that so 

 many men are rendered ineligible by gradua- 

 tion in a single year. The whole line is gone, 

 and what is worse the second line also, leav- 

 ing new forwards to be broken in and nothing 

 from which to select them except absolutely 

 green men. This is a task that might well 

 appall any coach. In a situation such as this 

 the loss of Murphy is little less than a calam- 

 ity. The combination of untoward conditions 

 leaves little room for any expectation at Yale 

 of victory over either Princeton or Harvard. 



Behind the line the material is of high 

 quality — as good as the line is poor. There 

 are two or three men for every place. It will 

 probably be possible to use two of the men at 

 end and given forwards to hold for them. 

 These men would readily advance the ball 

 against almost any team. So the chances 

 here as well revert to the question of what 

 the forwards can do. If Yale develops a 

 line for next year, while meeting defeat, she 

 will do well. If she wins, it will show re- 

 markable pluck and power. 



As to Princeton there is good material 

 among the old men and good material among 

 the new, while the coaching ought to be as 

 efficient as ever. Were the Tigers to meet 

 either Harvard or Pennsylvania interesting 

 contests would result. ' It appears as though 

 they ought to win readily enough from Yale, 

 if any Yale team is ever beaten readily. 



As for the conditions at the smaller col- 

 leges they shape themselves so late and de- 

 pend so largely on the individual that it is im- 

 possible to tell ought of them until they ap- 

 pear in actual competition. To a degree this 

 is also true of Cornell and Columbia. Both 

 of these teams are preparing— Cornell with 

 fair material, Columbia with poor. Soon 

 some of their possibilities will be revealed 



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