But this is a digression and it does-
n't do to digress at this most interest-
ing point of last Saturday’s battle.
Baird did succeed in passing it to
Smith, who was off to the left, as you
must not forget, and unhampered,
which you must regret. It was a close
decision which allowed him to pass it,
after being so thoroughly tackled, but
it is vain to dwell on this. Besides,
there isn’t time to talk about it.
Things were moving quickly. Baird
did pass it and it was allowed; and
Smith’s quick dash to the left, (to-
wards the north or substitute side of
the field) allowed him to throw off
half the Yale eleven, which was con-
verging on Baird. Chamberlin, the
quick one, saw the way things were
going just half a second too late. He
veered from Baird, as the ball left his
hands and made a lunge at Smith, just
missing him.
To this sudden, spur-of-the- moment
play Princeton’s system of interference
adapted itself wonderfully. Five of
those big men with ribbed stockings
were thrown into their quarter-back’s
defense, before people fairly knew
what had happened. They moved
like a wall of flesh, disposing of the
Yale backs and every forward who
had turned in time, from the rush to-
wards Baird, to try to tackle Smith.
In very much less time than it takes
to tell it, the danger to Smith seem-
ed over and out he shot from the in-
terference. The goal was in sight,
fifty yards away, and he had cleared
the whole pack—all but one of them.
BENJAMIN’S TACKLE.
Out of the ruck came a tall, light-
haired boy with blue stockings. They
had always called Benjamin a swift
half. They never knew before just
how swift—swift enough and with
skill enough to spoil, just short of its
consummation, what had promised to
be the one of the memorable plays of
intercollegiate football. There was
about half the distance from plate to
pitcher’s box between the two when
the great race was fairly on. The yel-
low rings on Smith’s legs twinkled
against the dark substitute side lines.
The stockings on the fellow back of
him made just a line of blue, creep-
ing towards the twinkle. Yard by
yard the blue line gained its inches
and its feet.
The gap was almost closed. but the
greatest work remained To make
this tackle is hard. To wait a second
too long is to let the man go over the
line. To try it a second too soon is
just as fatal. Benjamin was neither
a second too slow or too early. For
the last ten yards he fairly flew and
then dove forward. His hands struck
the Princeton’s runner’s thighs and
slinned to his knees. from his knees
almost to his ankles, and there they
held Tike hooks Smith added his
length to seventy yards of running
and added not a foot more. And the
distance of the ball from the Yale
goal was just the distance of the
handicap when the race began.
BUT STILL THE TANDEM PLOUGHS.
But even the tackle of Benjamin
could not avail to long defer the un-
avoidable. There was more of that
resistless Princeton tandem play and
again the Yale players were straining
every nerve and throwing every ounce
af musele into a desperate fight at
their three-yard line. But Bannard
and the ten men who were helping
him had the ball over two of those
three yards in the next play. Then
Mr. Kelly took it and Princeton took
four more points.
For the second time in a single game
the crowds had seen Yale literally
thrown over her own goal line. There
simply was not power enough in the
New Haven men to stop the advance.
Baird kicked an easy goal and the
score was, Princeton 12, Yale 6.
The rest of the half was without
particular incident, but it demonstra-
ted still further that Princeton was
invincible in a rushing game. As the
soft field grew softer Mr. Heffelfin-
ger’s prophetic words seemed to be
more literally realized—“‘A touchdown
for Princeton for every inch of mud.”
IN THE INTERMISSION,
The intermission saw the Yale
crowds very thoughtful and full of
much foreboding which they could not
always conceal. Calm reason said that
the evident superiority of the Prince-
X* ATE ALUM Ne
es
ton eleven must be more and more
demonstrated as the game went on.
But the Yale faith in Yale pluck and
resourcefulness still hung to the en-
couragement which would be given the
team at the quarters during the inter-
mission and the hints for defensive
play which might still enable the men
to check the Princeton advance. Yet
it was impossible to see how Yale
could hope to do any scoring. Mills
had shown that he could break
through with half a chance, and at
several points during the next half he
succeeded in scoring substantial gains,
But the ground for hope was faint even
in this quarter.
And as the unexpected did not hap-
pen and the unusual opportunity was
not offered to Some wide-awake Yale
player, and as it must be fairly clear
now to the reader just how it was
that Princeton was able to score with
Such dismal regularity, it will not be
necessary here to go much into the
detail of this second half. It is not
out of indifference to the great work of
Captain Cochran’s men that only the
main outlines are sketched. It is sim-
ply in order to avoid repetition.
A reporter’s notes on this half, after
describing the kick-off by Benjamin
and the return by Baird and the re-
covery of the ball by Princeton, read
somewhat as follows: ‘Fake kick,
Hillebrand 12 yards. Yale line can’t
hold at all. Kelly sent to left tackle
for three more yards. Kelly tried at
center two more _ yards. Kelly to
Yale’s right for 5 yards. Kelly to
Yale’s right for 20 yards.’ Indeed,
one following this for two or three
pages, and not stopping to calculate
too closely, would surmise that Prince-
ton was over the back fence, before
the half was well under way.
It did not, indeed, take very long
before the two elevens were massed
again in one great steaming circular
group on the much worn turf between
Yale’s goal and her five yard line. Not
to go further into details it was 4:46
when Mr. Hillebrand fell over and the
score was 16 for Princeton, to 6 for
Yale. Baird was getting careless. and
he missed an easy goal and Yale was
thankful that the score was not 18
to 6.
SOME YELLOW ABOUT.
It is superfluous to call to the read-
er’s mind at this point, the appearance
of Manhattan Field. For half an hour,
it had been mellowing into a richer
and richer yellow. To anyone but a
Yale man the quiet draping of the
Yale colors was pathetic, but to him
it was maddening. Not so much be-.
cause the Yale eleven, fighting zame-
ly for every inch of ground, was he-
ing hopelessly beaten by a superior
team, but because Yale supporters, as
the occasion for their support grew
greater, relapsed into a more and
more sullen silence. There is no con-
Solation whatever for this side of the
game. Mouths can alwavs be worked
and the Yale yell is still the best in
the world.
One might again quote from a re-
porter’s note book, but as has been
said, it is wise not to be too monoton-
ous. It is to the point, however, to re-
call that shortly after Princeon’s
third touch-down, Yale showed the
kind of stuff the light men were made
of by a short series of her most suc-
cessful rushes of the game. Mills and
Benjamin moving slowly but steadily
ahead. To be sure they were finally
checked and the ball went to Prince-
ton on four downs, but even then the
Same stubborn spirit held and for the
first time in the game Yale
gave hope to her friends. that
she had learned how to
break Princeton’s interference. Benja-
min was conspicuous in these plays,
and time and again this light player
spoiled rushes of the Princeton’s
backs. In one of his sharp dives into
the fight a pair of Princeton heels
struck his head. It was beginning to
be seen that it was hardly possible to
keep this plucky Pever in the game
much longer.
The Yale brace was not well sus-
tained, Princeton gathered herself for
more slaughter and the dreary old
promenade towards Yale’s goal began
again. The Yale line was torn to
shreds. At right and_left and center it
yielded and broke before the blows.
And there was no faint heart in the
yielding, either. It was an accumula-
tion of superior weight, directed with
unerring precision and animated by a
splendid dash and spirit which can
W HEeKioY
come only to the best developed
elevens when playing a winning game.
Baird was a conspicuous ground gain-
cr in this attack and he was used
particulariy in center plays.
It seemed almost incredible that such
advances could be made through the
heart of the Yale eleven, and when the
ball was again within six feet of the
Yale line and the players, whom
Fincke was leading and inspiring with
his spirit, gathered themselves for an
even more desperate defense, it was
still no surprise to see Bannard
pushed across for a touchdown. It was
a Surprise to see Baird miss another
easy goal, leaving the score Princeton
20, Yale 6. This was at 5 minutes af-
ter four o’clock.
It was soon after the opening of the
next play that Benjamin was hurt
again and this time was adjudged in
no condition to continue. Mills was
transferred to his place and Van
Every came in at left half back. Yale
tried the fresh runner for the next at-
tack and he netted one or two good
gains. The ball soon went to Prince-
ton in the usual way and the old
style play was resumed with occa-
sional kicking. It was still hard, de-
termined football, on the side of the
already vanquished Yale eleven. No
cne on the side line, when the play
came near him, could doubt for a mo-
ment the spirit which pervaded that
team. Bass from his position at end
could be seen fairly grinding his teeth
in his determination and with Hinkey
and Fincke continually called upon
the Yale eleven to “tear them up,’
“throw them back,” “‘brace.”’ It wasn’t
soft football even for the _ victori-
ous Nassau men, and Bannard -who
had borne such a large share of the
brunt of Princeton’s attack and had
time and again been left on the ground
after a Scrimmage, at last gave way
to Wheeler who was very far from
making a weak substitute.
The play was now at Yale’s 40 yard
line but when Baird had been driven
through the center two or three times
and Kelly had shot to left and right,
the line was within 8 yards of the
Blues’ goal. Here one of Yale’s center
men became overanxious and gave
Princeton five yards more. With two
more rushes another touchdown was
added to Princeton’s big score by
Wheeler. Baird was~ again in poor
form and the score was left 24 to 6.
This was at 4:22. There was about
ten minutes more of actual play
which was devoid of any special feat-
ure other than a marked stiffening of
the Yale defense, a point not devoid
of interest with such a score against
her.
Their Comparative Strength.
It is not necessary to go into detail
as to the formation of the Princeton
interference, for it was not striking-
ly novel. In general, two of the three
backs were sent into the line ahead of
the runner, who in turn was protect-
ed by two forwards. By the time the
play was well under way, three or
four and sometimes more of the elev-
en had joined in the attack, and wher-
ever it was aimed it was next to im-
possible to stop it before a substan-
tial gane had ben made. This fact is
not to be forgotten when the records
of the gains on the ends is read. The
theory of a proper defense is a break-
ing of the interferenece by tackle and
guard, leaving the end comparatively
free for the handling of the runner.
Time and again the Princeton phalanx
reached Yale’s wings absolutely un-
broken, and Bass or Conner, bound to
keep in front of it, lest the runner
escape, were turned back three, four,
five and sometimes twice as many
yards, before an opening was found
and the runer tackled. After the cap-
tain of the Yale eleven found his
shoulder so weak as to make further
play a violation of the rule which he
himself supported most ardently, that
-eripples ought not to remain in the
game, and had left the line, it was
seldom that any man but Rodgers
made an impression on the Princeton
play when directed towards the ex-
treme right or left of the Yale line.
This strong defender of Yale again
and again went through and reached
his man on a low dive, only to have
him stumble over his body, recover
himself and go on unmolested by any
other rusher. The light Chamber’inin
playing as plucky football as one could
meri rrieer 14
E.W. EMERY
: 246 FIFTH AVENUE
NEW YORK
Pailor...
Correct Styles for
Dress, Business
Golf, Riding = _a—_
Bicycle Suits
2
TIFFANY & CO.
Makers of Corporate and Frater=
nity Seals and Dies Silver Testi-
monials Athletic Prizes Class Pins
Society Emblems Engraved Invi-
tations and Stationery for the
Leading Universities Colleges and
other Educational Institutions.
2
Cuts of Watches
and Chains sent
upon request.
UNION SQUARE
NEW YORK.
ask for, was simply sent sliding back in
the mud by superior weight, in all
the line plays. His lightness of foot
and dash availed him almost nothing.
The Yale guards failed to make any
impression on, Princeton’s offensive
work, and the substitute for Murphy,
with his slight experience, could make
no headway against his strong op-
ponent, and in the face of such fierce
rushing. The light backs, Benjamin
and Hinkey, were more often in evi-
dence in defense in these close center
plays than most of the line. Fincke,
who was always back in the defense,
couldn’t be expected to stop the whole
Princeton eleven, but he did more
than one man’s share of this work.
The loss of Yale’s captain was of
course lirreparable. In a close game
it would have been more than enough
to turn the tables against his eleven.
His injury was not a desperate one
and he was able to return to the side
lines toward the end of the game. It
was particularly creditable to him that
he consented to leave the game. It
was not expected that any substitute
could fill his place.
Princeton’s superiority at center and
guard was most apparent. Yale’s
ends did well and Bass more than
held his own in a hard and bril-
liant contest. That the Princeton
ends were closer to the ball on kicks
followed from the much longer time
used by. their team in kicking. Baird
took the ball from quarter and
Stood well back. Chamberl\in passed
directly to Hiinkey, who kicked from
close to the line.
.The game of Mills and Benjamin was
above reproach. They gained more
than could be expected from them,
with the line’s indifferent interfer.
ence, and their two long runs—so. one
of the Princeton backs is quoted as
saying—would have been extended in-
definitely into touchdowns, with firm
- ground under their feet.
At quarter Fincke held his own,
while he contributed one of the best
features of the game in his handling
of punts. His errorless record on this
point, in the two contests of ’95-’96 give
him the very highest rank. Once
Saturday he pulled down a hard punt
which he could just reach with his
hands on a running jump. A slip then
would have meant more scoring for
Princeton. :
'Hinkey was as indispensable to Yale
in defence as in kicking, while Baird,
driven from his particular vantage
point of kicking, proved very success-
ful inline breaking. The story of the
game shows only too well the superb
work of Kelly and Bannard in line
breaking. Their performance was
splendid.
Ww.
