Vou. VIIL No.4,
NEW HAVEN, CONN.,
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1898.
YALE'S FOOTBALL PROSPECTS.
Mr. Ball Sketches the Situation—The
Holes to be Filled,
The Yale alumnus now insists on his
morning meal of pigskin. The clash
of nations is as nothing to him com-
pared with the clash of rush lines, and
as he reads his daily newspaper he
hurries past the Washington and
foreign columns, and the profound
editorial page, to the sporting columns,
when he gathers all the crumbs of com-
fort and food for thought that the news
from Chamberlin’s men can _ furnish.
He smiles or knits his brow over the
latest evolution in the science of coach-
ing at Cambridge and looks with
respectful earnestness at the conserva-
tive doings of old Nassau. The gray-
haired bank president is equally “guilty”
with the youngest alumnus. Dignity
of position or height of ambition avail
not to check the keen interest in foot-
ball prospects. ‘The war is over and no
other contest is so stimulating.
Thrice fortunate are we who dwell
within hailing distance of the gridiron
and can attend with the regularity ot
revered old “Pop Smith,” (younger
and more sprightly at eighty-five odd _
years than twenty yeats ago), the daily
evolutions of the army of players, the
captain and his advisers. But at times
in the excitement of practice we are
moved to wish that a long-distance
telephone were at hand that we might
yell to the distant ones: “Brown is rip-
ping up things. If he can only keep
it up, he’ll make another Heffelfinger.”
“deSaulles is zigzagging as Beecher
did ten years ago.” Chamberlin is not
to be moved at right wing. It is
Rhodes come again—Rhodes who held
Hector Cowan at bay.” ‘‘McBride’s
kick booms like a cannon. Those 1098
pounds of bone and muscle move ahead
every time the charge is made, and he
tackles in the spirit of the old refrain—
‘and you'll remember me.’” But we
can try the WEEKLY in place of a
telephone.
Of course the question first asked
and usually hardest answered is; ‘‘Have
we a strong team?” then, “Will it be
up to last year’s?’ and “What are the
chances anyway?”
At this writing it seems safe to an-
swer yes to the first; a provisional
“yes” to the second, and to the third,
“better than last year at this time and
encouraging with the likelihood of the
stronger word ‘good’ being warranted ~
later.”
The situation to-day may be summed
up in this way: While the nucleus for
a winning team is present in the shape
of more good backs than ever tried for
a Yale team in one year in any past
season; in the possession of one reli-
able quarterback and an able substi-
tute; in a line of forwards unusually
strong at one guard point, at right
tackle, and at the most conservative
estimate four likely youngsters from
which to get two good ones to fill the
gaps at ends; the material wherewith
to complete the center trio and to fill
former Captain Rodgers’ place at left
tackle is by no means of the best or
plentiful, particularly as regards heavy
men for center rush and right guard.
To be sure, the big framed Marshall
essays to play the companion. part to
Brown at guard and is now doing fair
work. But will he meet the expecta-
tions of the coaches who demand not
only a rock-like stand on the attack,
in order that each and every play may
get the proper start, but an aggressive,
intelligent defense? Probably, yes;
that is to say, he is far more likely to
succeed than the candidates now in
sight for center and left tackle. |
And of these latter two the proba-
bility is that a good tackle will be
found before a reliable center rush.
Indeed, snapper-back and left tackle
may be said at this time to be the only
serious questions, though it must not
be forgotten that weeks intervene in
which to hammer into shape either
McGee, Durston, Cook or some at
present lesser light for ‘tackle, and
Andrews, Walton, Cutten or Phillips
for center rush.
Of these men, McGee and Durston
have ideal physical qualifications, but
their neural systems are yet unequal to
the occasion of getting the very most
out of the muscles under their control.
While Walton and Andrews lack beef,
Cutten and Phillips have enough and
to spare, but are wanting sadly in
energy and quickness.
It should not be taken for granted
that the ends are just right, for there
is no man in the candidate list who
shows as yet a Hinkey stamp. But
this much is true; out of four very
promising players, two quite as good
as last year’s ends should be the result
of the few next weeks play. Hence the
end positions cannot be considered as .
serious now, even though new men
must play them.
Speaking of the work of the Eleven
from material gathered from the ‘aily
practice and the matches with visiting
teams thus far, this much may be said
without fear of contradiction: For so
early in the season the play is quite
good, the form shown being far superior
to that of last year, at least three weeks
in advance of this time. In the Wil-
liams game the concentration of effec-
tive intereference for end runs was quite
remarkable; the defence on the whole
strong, the running of the backs steady
and speedy, and the kicking quite satis-
factory.
Further, the Eleven is playing to-
day as fast football as Pennsylvania or
Harvard and altogether a_ stronger
game than Princeton. But with the
present green Princeton team. whipped
into shape by the succeeding weeks of
this month of practice, and strengthened
by the return of Kelly to halfback and
possibly Wheeler at fullback, there will
be perhaps a different story to tell.
All things considered, however, the
prospects must be counted bright at
this time, particularly when it is borne
in mind that McBride is almost sure
to improve on his punting of last year,
which means superiority over all oppos-
ing fullbacks of the year, and Cham-
berlin is working upon the drop kick
with at least a fair chance of becoming
expert by the end of the month.
At present, the veterans of the team
are all doing good work, and that of
deSaulles in particular deserves. men-
tion, from the fact that his 140 odd
pounds is counting for many times that
amount in effective interference and all
round help for every play the team is
using to-day.
Mention should also be made of the
younger brother of Professor Corwin
of the Eighty-Six team; for the earnest-
ness of his work in interference and
defence, and his lightning-like start,
jumping with the ball with great regu-
‘larity, are bound to prove prime factors
in bringing up through sharp competi-
tion the standard of halfback play of
stich veterans of last year as Dudley
and Benjamin, both of whom must put
forth unusual efforts to gain the chance
for further honors on the field this year.
W... T. BULL.
COL. THEODORE ROOSEVELT, HARVARD
LIEUT. JOHN CC. GREENWAY, YALE
~ Price Ten Cenrs.
°80, AND
"95 S.
TALES REGISTRATION. ~~
More Academic and Scientific Fresh=
men than Last Year.
The WEEKLY has been able to secure
definite registration figures from all the
departments of the University, except
the Graduate School and the Musical
Department. The probability is that
the former will show about the same
figures as last year, while substantial
gains are reported in the Musical De-
partment. This means that Yale’s total
of 2,500 of last year will not be appreci-
ably changed this Fall.
The interesting changes of the year
are in the incoming classes. The gain
here in the Academic Department is
34 and in the Scientific Department 8.
The Law School has 62 this year
against 82 in the Freshman Class twelve
months ago. The figures in the Aca-
demic and Scientific Departments, and
in the Law, Medical and Divinity
Schools follow:
ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT.
1896-’97 1897-’98 1898-99
Seniors,.-.--- 280 301 301
PUTS oo, Sake 295 302 327
Sophomores,- 310 343 279
Freshman, --. 354 296 330
Hots, 5.20. 1230 1242 1237
SHEFFIELD SCIENTIFIC SCHOOL.
1896-’97 1897-98 1898-’99
Graduates,--- 54 60 53
SeniOrs; = 25. 182 121 143
WMNIOTS, — 35 133 162 170
Freshman, _-. 170 187 195
SPpesial ss coo4 14 14. £1
motals> ..- 322 553 543 572
LAW SCHOOL. :
1896-’97 1897-98 1898-99
Graduates,_-. 21 25 ie
MERIOES, <<... - 109 28 69
WidGdicts,.. (20 oo 56 39
PUNiOTs,: Ss. 81 82 62
BRCEIAIS. «(555 2 7 9
saotals, 222: 213 198 196
ev enaeenen 2a PRE AL. Bee el 8 Dey GR:
1896-97 1897-98 1898-’99
Seniors, ee: 37 38 8
J UNIDIS 22 - es 41 6 26
Second Year, 9 33 28
Pirst Year... 48 45 42
Spetials,. 22> . - 2 (Undecided
Gracuates, 2.5 = 4 Undecided
Lotaise a 138 128 104.
DIVINITY SCHOOL.
1896-97 1897-98 1898-’99
Resident
Licentiates, 4 II 8:
Graduates... - 10 13 IO
Seniats, =. = 34. 28 22
Middiers...- 28 20 26
Juniors, ...-- 28 30 30
Sotgigg ss. sz. 104 102 96
TOTALS, EXCLUSIVE OF GRADUATE SCHOOL
AND MUSICAL DEPARTMENT.
1896-97 1897~'98 1898-'99
Academic, ..- 1239 1242 1237
Scientific, -s.=- = 553 543 B72
Law School,_.: “273 198 196
Medical,---.- 138 128 104.
Divinity, .-.-. 104: 102 96
"EONS, + es 2247 3273 2205
a> <>»
a
The Week at the Field.
The work of the University Eleven
in the games against Amherst and
Williams and in the practice through-
out the past week has shown consider-
able improvement, but great weak-
ness is still manifest in the line. An-
drews, the substitute guard, after a
trial at center, gave place on Monday to
Richardson. Richardson played guard
on last year’s Freshman Eleven and has
done fair work in his new position.
Marshall and Brown have filled the
places at guard with reasonable regu-
larity, and during Durston’s illness
McGee has done the bulk of the work
at left tackle. Perhaps the greatest
advance has been in the play of the
ends, especially that of Coy, Sharpe
and Hubbell. The work of the backs
