Football

There is a popular belief that when traditional football rivals meet for their Big Game sheer fighting spirit may help the weaker team beat the stronger. That was the only possible theory by which Navy could have expected to defeat Army last week at Philadelphia, a feat it had not accomplished since 1921. So intense was Navy's will to win, it led Army 7-to-6 at the end of the first period.

The game had hardly started when "Beany" Johnson, Army quarterback, caught a punt on his 18-yd. line and, with perfect interference, dashed along an 82-yd. highway to Navy's goal. The try for point failed. Before the period was over, Navy Halfbacks "Red" Baumberger and "Buzz" Berries started at midfield, had the ball over the line in three swift plays. Then, in his single play of the game, Dick Bull ran in and kicked the extra point.

Early in the second period, Army started on its own 30-yd. line, bucked, passed, sliced 70 yd. to another touchdown. Again Army missed the extra point, and again Navy had a chance to win. It came within 13 yd. of doing so in the next period, but a fourth down pass failed and the score remained 12-to-7. Army continued unbeaten, untied, with only Notre Dame to play.

Against Yale, Harvard looked nothing like the team which had muddled through an undistinguished season. It blocked neatly, booted superbly, tackled savagely, and let loose a phenomenal forward passing attack. One pass came early in the first period when ham-handed Halfback Danny Wells shot one 45 yd. to Chet Litman. Three plays later a short pass to Quarterback Bob Haley made the touchdown. In the next period Wells again sent a pass whistling 50 yd. Left End Freddy Crocker caught it, trotted across the Yale goal with nobody near him. It was after Yale had battered through a touchdown in the third period, that the most exciting play of the day occurred. Halfback Fergie Locke, fastest man on the Harvard squad, caught the kickoff on his 10-yd. line. He ran a few yards, paused near Quarterback Haley, half-pivoted and pretended to hand the ball to him. Haley, doubled over and hugging himself, raced away, drawing half the Yale tacklers toward him. Harvard blockers took care of the rest of the Yale team while Locke streaked 90 yd. down the alley for a third touchdown, 19-to-6.

In November 1869 a group of 25 Princeton students in orange jerseys met 25 Rutgers men with scarlet bands around their heads for the first game of intercollegiate football in the U. S. Rutgers won 6-to-4, by kicking six times over the goalposts, and afterwards ran the Princeton boys out of town. Last week one of the five known survivors of the two teams, Lawyer John W. Herbert of Manhattan, sat in Princeton's Palmer Stadium with President Harold W. Dodds, watching Princeton and Rutgers play again. It was their first game since 1915. Up to that time Rutgers had lost every game except the first. Last week's result continued that record, although Rutgers did succeed, by a 20-yd. pass and a 43-yd. run, in scoring the first touchdown of the season against unbeaten, untied Princeton, 26-to-6.

Michigan had to beat Northwestern last week in order to clinch the Big Ten championship for the fourth consecutive year. Northwestern, crippled by the absence of two star players, fought like fools to prevent it; but all to no purpose. A field goal by Michigan's Halfback Herman Everhardus, another by Left End Ted Petoskey, and a forward pass which Willis Ward, crack Negro end, caught over his left shoulder while running full tilt to a touchdown, made the score 13-to-0.

Stanford came from behind in the last period to beat California 7-10-3; tie with Oregon for the Pacific Coast Conference championship; and to receive an invitation to represent the West in the New Year's game at Pasadena's Tournament of Roses. Its opponent had yet to be chosen.

Sloshing around in rain and snow, Wisconsin thought it had a chance to win its first Conference game of the season until it fumbled on its own 1-ft. line whence Minnesota's Pug Lund punched over a touchdown, 6-to-3.

"On form Notre Dame should lose by from four to six touchdowns, but I don't think this game will run true to form," declared Notre Dame's Coach "Hunk" Anderson before the game with Southern California. Coach Anderson was right. Notre Dame lost by only three touchdowns. As in most games this season U. S. C.'s amazing little 145-lb. Quarterback Irvine ("Cotton") Warburton was the crack player, making two touchdowns, once taking the ball practically all the way from his own 38-yd. line, once burrowing through on a succession of short gains from Notre Dame's 29-yd. line. The third goal was made by U. S. C.'s Alternate Quarterback Homer Griffith on a series of forward passes, 19-to-0.

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