FOOTBALL

Syracuse 10—Dartmouth 0

According to Syracuse fans the color of the sunset the night before the Dartmouth game was orange and presaged a Syracuse victory; according to captain Jim Robertson, who did a bit of sky-gazing that night himself, the tint was a "yellowish-green," the color, as Larry Patten reminded us later, of a ripening orange, and also, as Bill Cunningham scornfully put it, of a ripening lemon. All hands may have been right and Syracuse may have been ripening for the pickers of Holy Cross and Maryland. But Patten defeated Cunningham on points, for the team that coach "Chick" Meehan of Syracuse put on Alumni Oval on the afternoon of October 23 bore no resemblance to a lemon. Outweighing Dartmouth by 12 pounds per man, and including two All-American stars in its line, Syracuse presented the most powerful machine seen on the Oval in years and earned a 10-0 decision, administering to the Green its first home defeat since 1904.

This battle was the outstanding event of the Hanover football season and an army of old grads and visitors estimated at 8000 filled the stands to overflowing when, promptly at 2 o'clock, Captain Harry Robertson led about two tons of Syracuse University onto the gridiron. To be exact, the eleven men who opposed the Green team totalled 12 pounds over a short ton, and were worth their weight in coal to Syracuse.

The first bit of scoring came in the first quarter, when Gulick, the Syracuse left tackle, booted over a beautiful placement kick from the 45-yard line. In accomplishing the feat Gulick introduced on the Oval somewhat of an innovation when he utilized one of the kick-off tees to place the ball on. The remainder of the Syracuse score came in the third period after Kellogg had run back one of Jordan's punts 35 yards and placed the ball in the very shadow of the Dartmouth goal posts. From this point a substitute halfback, Foster, whom Meehan had rushed into the game, carried the ball across for the only touchdown of the afternoon. Frugonne followed with a lucky goal, the ball hitting one of the uprights and caroming over the crossbar.

Dartmouth's only threat at the Syracuse line was an early one. In the first few minutes of play Jordan took the ball on a fake pass and skirted the Syracuse left end for 28 yards, putting the ball on the Syracuse 5-yard line. But here the Syracuse line of defense held like Portland cement and three attempts to pierce it were futile. Then Jordan tried a pass to Bower and at' the same time Alexander, Syracuse's All-American center, claimed his moment in the limelight, intercepting the pass and racing down the field with no one ahead of him. Merritt, however, cutting across from the opposite side of the gridiron, dragged him down by a pretty flying tackle on the Dartmouth 35-yard line. A few moments later Gulick drew first blood with his placement kick.

There was no flaw in the Syracuse claim to victory and nothing resembling a fluke. With one of the best lines in the East, a fast and heavy backfield, and an attack that was wellplanned and well-executed, the Orange won because it was the better team. At the same time the Green team out-gamed and outfought the big team from start to finish, and time and again threw the Syracuse backs for substantial losses. But if post-mortem verdicts are to be considered, that of The Dartmouth is perhaps the best. "In losing to such a team there is no disgrace," it said. '"And in presenting such a brand of fight against almost overwhelming odds, Coach Spears and his. eleven have gained for themselves a record for gameness that will not soon be surpassed in collegiate football."

Of outstanding stars in the contest Captain Harry Robertson of Syracuse, and Cunningham of Dartmouth were about the brightest. The former lived up to all that has been said of him during the past year, and the latter overshadowed Alexander, his opponent, by a wide margin.

Dartmouth 34—Tufts 7

Following the tussle with Syracuse October 23, Coach Spears gave his regulars a long rest, and after a few minutes of feeling out the Tufts strength the next Saturday sent in several teams of substitutes who found little in the Medford team to puzzle them.

The first period ended without a tally for either side, several exchanges of punts and a few flashing end runs taking up the time. But at the start of the second quarter Jordan piloted the ball around Tufts' left end for 20 yards, Bower carried it the remaining five on the next play, and Cunningham kicked the goal. Bower trundled the ball across again a few minutes later after the Green backfield had crashed through the Tufts line in successive plays from midfield. Jordan failed to kick the goal, and the half ended with the score 13-0.

In the early play of the second half Bower raced 72 yards through the Tufts team for his second touchdown, and a few minutes later Smith went over on an offtackle play from the 20-yard line. Jordan kicked both goals and the score was 27. During the same period left end Bert Macchia of Tufts gathered up a Dartmouth fumble and chaperoned the ball on a 50-yard run from midfield for the lone Medford touchdown, Keefe kicking the goal. The Green's last scoring came in the final quarter, after Grundman had intercepted a Tufts pass. Watson counted with and end run and Weld kicked the goal, bringing the final score to 34-7. The game ended with the ball in Dartmouth's possession on the Tufts 15-yard line.

The field was fast and the going was good throughout, with plenty of action, which was only blurred by the cloud of substitutes who wore paths from the bench to the scrimmage line. A careful perusal of the summary revealed the fact that 30 different members of the Green squad were used, substantiating Harry Wellman's assertion that Spears played all of his men with the exception of Lon Gove and Jim Haggerty.

Dartmouth 14—Cornell 3

A crowd of over 40,000 people, the largest crowd (with the exception of the Army-Navy game) that ever saw a football struggle in New York watched Dartmouth) humble Cornell again at the Polo Grounds, the feature of the game being, as the New York Times said, the remarkable ease with which the task was accomplished. This ease is not reflected in the score, for Spears' men failed to register at least one touchdown which appeared to be safe for them. There was at no time any real doubt as to the outcome of the game. The Green forwards were ripping the Cornell defense to shreds in every play, and the backs, especially Bower, and especially during the latter part of the game, were running both wild and free.

Captain Jim Robertson, playing for the first time since the game at Penn State, opened up the action in the first half with a punt that completely fooled the Red and White huskies who had no man playing back for the kick. Cornell got the ball on the 7-yard line, and Carey, shortly afterward, kicked to the 45-yard line, where the Green thus had the ball for a gain of 35 yards in four minutes by this exchange of punts. Here Robertson tried a drop kick, which went wide, and play was resumed on the 20-yard line. A few minutes later Merritt broke through the line and blocked Carey's attempt to punt. But the Cornell man recovered on the 5-yard line and managed to kick to the 40-yard line on the next play before the Dartmouth forwards could get to him. Holbrook, Shelburne, and Robertson carried the ball to Cornell's 28-yard line, where Robertson again fooled the Dobie men. Dropping back ostensibly for a drop kick, he swung around the Cornell right end for the first touchdown of the game. Cunningham kicked the goal. There was no further scoring until late in the second half, when, after an exchange of punts, Carey kicked a beautiful goal from the 42-yard line, making the score 7-3. During this period Bower replaced Robertson, whose healing shoulder had been jolted a trifle.

In the third period the teams battled to a draw, though Dartmouth made several threatening gestures toward the Cornell goal. Bower, Shelburne, and Jordan, taking turns in carrying the ball, brought it to the Cornell 5-yard line. But here the Ithaca students held the Green for downs, and Carey punted out of danger.

At the start of the last period, with the ball on the Cornell 10-yard line, Carey again dropped back to punt. The Green forwards, led by "Grinning Gus" Sonnenberg, were on him before he could get the ball away, however, and Shelburne fell on the leather for Dartmouth's second touchdown. Again Cunningham kicked the goal. Dartmouth was marching once more upon the Cornell line when the final whistle blew.

This victory of the Green was noticeable from more than one important angle. It proved to the skeptics that the Spears machine was really possessed of the skill and power that had been claimed for it in spite of early season defeats due to injuries and an erratic schedule. Further it accomplished the ending of Coach Dobie's startling record of straight wins. It was the first game lost by a Dobiecoached team in 12 years.

There were other remarkable features of the game that should not pass unnoticed. Robertson's brilliant playing in all departments marked him as one of the sport's greatest stars. He was a team in himself what time he was on the field, and with Shelburne, the fleet colored halfback, exhibited a defense that was both spectacular and appalling. Cununingham also played a defensive game that was superb, in addition to his dashing offensive play. Twice Cornell needed but half a' yard to make first down and each time was entitled to two attempts for the distance. Both times the Green men hurled the Dobies back and both times Cunningham and Shelburne took prominent parts in the accomplishment. In addition to the starring of these men the brilliant offensive running of Bower provided stirring moments during the afternoon.

Dartmouth had declared an "Athletic Holiday" for this event, and the general concensus of opinion among the alumni arid the several hundred undergraduates who attended was that a fine time was had by all.

Dartmouth 44— U. of P. 7

A week after the Cornell game the Big Green team swept Coach Heisman's University of Pennsylvania team up and down the gridiron at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, and with it swept the Penn State and Syracuse defeats and all adverse criticism that accompanied them into the discard.

Smashing through the heavier Pennsylvania line for six touchdowns, and forcing Miller of Penn to a safety, Dartmouth scored the greatest victory in its history over the Red and Blue before a crowd of 30,000 people. According to the statisticians Coach Spears' men gained 360 yards to their opponents' 130 and registered 17 first downs against Penn's 5. And Sonnenberg and Jordan outdistanced the Pennsylvania kickers by a wide margin, one of the Sonenberg punts measuring over 80 yards.

Scoring started in the second period after the Green had spent 15 minutes toying with the Penn men and getting ready to attack. Dartmouth started a march to the goal line which was only halted by a fumble which Penn recovered. Then the Red and Blue took to the air, but Neidlinger intercepted a pass and carried the ball to the Penn 15-yard line. Here Thomas was forced to punt and the Green line swarmed at him according to what seems now to have become a fixed custom. Lynch blocked the kick and Miller fell on the ball for a safety. A few minutes later the Dartmouth backfield again took the ball down the field and Burke went across the line for the first touchdown, Jordan kicking the goal. Receiving the ball in midfield after the kickoff that followed the touchdown, Spears' backfield stars, Burke and Shelburne, put the ball over Penn's goal line again in just three plays, and the half ended with the score 23-0.

Pennsylvania looked grim, determined, and considerably more aggressive at the start of the second half. Play had only been resumed for a few minutes, however, before Jordan ran back a Penn punt 60 yards for the fourth touchdown and the Red and Blue wilted. More brilliant work, including a 30-yard run by Jordan, led to the next touchdown, when Burke crashed through the remaining distance with the whole Penn team falling at him and clinging to his legs. At this point Penn put the ball in the air again, all attempts to break the Green wall of defense or skirt the ends having proved futile. The aerial attack was successful to the extent of one touchdown, which Miller scored after a bitter struggle. Wray kicked the goal.

Penn threatened again in the final period when the ball was worked to within a foot of the Dartmouth goal. Here Thomas fumbled and Dartmouth recovered. Sonnenberg, punting from behind his own goal line, put the ball down on the Penn 20-yard line, where the Heisman pupils fumbled again. Grundman and Holbrook then carried the ball IS yards and Shelburne went over for the final touchdown of the game. Sonnenberg failed in his try for a 50-yard placement kick, and the game ended, Penn's most crushing defeat of the season, and Dartmouth's greatest victory.

It was this game which caused the NewYork Times to remark that Penn State and Syracuse were fortunate in not being compelled to play the Spears men late in the season, and prompted the further remark that Dartmouth was quite possibly superior to any team in the East. The Penn attack, which scored 21 points against Pittsburgh, the Heisman shift or "glide," and the power that had been reported in the Quaker line and backfield went completely by the board. Spears' agile backs shifted to meet the Heisman attack before the famous "glide" could be completed, Cunningham and Shelburne playing a secondary defense, stopped the Penn backs short after Sonnenberg and the linemen had spoiled the interference. The power on Franklin Field November 13 was all with the Green and a good share of it was packed under Burke's moleskins and jersey. For Burke was plainly the star and the sensation of the game, and loomed up as the greatest running back the Green has had in many a year. Time and again he continued through the heavy Penn line with Red and Blue players draped about his body, in a futile attempt to check his headlong career to stardom- To Pennsylvania Burke typified the wild-running Dartmouth team that will be long remembered on Franklin Field.

Dartmouth 14—Brown 6

For the first time in four years Dartmouth opposed Brown in Boston with a team not crippled by injuries or by the absence of regular players, and took the heavy end of a 14-6 score for the first victory over the Providence boys since 1905. Brown presented a light, but very speedy aggregation, which fought from start to finish, and the contest was swift and spectacular, with Messrs. Nip and Tuck featuring every minute.

After preliminary rushing and punting in the opening period Robertson of Dartmouth attempted a drop kick from his own 40-yard mark, which fell just short of the crossbar. A rally by Brown followed this threat, but was short-lived. Then Sonnenberg, rushing down the field under a Robertson punt, fell on the ball as he saw it bound against a Brown man and recovered for Dartmouth on Brown's 7-yard line. Shelburne carried the ball across on the third down and Cunningham kicked the goal.

The second period was featured by Jordan's 50-yard dash to the Brown 13-yard line, which preceded Dartmouth's second touchdown. Recovering the ball on downs after Jordan's long run, Brown punted to Dartmouth's 35-yard line, and on the next play Robertson jammed his way through the whole distance. Cunningham again kicked the goal, and the score at the end of the first half was 14-0.

Brown's touchdown came in the third period by the overhead route, Shurtleff putting the Rhode Islanders in a position to score by blocking Robertson's punt tin Dartmouth's 28-yard mark. From this point a few line bucks paved the way for a pretty pass to the goal line which was successful. Oden failed to kick the goal.

Shelburne of Dartmouth and Shurtleff of Brown were the best performers of this contest. The former stood head and shoulders above the rest of the Green team, who, in this game, appeared to have great difficulty in getting started. Shurtleff led the attack of the Brown line at all times and was particularly helpful in protecting the fleet backfield men of the Brown outfit.

Within an hour after the decision had been awarded Coach Spears and his men, with Harry Hillman, Dr. Bowler, "Jim" Richardson and others, were at the Trinity station ready to begin the long trip to Seattle, where the team will christen the new stadium of the University of Washington.

ABOVE (Courtesy of The Bema) It is revealed how halfback "Brainy" Bower, one of Dartmouth's most conspicuous ground-gainers this season, achieved his nickname. He is here seen using his head against Syracuse in the game on Alumni Oval October 23.

LEFT (Courtesy of The Bemu) Shelburne and Holbrook have strong ideas of modern diplomacy. The former is holding a Syracuse invader from behind while the latter is heading him off in front in an effort to preserve Dartmouth's territorial integrity.