FOOTBALL

Dartmouth 34—Norwich 3

Dartmouth started the 1921 football season with a new deal all around, a new coach, a new team and a new playing field, and emerged from its first encounter, Sept. 26, a victor over Norwich by the score of 34 to 3. On the whole it may be said that the Green team lived up to all that was expected of it and that it showed promise of developing, though slowly, into a smoothworking aggregation that would win most of its games handily.

Norwich brought to Hanover a good team composed of veteran players and its supporters had some hopes of earning a decision if the day's curb market quotations were to be believed. Such hopes must have been severely shaken when captain Robertson skirted the right end for a fifteen yard run and a touchdown shortly after the whistle, and Smith's thirty yard pass to G. Moore placed the ball in position for "Big Jim's" second score. The quarter ended 14 too in favor of Dartmouth. During the second quarter Robertson surged through right tackle for his third touchdown and brought the score to 21.

Throughout the second half of the game Coach Cannell gave many substitutes opportunities to display their worth but it was "Chick" Burke, the Natick flash, who accounted for the remainder of the score, aided and abetted by Thurston who added another point by kicking the goal following the fourth touchdown. Thurston missed the goal in his other attempt.

The usual fumbling and unsteadiness of play of the early season marked the Dartmouth game, but not, according to critics, as prominently as in other years. Norwich displayed a good game and counted early in the first half by Bradly's neat drop-kick from the 37 yard mark.

Dartmouth 28—Middlebury 3

What The Dartmouth would call "an in and out game" was that played by the Hanoverians against Dave Morey's stalwart Vermonters, Oct. I. Dave brought back to his alma mater a light but agressive group which had held Harvard to a 16 too score and taken the ball away from the crimson on downs on the three yard line. That the foregoing exhibition had been due to no weakness of Harvard was amply proved when at the end of the first half Dave's pupils led the Green by a score of 3 too by virtue of Ashley's twenty-eight yard field goal.

What Jack Cannell said to his team between the halfs remains as it was justly heralded, "a mystery", the effect, however, was electrical, for with the start of the second half of the contest the Dartmouth team leaped into action and in eight plays had scored the first touchdown, with Robertson carrying the ball. Burke added another as the culmination of a spectacular run of sixty-five yards, and Robertson and Haws each contributed in the final period. Morey's plucky men played a valiant game throughout the afternoon but once the Green steam-roller had been put in order were powerless to stand before it. The Vermont line was stiff and combative and the backfield dashing, but opposed by the power uncorked at the opening of the second half were quickly exhausted. Although Dartmouth attempted forward passes several times during the afternoon evidence that this year's team had as yet become more proficient at that style of attack than the teams of other years was lacking.

Dartmouth 24—N. H. State o

By Oct. 15 the Green team seemed to have rounded into form and impressively subdued 'the husky agriculturalists from Durham who had the week before put down the much-vaunted Army team. In the midst of a continual downpour of rain Cannell's men handled themselves with more skill and with less fumbling than has come to be expected during the early part of the season, and so ripped up the 190 pound New Hampshire line that the outcome of the struggle was never in doubt. Burke and Robertson made repeated long runs of from ten to thirty yards, while Smith, Haws, Siegfried and Watson also distinguished themselves. On the offensive the team was equally impressive holding the State team and its capable captain "Dutch" Conner at bay at all time.

As usual Captain "Jim" Robertson began the day's attack and after a thirty-eight yard run that put the ball near New Hampshire s goal crashed through the center of the line for the first touchdown. He added another point by an easy goal and in the second period further increased his total by a dropkick from the twenty yard line. The handicaps of a wet field and muddy ball appeared to trouble him not the slightest.

Early in the third period Robertson accounted for another touchdown and was followed by quarterback "Frankie" Smith not long afterward. For the New Hampshire team there had thus far been nothing to record save a stubborn resistance which accomplished little against the spirited play of the Big Green team. In the fourth quarter, however, after coach Cannell had sent the substitutes into action the Durham team gained its first touchdown, the delay of which for over three quarters of the game perhaps demonstrates the brand of football exhibited by the Dartmouth team that day better than any other single thing. Altogether the New Hampshire game was one of the finest early season displays ever staged by a Dartmouth team and augured well for the remainder of the season despite Coach Louden's pessimistic reports from Cornell.

It is also worth noting that of the 86 points scored by Dartmouth in its first three games Robertson, by dint of his brilliant work against New Hampshire State had brought his individual total to 54.

Dartmouth 14—Tennessee 3

In direct contrast to the game against New Hampshire State was the game the following Saturday, Oct. 15, when the Green was opposed by the University of Tennessee. No more disappointing battle has ever been waged on Alumni Oval or Memorial Field than that shown by Dartmouth that day. The southerners brought a slow and unwieldy team which took an interminable amount of time to line up and run off plays, and the psychological effect of such opposition coupled with the unusual heat of the day may have been factors in the Dartmouth play. It is certain, at any rate, that the Big Green eleven, in that encounter was far from big and uncommonly green, and played throughout the afternoon a lifeless game that had not even the merit of 'being funny. Time and again the team threw away opportunities to score and the fact that the Tennesseeans lacked the necessary offensive power to be of great disturbance was all that contributed in any degree to a feeling of safety among the spectators.

Early in the first period "Chick" Burke put the ball on the Tennessee two yard line by a thirty yard run around the southerners' right end. Tennessee than held the Green for three downs, but on the fourth Robertson hurled himself across the line with half the southern team clinging to him. After considerable fumbling on both sides Dartmouth added another touchdown in the second period when Lynch recovered a Tennessee misplay and Calder went five yards for the score.

This was a disastrous period for Dartmouth in more ways than one for during it one of the Tennesseeans crashed with full force onto "Jim" Robertson's face, breaking the captain's nose and rupturing blood vessels in it so badly that severe hemorrhages for several days afterwards left the Green leader weak and unsteady. The date of Robertson's return to the game is entirely problematical. Further casualties were added when Suttmeier suffered a broken rib and Edwards was severely bruised.

It is but fair to say that the Dartmouth injuries were not caused in any degree by rough playing and that the southerners exhibited a cleaner and more gentlemanly game than has been seen in Hanover for a long time.

At the date of careening to press the Green team has further suffered through injuries to Gordon and Goldstein and "Pete" Hurd, the two hundred pound guard, who had his nose broken in the New Hampshire game, will be out of the line for a short time due to infection of the injury. It is a safe bet, however, that the Dartmouth fighting spirit, which always surges high, when the team is most heavily handicapped will prove strong enough to trouble Columbia, Cornell, Pennsylvania and Syracuse.

Freshmen 6—Exeter 3

Coach "Sid" Hazelton's freshman team covered itself with mud and glory, while the 'varsity was subduing New Hampshire State, and surprised the dopesters by defeating the strong Exeter team which was fresh from a victory over the Harvard seconds. Exeter rung up the first count .early in the first period when Lundell scored a pretty field goal from the twenty-six yard line. A second opportunity for Exeter went, as they say, a-glimmering, when the academy team fumbled inside the five yard mark.

In the final minutes of play the Freshmen carried the ball to Exeter's ten yard line where the schoolboys put up a stiff defense and recovered the ball on downs. Here Lundell dropped back to punt, and captain Bjorkman, of the Freshmen, heeding the glorious traditions of Youngstrom and Sonnenberg, broke through the Exeter line, blocking the punt and recovering for the Dartmouth touchdown.

The 1925 team played a fighting game from start to finish of the afternoon and deserves a goodly portion of praise for its win. The yearling team is not as strong as those of the past few seasons but it has evidently an abundance of the spirit that makes up for weight and skill.

Freshmen 28—Springfield Seconds 0

Following the victory over Exeter the Freshmen got under way early in its contest with the Springfield Y. M. C. A. School second team and scored 21 points in the first quarter. Thereafter the game was a hit and miss affair, perhaps as a reflection of the 'varsity's tilt with Tennessee, and it was not until the final frame that the 1925 men were able to score again. Yarnell was responsible for the first of the freshman touchdowns on the second play of the afternoon, when he carried the ball 75 yards to the Springfield goal line. Soon afterwards Leavitt broke away for a sixty yard gain and a twenty-five yard pass from Brown to Yarnell gave the latter another opportunity to score. Bjorkman recovered a Springfield fumble and ran forty-five yards for the third tally. The final touchdown was added by Bollies who broke through Springfield and scored after a thirty-four yard sprint.

Hazelton's team came in for its share,of the Dartmouth bad luck during the second quarter of the game when Callis, left tackle of the freshman team, had his leg badly broken.