FOOTBALL

Dartmouth 31—Columbia 7

Playing before a crowd of 5000 alumni, undergraduates, and football enthusiasts from surrounding towns, Dartmouth overwhelmed Columbia on Memorial Field, October 22 by a score of 31 to 7 in one of the most interesting games ever staged in Hanover. From almost the first play the backs, Burke and Calder, went tearing by, true to the best traditions of a lively football song, scoring in every quarter except the third. The Green's first touchdown came on the second play of the game when Siegfried fumbled and Scovil recovered for Columbia, only to drop it where quarterback Frankie Smith could catch it on the bounce and tear away for six points. Swenson kicked the goal. Shortly afterwards Siegfried dropped a neat field goal over the crossbar while standing on the Columbia 30-yard line and Dartmouth led 10 to 0.

Columbia's one and only touchdown came in the second quarter when, with the ball in midfield, Anderson flashed a neat pass to Koppisch, the Blue and White star, who tore past Smith for a spectacular score. Considerable fumbling marred the play in the remainder of this quarter but Dartmouth finally worked the ball to a point near the Columbia line from which Burke skirted left end for another touchdown. The third quarter was barren for both teams, although Columbia threatened once with the ball on the Dartmouth 5-yard line, only to be held by the Green line which eventually took the ball on downs. Forward passes from Calder to Burke and Smith to Calder were responsible for the remainder of the Dartmouth score which came in the last period, Swenson kicking both goals.

All in all alumni were well repaid by this game for the hardships of the trip to Hanover, the Dartmouth team exhibiting for their benefit its best brand of football in a fast and interesting hour of play. Burke proved the sensation of the game, his long runs during which he writhed and twisted out of the clutches of numerous tacklers, providing the kind of thrill which has been too long absent from Hanover games since "Milt" Ghee sprinted through the entire Tufts team three times in one blizzardy afternoon. Calder, substituting for Robertson, was perhaps the biggest surprise of the game, his punting, line plunging, and passing stamping him as a worthy successor to the Green captain's berth at left halfback, The work of Siegfried at fullback, and Hall and Smith at quarterback is also worthy of mention, and Neidlinger, at tackle must be remembered for his usual splendid work on the defense. For Columbia, Koppisch and Mosczcenski were the most brilliant and consistent performers.

Cornell 59—Dartmouth 7

The holocaust of October 29 when Dartmouth suffered its worst football defeat in 30 years is not a subject which lends itself readily to Hanover typewriters. The whole affair was so frightful that it is small wonder that alumni and undergraduates who listened to the returns on Memorial Field slipped away to phone and wire Boston newspapers and the Associated Press messages whose burden echoed the small boys remark to Joe Jackson after the baseball scandal of a year ago. "Say it ain't so, Joe" moaned all Hanoverians,' "Say it ain't so." And nobody spoke.

The first score of the afternoon was Cornell's on a succession of long gains by Dobie's backfield. Dartmouth evened the count a short time afterward when a blocked kick gave Robertson an opportunity to hurl himself over the Cornell line. Thereafter the game was a procession of Big Red halfbacks crossing and recrossing the Dartmouth line in a procession which stunned and dazed every follower of the Green.

The most significant feature of the whole sad affair was that nowhere were excuses offered or accepted. Instead the entire college spent almost every waking moment endeavoring to delve into the reasons for the defeat and in expressing confidence in the team and Coach Cannell. From all accounts it was the line's utter inability either to solve or to check the Cornell plays that was most responsible for the size of the score, and it is true, also, that Captain Jim Robertson, weakened by loss of blood from the serious injury to his nose, was unable to be of much assistance to the team,. However, it is not only painful but unnecessary to dwell longer upon this part of the schedule.

Dartmouth 14—Pennsylvania 14

In the closing minutes of the fifty that made up the final period of the Dartmouth-Pennsylvania game at the Polo Grounds, Nov. 12, Rex Wray, the speedy Red and Blue captain, pulled his team from the depths with a touchdown that evened the count of the two teams. Thus was completed the most spectacular and exciting contest of the 1921 season. In spite of the fact that both teams had previously been defeated and were not within a toll call of any high ranking a crowd of 15,000 people was on hand for the melee.

Cannell's team took the lead in the first quarter of the game when, after a series of long gains by Burke and Robertson the ball was brought to a point from which the Green captain could tally. Throughout the quarter Dartmouth was on the offensive and gaining much territory through the Pennsylvania line and around the ends. Even at this stage of the contest, however, the Red and Blue team was displaying a proficiency at the aerial game that was the cause of anxiety in the stands. The Dartmouth line, bolstered on the defense by the addition of Captain Robertson at tackle, was holding firmly before the Pennsylvania ground attack and the Quakers were forced to pass in attempts to gain. The reward for many of these worthy attempts came in the second period when Miller picked the ball out of the air and was down the field like a streak for Pennsylvania's first score.

The third period was barren of scoring though the running of Burke and Robertson for Dartmouth and the passing and sprinting of Wray and Miller for Pennsylvania made touchdowns constantly imminent and kept the spectators in a state of nervous suspense that no ten-twenty-thirty dramas could better. This excitement was increased in the fourth period when the ball was kept almost constantly in the air. The ball was in Pennsylvania's possession on the Red and Blue 20-yard line when the next scoring play came. Wray had hurled a long pass to the fleet Miller in a desperate attempt to break the deadlock, when Siegfried, playing fullback for the Green, grabbed it from the air and careened 35 yards through the Quaker team for the second Dartmouth touchdown. It was but a few minutes following this play that the upset of the afternoon occurred. With the cheerleaders announcing on the Dartmouth side that there remained but one moment of play the inhabitants of the cheering section swarmed out of the stands in preparation for a triumphant march around the field. To heighten the effect play was stopped on the gridiron and both teams clustered together as though giving each other the usual post mortem cheer while the Pennsylvania band surged into the music of its Alma Mater song. However, there was a hitch in the program as was soon apparent when the teams again lined up for battle. Dartmouth had been penalized 15 yards for clipping and the ball was Pennsylvania's on the Green 45-yard line. A 20-yard pass and a trick play built around a fake double pass brought the ball to Dartmouth's 25-yard mark and another pass put the Philadelphians uncomfortably close to the goal line. Dartmouth was again penalized, this time for offside play, and Pennsylvania was given first down a yard and a half from the last lime mark. In the remaining minute and a half of play Wray scored the second Pennsylvania touchdown and Miller kicked the goal.

Syracuse 14—Dartmouth 7

Fighting to the last ditch in the most fiercely contested battle of the year the Dartmouth football team met its second defeat of the season November 19 at the Polo Grounds in New York when Syracuse was returned the victor by one touchdown. A show of power in the third period that the Green team was unable to withstand gave the New York State team the scoring opportunity of which it was quick to take advantage.

Throughout the entire first half of the game the two teams were as evenly matched as the Siamese twins and though fighting tooth and nail were unable to gain more than three yards through either line or around the ends. A fumble in midfield, halfway through the second period was responsible for the first Syracuse touchdown. A poor pass from Suttmeier, at center, giving McBae, Syracuse right end the opportunity to seize the ball and make a spectacular run of sixty yards. This lead of the New York state team was not overcome until the third period. Calder, punting from Dartmouth's twenty yard line, sent the ball far down the field, over the head of Kellogg, of Syracuse, who was barely able to touch it as it sailed past him, and Eddie Lynch, Dartmouth's fleetest end, who had sprinted down under the kick, grabbed the ball on Syracuse's fifteen yard line and raced across the last marker for the Green touchdown.

It was but a few minutes after the Dartmouth score that the Syracuse attack began for the first time to break through the Green defense. Kellogg, Anderson, Zimmerman, and most of all, Frugonne plunged again and again through the Dartmouth line for gains of five and ten yards where before they had been held to a scant yard or two or thrown for a loss. A series of such rushes brought the ball inside the Dartmouth five yard line, giving Syracuse a first down. In its next four attempts the Orange backfield was able to gain but three yards, the Dartmouth line giving the finest imitation of concrete seen on the Polo grounds this season. With the ball given over to Dartmouth Captain "Jim" Robertson, who, despite his bruised and battered legs had been called upon to add his bit to the backfield, dropped behind the goal line to punt. His punt was hurried and unsuccessful and was recovered by Syracuse on the Dartmouth twenty yard line. Once more within the space of five minutes the Dartmouth line was called upon to impersonate a stone wall, but its previous successful appearance had sapped its strength, and although it held the Orange team for three downs within the five yard mark was unable to withstand the concerted attack which pushed Anderson across the line for another touchdown

During the fourth period the Dartmouth backfield opened up a barrage of forward passes but was unsuccessful in its attempt to endanger the Syracuse goal. One long pass was completed which gave hope an opportunity to spring in Hanover breasts but it was not sufficient. All in all the inability of the Green team to complete passes was as marked as it has always been, and was perhaps the biggest factor in this defeat. Certainly it was the glaring weakness in a team which in every other department of the game more than held its own with the more powerful Syracuse machine.