ATHLETICS
Whatever else the 1924 season may mean to Dartmouth football by the time the schedule is completed and this magazine is in your hands, this year's team has one definite achievement to its credit. For the first time in the history of the relations between the two institutions Yale has been scored upon. And, furthermore, she was not only scored upon but very nearly defeated. The season is already something of a success.
A year ago the MAGAZINE heralded something that looked like the long sought system and today it takes. pleasure in pointing out that its remarks of last year have been confirmed. Although meeting but tissue paper opposition in its first three games, the Green team this fall was undeniably farther advanced in the early weeks than any of its recent predecessors. Jess Hawley has seemed able to take up his instruction at the point where the class was dismissed last fall and carry on without a lot of tiresome review.
And now after Yale has been met, a spirit of not unwarranted optimism prevails in Hanover. Those who saw the team in the early fall feared the baptism of fire that it would receive at the hands of the Elis, for the New Haven bowl and a crowd of 50,000 form color not sought by any coach as a decorative effect for his team's first hard game. Nor is optimism to be interpreted as overconfidence. The chagrin of Dartmouth's being held for four downs within the one foot mark is nowhere more keenly felt. But, nevertheless, we have faith that Captain Bjorkman and his team have rid themselves for the season of uncertain football and under Hawley's stimulus will make good our fondest hopes.
Again, a year ago, we predicted the not far distant taming of one Gil Dobie of Cornell. As our life insurance friends insist, we are not a prophet, but we include this little piece of work in our above mentioned hopes for this year, realizing nevertheless that with backs against the wall following two early season reverses the Ithacans will fight every minute.
This 1924 team is made up of eleven good first string men and several equally good substitutes. It is hard to direct alumni attention to any outstanding stars. Oberlander, shifted from tackle to right half, more than justified his coach's wisdom by his performance in early games and if not too closely guarded will reward careful watching. Hall, at the other half, has turned in some very pretty running bits, Leavitt puts the spirit of the French poilu into his defensive fullback work, and Dooley, who completes the backfield quartet, is possessed of good judgment and much natural football ability. In the line, "Dutch" Diehl, in his second year at left guard, is doing wonderful work and a lineman never gets credit unless he is exceptional. On the right flank, Captain Bjorkman is playing a sterling game and proving himself deserving of leadership honors.
Diehl, Dooley, and Oberlander will be available another year as will Tully, Parker, Robinson and Starrett, but the one sour note in the whole program is the fact that the 1927 freshman team failed to produce even one regular for this year's varsity. A number of sophomores look like varsity material with considerable training but there are no natural stars around whom future elevens may be built. Hawley's resourcefulness, however, will probably be equal to the demand when the time comes.
Dartmouth 40—Norwich 0
Norwich again occupied the first place on Dartmouth's 1924 schedule but its appearance in Hanover on September 27 was a disappointment to its backers and the Green coaches, the score being 40 to 0. Hawley had brought the Dartmouth team pretty well along before the opening game and the cadets were too completely outclassed to bring out any but the most elementary Green weaknesses.
Spectators carried away two major impressions of the 1924 eleven: the first, that of a host of Green jerseys ahead of every Dartmouth ball carrier; the second, Andy Oberlander, sterling tackle of a year ago transformed into a brilliant halfback.
The interference was immense. So perfectly did it work that at times the runner was completely hidden from the Norwich tacklers. Five men, six men and sometimes more opened paths through the Norwich line wide enough for the new Memorial Field tractor and the Green backs tore through just as hard and considerably faster. Every man in the Dartmouth backfield looked good but they couldn't well look anything else with such an open road ahead.
Oberlander, playing his first game in the backfield, surprised many with his speed and pleased all with his tremendous power. When tackled he was not easily brought to earth. His brute strength dragged many a maroon tackier yard after yard. He made one feel that he was really too big to be playing with the other men on the field.
The game was marred by the loss of 100 yards by penalties and the poor passing of the centre which slowed up many of the Green plays. Coach Hawley used at least three men in each position and the substitutes seemed equally well drilled and kept tallying right up to the final whistle.
Dartmouth 52, McGill 0
In the second game of the season, on October 4, a crowd of less than 5000, disappointingly small for the new Memorial Field, saw one of the greatest exhibitions of sportsmanship ever staged on Hanover Plain when McGill University succumbed to the powerful Green attack, 52-0. The Canadians were unfamiliar with the rules of the American game and therefore played under a tremendous handicap, only partially compensated for by the refusal of all penalties by Coach Hawley and Captain Bjorkman.
In their striped red and white jerseys, soccer pants, and hockey players' shin guards and knee protectors, the men from Montreal furnished the most color yet seen on Memorial Field and played as hard and clean a game as one could ask. Their sportsmanship was a treat but their football ability again failed to test Coach Hawley's men, the Green scoring 18 points in the first ten minutes of play.
Coach Hawley used but two teams against the Canadians, sending .in 11 men at once shortly after the opening of the second period. The Green interference showed improvement, and O'berlander demonstrated that he had added a few shifts and twists to his repertoire since his last appearance. Hall, whose running had featured the Norwich game, was early replaced by Win Robinson, who did some excellent work. Dartmouth tried out its forward passing game with results very satisfactory, but not as spectacular as the lateral passing game which McGill uncorked in the final period. These brought the ball to the Dartmouth five-yard line, where the Hanover team held until a McGill try for goal failed.
Frequent penalties again marred the game, and sensational catches by Bjorkman and Dooley were welcome incidents in a contest with few thrilling moments.
Dartmouth 38, Vermont 0
Even old reliable Tom Keady '06, who two years ago handed the Green a defeat at the hands of his Vermont team which cannot soon be forgotten, failed this year to produce an eleven which could furnish Coach Hawley's outfit with strong early season opposition. True, the Burlington team was greatly handicapped by ineligibility and injuries in its game here on October 11.
The Vermonters failed to make a first down but made generous distance on penalties called on the Green. The Hanoverians were again good on interference, but long gains by Oberlander, Hall and Robinson were frequently nullified by loose playing.
Points, not precious in this game, but which would mean much later, were missed in failures to score after touchdowns. The punting of the Dartmouth men was weak, although surpassed slightly that of Keady's booters. Dartmouth's overhead game was not strong, but forwards were not attempted to any great extent. So much for the weaknesses which did develop.
Dartmouth's defense was great. The line charged well and tackled hard. The secondary defense was rarely needed, but was impenetrable. The Green ends were down fast under punts and the Green and Gold receivers rarely got away. The running backs were all good. Dependable Red Hall criss-crossed around end to his heart's delight, as well as to that of everybody in the stands, Oberlander was more brilliant and more elusive than ever, Robinson's high knee action gained many a yard, Larry Leavitt, who had been sparingly used in the first two games, showed that again this year there is always a hole where he hits the line, and the flashy Dooley directed the team with excellent judgment and ran punts back beautifully.
The Vermont game brought out some weaknesses and was good preparation for the Yale game.
Dartmouth 14, Yale 14
In its bowl at New Haven, Saturday, October 18, the Yale bulldog was forced to play headsup football to earn a tie score in its first game with Dartmouth since 1900.
A few minutes of loose handling of the ball by the Hanoverians, unaccustomed to facing real opposition and unduly impressed by the immensity of the bowl, gave the Elis an early 7-0 lead. Dooley soon recovered his composure and discovered that Oberlander was being given an undue amount of attention by the blue-jerseyed opponents. Hence, knowing that red always goes well against blue, he employed Hall as a" ball carrier with very satisfactory results. The venerable criss-cross was exhibited to an admiring Yale team, who apparently had never seen it before outside of Spalding's "How to Play Football."
Throwing in an occasional line buck for variation, Dooley relied on the criss-cross and some beautiful forward passes to tie the score in the second period and to give Dartmouth the lead early in the second half. Hall's running was a beautiful feature and the defensive work of Diehl and Leavitt was a treat. But the breaks were undeniably going to the Elis. Their first touchdown had followed Dooley's bauble and their second tally came when Oberlander, dazed by being kicked in the head, loosed his grip on the ball in midfield and allowed a Yale end to transfer it 35 yards in the direction of the Green goal. The quarter ended with the ball on the one-yard line and the Eli backs lost no time in taking it over at the start of the final period.
The closing quarter was a thriller. Tad Jones rushed in his fast sophomore backs in an attempt to push across a winning tally. But Hawley's men had hammered the Yale line until, like the French before Paris in 1914, it gave ground time after time, only to redeem itself by a wonderful stand with its cleats on the sacred goal line. Here the blue jerseys stopped four terrific Dartmouth assaults and in turn started a drive down the field which ended on the Green 31-yard line when a frantic place kick went wide by yards and the referee dismissed the gathering.
