Big Green Teams

Performance of Indian Eleven and Weird Season In General Leave Sports Editor Guessing

FOOTBALL IN ITS infancy this fall has been strictly on the nutty side, and all those attempting to analyse what has happened on the various gridirons of the nation are fast going nutty trying to figure things out.

At this writing three weeks of the real football season have elapsed and we find four major teams in the East undefeated and untied. Dartmouth, Boston College, Syracuse and Pittsburgh remain in the elect group. In the Mid-West Minnesota alone has run true to the pre-campaign figures, the Far-West has been a mad-house from start to middle, and on October 8, Princeton, Harvard and Yale all lost a football game on the same Saturday for the first time in the history of the sport.

But if all this wasn't enough to make the shrewdest football fan from coast to coast scratch whatever hair remained on his head, Princeton comes back and defeats a Penn team that is expected and has already shown itself to be a powerhouse, Yale returns to knock Navy out of the undefeated class, Syracuse scores two touch- downs in the last ten minutes of play to defeat mighty Cornell, and the Almighty knows what hasn't happened in the way of unexpected events, story-book drama, and sensational football that has just about exhausted the great American football public before the season is hardly under way.

If there is any explanation to the lavish scoring that has been done from coast to coast on long runs and forward passes, it would seem to me to be a new emphasis on passing by all teams and the presence of some mighty fine backs on nearly everybody's team all of a sudden.

Where, oh where, are the experts who predicted before the season was under way that defensive maneuvers and changing lineups on defense were going to ruin the spectacle that is football? Probably off hiding on Balch Hill or some woody lane nearest to the individual in question. Not that defensive football hasn't lived up to its promises, for it has.

Only the offense was ready with shifting assignments this fall and furthermore hasn't given a hoot.

To get finally to the Dartmouth angle on all this, the Big Green, as expected, runs wild over Bates and St. Lawrence, showing fast backs, a passing attack that was a sight for sore eyes, and little or no reserve strength to speak of. With this behind them, the Indians move into Palmer Stadium for the first test with Princeton, and the day is hot, very hot. And Dartmouth gets into a hole right away when the Tigers run back the opening kickoff to the go-yard line or thereabouts, and the men of Tad Weiman continue on for another first down and everybody with Dartmouth in his heart begins to feel a little uneasy until Princeton fumbles and Dartmouth recovers.

So Captain Bob MacLeod, Bill Hutchinson, Colby Howe and Sandy Courter, with some fine blocking by the linemen, march down the field right away to the 8-yard line where the boys stop long enough for Hutch to kick a field goal and the score reads 3-0.

Swell, says everybody with Dartmouth in his heart, but before the word is finished the Big Green seems to be down on the one-foot line, only its the wrong one from our point of view, and the Tigers are threatening to score. Which they don't do because the Dartmouth line refuses to let them, and the half ends, 3-0. Which doesn't begin to tell the whole excitement and the number of times it seemed either a Dartmouth back or a Princeton back seemed to be naked for a sure touchdown, or some receiver was clear for a sure score on a pass.

Nevertheless, Dartmouth comes out from the field house after Coach Blaik had said a few words about what plays ought to go, and wham, Howe runs 55 yards through right tackle for a touchdown and two offensive plays later—very offensive to Princeton—Hutchinson gallops 68 yards to another score with the help of MacLeod, who made the play of the game by all odds. We give it to you. MacLeod lines up in the No. 1 position behind his own right end, with Hutch in the deep hole. Gibson centers the ball to Hutch, while Mac takes his man, the defensive left tackle, and drives him eight full yards out of the play, which is work enough for any one man on any play. Would that some of the other Dartmouth backs could do as well! But is Mac satisfied? Twice No! He regains his speed, races down the field to catch Hutch and the Tiger man who is about to stop Wild Bill on the 20-yard line and makes his second block on the play 50 yards from the line of scrimmage. It is any wonder that those who know Dartmouth football feel that Mac rates among the greatest backs who ever wore the Green? And we're no one to beat the drums for any individual when the team is all that matters. But when one player is doing so much to make the team what it is, then off with the usual inhibitions.

Back in the midst of the ball game again. Do the thousands of fans present sit back and wait for the end to come with a bored expression? Not by a darn sight! Princeton is still very much in the ball game with fast backs running riot all over the field, and the Tigers blocking like madmen, and Bob Gibson playing the game of three men backing up the Green line, and nobody feels quite sure what's going to happen next, unless he consulted the stars before the game or tells the story in calm knowledge after it was finished.

In fact it wasn't until Hutch threw Mac a pass that led to the third Dartmouth touchdown that we, at least, felt that the game was in the satchel, and we have about as much confidence in the Green lads as anybody around.

So everybody says swell, it's the same kind of a team as last year's. It may not look so hot play after play, but its dangerous from all over the terrain.

Then Brown, already victorious over Harvard, arrives in Hanover and the usual reports that do get around brought the news that the Bears had a pretty good backfield of their own. And how true this turned out to be. You could have fanned any one of the 15,000 fans present with a shadow of a razor blade and knocked him over when Brown ran the opening kick- off to the 50-yard line, the same as at Princeton, and right end Jim Parks saved the day, for a moment at least, by making a desperate tackle that downed Shine Hall. Then in less time than it takes to think about it all, Brown is scoring and kicking the point after touchdown to lead 7-0.

The Dartmouth players down on the field don't seem to be especially scared or anything, and Hutch takes Brown's return kickoff almost for a length-of-the- field score that one Brown man prevented. Dartmouth drives on with passes and runs, not looking especially impressed on a cruelly hot afternoon, and the first quarter ends. Before the half ends, Dartmouth scores twice and Brown once more to end the period with the Green ahead, 14-13.

Again Dartmouth goes into the dressing room and this time Coach Blaik has very little to say to the first team—or such is our guess, and we never Walter Winchell around to find out about such things—but he does call the reserves to one side and says to them in words that probably went something like this: "Its so hot out on that field that one thing alone will make Dartmouth a sure victor today, and that is for you second team players to go back out on the field and hold Brown for this third quarter, and good luck to you. If you can do it we'll win, and we'll all take the gamble together."

So the lads that I, and everybody else who saw the reserves in action against Bates, St. Lawrence, Princeton and in scrimmages, had been calling worthless, or of little use to the team, or whatever way you want to say it, went out on the field a truly inspired group that met the Brown enthusiasm for victory with an equal amount of enthusiasm that the regulars seemed to lack, with the exception of MacLeod, and not only held their own, but fought eye to eye on even terms with the best Brown team in five years. The upshot of the whole thing was that these lads with half the ability, if that much, that the starters possess, wore down Brown with real tackling, sharp blocking and determination, so that when Coach Blaik sent in his comparatively fresh first eleven, it was merely a matter of how long before the game would be busted as wide open as the entrance to the Holland Tunnel. So with all due respect to the boys who ran wild once they were back in the ball game, the hat goes off this month to the seconds who made good when their coach took a chance, and spelled victory.

That just about hits the high spots of the games on which we have to report. Here, there and everywhere with the teams reveals that MacLeod has become a great passer and this has added a double threat to worry the enemy Hutch has done some of the finest broken-field running that I have ever seen, his punting has been tremendous, and offensively he has been a whale of a back including several good blocks made on sincere efforts on every assignment.... Howe has made two long runs in both major games and toward the close of the Brown game showed some of the fire and dash that made him a star in 1937.... We expect to see Colby come fast now that he is started The line is more vulnerable around mid-field than any unit Harry Ellinger has put together in his stay at Hanover, but in all due respect neither Princeton or Brown scored on the ground through the trenches and the boys have faced some pretty fair ball-carriers Sloppy tackling seemed to hurt in the Brown game more than ability to break through to the runners Furthermore it must be remembered that there is one sophomore in the line, another sophomore backing up the frontier, one tackle who never played the position before, and finally that it is taking some of the veteran linemen quite a while to return to their 1937 form Gibson has been truly outstanding at center and no Dartmouth pivot man I ever saw, and we witnessed Mutt Ray's brilliant performance at Cornell in 1936, ever played a more vital defensive role in stopping a Dartmouth opponent from repeated scores With Courter still learning the ropes, Gibby has taken over one terrific responsibility, and we only hope he can hold on long enough until Sandy gets the feel, when he too will be as good as you've seen around these: parts for some time The development of the team as a whole unit has been retarded more this year than expected Almost a week and a half of rain, slimy mud on Memorial Field, a hurricane, and then one of the hottest weeks of practice we remember kept the work down almost to signal drills until the coaches seemed to be desperate for time Given a few cold days in which to tighten up some of the loose bolts, the team should make general progress rapidly

Of course, the next opponent as we bang this piece out for consumers is Harvard, a team that hasn't won a game to date and under ordinary circumstances doesn't figure to start in on Dartmouth. But Harry Ellinger, who scouted Harvard and who never even tried to fool anybody yet, came back to Hanover looking more and more worried each Saturday until after the Harvard-Army game he wore a very worried expression.

As Bill Cunningham said after he watched Dartmouth beat Brown, "It's one of those teams that doesn't care what happens so long as it can have the ball once in a while," and we hope that the Big Green can get the ball away from Dick Harlow's magicians long enough to outscore the Johnnies.

We haven't lost faith in the 1938 eleven. Rather we think it is a great offensive team—the greatest we have seen at Dartmouth. It can pass the ball around like no other Big Green team since the 1925 eleven, which from all reports stayed in the air so much the birds complained. It has a running back at left halfback who is dangerous, and this is the first time this has been true in five years. Something has been sacrificed to make this possible, but you can't have everything all the time. The team hasn't begun to block like the 1937 eleven and is miles away from the 1936 team in this respect. It is a team that has poise to spare. I doubt very much if the team ever cracks in any game, win, lose or draw. This factor will make it potent right up to the final whistle and it will be just as well never to leave the ball park so long as there is any chance for a play to take place. It is a team and a squad that is working in perfect harmony and all for one cause. Perhaps its weaknesses will lick it in some ball game, but it will always make its strong points felt no matter who it's playing, and I'd feel the same way if Pittsburgh were on the schedule.

THE SCORE THAT PUT DARTMOUTH IN THE LEAD Bill Hutchinson, clear in the end zone, takes a pass from Captain Bob MacLeod andscores the touchdown that put Dartmouth ahead of Brown, 14-7, in the second period oftheir exciting battle in Hanover.

DEFENSIVE DYNAMITE Joe Cottone, of Hartford, Conn., whoserattling tackles and general improvementhave made him a spirited contender for aregular halfback assignment.

WASHINGTON BOY MAKES GOOD Jim Parks, who has taken over the rightend. berth and seems destined to keep it.

AN ILLUSTRATION OF DARTMOUTH POWER AGAINST PRINCETON The Big Green team snapped at the start of an end sweep which netted II yards in midfield. MacLeod (far right) carries the ball behind solid interference provided by Howe (43) and Courter (83). Princeton's Captain Mountain (33) charges through line to betaken out of the play by Zitrides, who is coming around from his right guard position. Hutchinson accounts for Princeton s right end,Stanley (42). while the Green backfield interferers blot out the Tiger secondardy, seen charging in. Alley-dice, safety man, finally madethe tackle after the Dartmouth captain had reeled off a first, down.