IMPROVEMENT IN DEFENSE

In a fifteen minute scrimmage yesterday afternoon; marked by fast and accurate play, the University football team scored three touchdowns and a safety on the second team, using the forward pass with great success. Although the weather was rather warm, the men on the first eleven played an extremely hard game, not once failing to gain their distance. On the defensive the work was by far the best yet shown in practice, for in a 15-minute period of supplementary scrimmage, after the real game, the second eleven was allowed to keep game, the second eleven was allowed to keep possession of the ball, and never succeeded in gaining 10 yards in three downs. In this part of the game Osborne showed up particularly well, often breaking through the second eleven's line and stopping the runner almost before he could get started. Burr's punting was excellent, but the passes were extremely poor, a circumstance, which on one occasion nearly gave the second team a touchdown. Foster, Lockwood and Wendell each made some very long runs, Foster running 45 yards for a touchdown on a forward pass, after a very few minutes of play.

The preliminary practice consisted of two main features: a half-hour line-up for the first eleven, which was devoted to work on the forward pass, fake kicks and a few line plays; and a long practice for the ends in tackling a man in the open field after a punt. Coaches Reid and Bowditch directed the latter part of the work. Starr, who has not been in the game for some time, was played at quarterback both in the practice and in the scrimmage.

O'Hare kicked off for the second eleven to Burr, who ran the ball back from the 10 to the 40-yard line. Lockwood carried the ball outside after a 10-yard gain, and Foster punted from position to Taylor on the five-yard line, the latter being forced to carry the ball over his goal line for a safety. O'Hare punted out to Osborne, who ran in 10 yards to the 45-yard line. On the next play Starr made a forward pass to Foster on which the latter carried the ball over the line for the first touchdown. Burr kicked the goal. Two more touchdowns were made in quick succession by the first eleven. The short scrimmage which followed was devoted to further trail of the University team's defensive strength, with the result that the second eleven not once gained a first down. Toward the end Hall tried a few drop kicks for goals and Burr attempted several goals from placement from behind the line of scrimmage.

The line-up for both scrimmages follows: FIRST ELEVEN.  SECOND ELEVEN. Miller, l.e.  r.e., Bird, Hopewell Osborne, Hoar, l.t.  r.t., Warren Burr, l.g.  r.g., Plumb Parker, Fraser, c.  c., Dore Kersburg, r.g.  l.g., O'Hare, Brock Inches, r.t.  l.t., Gilbert Orr. Hopewell, r.e.  l.e., Burnham, Moore Starr, Hall, q.b.  q.b., Taylor Foster, l.h.  r.h., Greenebaum Lockwood, r.h.  l.h., Graydon Wendell, f.b.  f.b., White, Somes