Review of Dartmouth Season

In the face of a most discouraging outlook at the beginning of the fall, Dartmouth comes to the Harvard game with the most successful record of the past three seasons. With a new coaching staff, unpromising material, few veterans, and the two important games at the end of the schedule coming but a week apart, little was expected of the team when practice was started early in September. However, utmost confidence was placed in the ability of Frank Cavanaugh as a coach, and the results of the season show that the confidence was not misplaced.

Practice began September 7 with seven positions on the team to be filled from the green material. From the very start, the development was slow, and throughout the entire season constant shifts in the line-up were necessitated. Injuries to the players added new difficulties, for in no recent season has the Dartmouth squad suffered so heavily or so severely in injuries to the members of its football squad. In no two successive games has the Green presented the same backfield, because of the incapacity of some of the backs.

The season began with absolutely no promise of a punter of even mediocre ability. However, kickers have been developed who have managed to cope with their opponents. The punts of the Dartmouth players do not average long distances nor are they extraordinary in character, but nevertheless, they have proved to be dangerous, with the ends getting down the field as fast as they do. This was strikingly shown in the Princeton game, when the Tiger ends were unable to run back any distance the punts of Llewellyn and Morey.

From the beginning Coach Cavanaugh laid out a plan of campaign that has been consistently followed. With the necessity of developing new material to replace the players who were out of the game with injuries, his steady development of the whole squad was at times delayed. Realizing the strength of the Dartmouth line and the comparative weakness of the backfield, the policy of the coaches has been to develop a defensive team. However, in the game last Saturday the backs showed that they had power, and with the variety of plays that have been developed, but not uncovered until Princeton was faced, the offensive power of the Green was a revelation.

Although in all the early season games nothing but a few simple formations were used, the contests were easily won, and except for field-goals and fluke touchdowns by Williams and Amherst, Dartmouth has not been scored upon. At no time during the season was her goal-line endangered by real football, showing the strength of the offence. Dartmouth has scored 129 points to 17 by opponents.

The record of the season is as follows:

Dartmouth, 18; Norwich, 3.

Dartmouth, 22; Mass. State, 0.

Dartmouth, 23, Bowdoin, 0.

Dartmouth, 12; Colby, 0.

Dartmouth, 1; Holy Cross, 0.

Dartmouth, 23; Williams, 5.

Dartmouth, 12; Vermont, 0.

Dartmouth, 18; Amherst, 6.

Dartmouth, 0; Princeton, 3.