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Pennsylvania Football.

NO WRITER ATTRIBUTED

The University of Pennsylvania football team this season will be made up chiefly of new material. At present Davidson, Teas and W. Gardiner are the only veterans on the eleven, and with the exception of two or three men from last year's scrub, the rest of the team is inexperienced. The team was also handicapped by being compelled to begin the season without any captain, and it was only a few days ago that the coaches appointed the quarterback, Howard, as temporary captain. Howard comes from Andover, and was captain and quarterback of the scrub team last year.

Coach Woodruff has made very few changes in the style of football his eleven played last year. He still uses the guards-back formation when playing on the offensive, with one or two changes. This year either-only one guard comes back at a time or else, if both guards come back together, one halfback goes up in the line. Woodruff has greatly minimized the importance of the halfback, and on the Pennsylvania eleven the ends and halfbacks are constantly interchanged. All the line plunging is done by the fullbacks and the guards, while the ends and the half-backs carry the ball around the ends.

As everything depends upon the guards, every effort is made to find brilliant players for this position. One man has been found, Piekarkski, a schoolboy from Wyoming Seminary, who is two inches over six feet in height, and weighs 195 pounds. He is developing into a hard line-bucker, and will probably play right guard. The other guard has not been found. Baird, McCabe and Sterner are all good men, the former being by far the best line-bucker. He was Captain Hare's substitute last year. Teas, last year's guard, has just come out, but he is still playing on the scrub and has not earned a place on the University team yet. Jordan, of last year's scrub, will play center. For tackle there is plenty of good material, almost all new. Anderson, sprinter on the track team last year, and Donaldson, a Freshman from Penn Charter, lead the candidates for this position. Mitchell, Corley and Bennett, who was substitute end last year, have also been playing tackle.

W. Gardiner, of last year's eleven, is playing right end. He is slow and does not use his head well, but he is the best end Pennsylvania has. Taylor is his substitute. There is no good candidate for left end. Metzgar runs well with the ball, and Ludes and Thomas are good on the defensive, but no one of the three can be considered a reliable end.

Howard, temporary captain, is developing into a good quarterback. He is the first Pennsylvania quarterback who has given the signals for some time, a necessary improvement. In running back kicks, he has made some brilliant runs in a broken field. Butler, who has been out of the game for some time with an injured hand, is the best halfback in the squad, and is a reliable punter. He will do all the kicking this year. Other candidates for halfback are Snook, a brilliant rusher, Townsend, who also plays end, Bennett, the end and tackle, Weede and Dale. Townsend played a brilliant game at end on the scrub team last year, and will probably play this year either at half or end. Davidson, end last year, is playing fullback. He is good as a ground gainer, but has few other characteristics of a good football player. Reynolds, his substitute, is more brilliant.

The first few days of practice this fall, with little new meterial to draw on, were not at all encouraging. In fact, the defeat of Lehigh by Pennsylvania a week ago, 28 to 0, was hardly expected. Though no team play appeared in the game, the playing was hard and snappy. Last Wednesday's game with Franklin and Marshall showed, however, that any confidence in the Pennsylvania eleven is misplaced. Franklin and Marshall lost the game by a fluke, 6 to 0, and the U. of P. team played a wretched game throughout. In the first half Franklin and Marshall clearly outplayed their opponents. This afternoon Penn State College will play Pennsylvania, probably a one-sided game. The Pennsylvania eleven is now weak at both ends, and inexperienced all along the line, but Penn State will not be able to prevent Davidson and the big guards from gaining through the line.

This season a system of graduate coaches has been tried, with doubtful success. Hare, Folwell, Boyle, Goodman and Carnett have done most of the coaching, usually by actual playing with the team.

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