The New York Times/1918/11/11/College Teams Bid for Gridiron Fame
COLLEGE TEAMS BID FOR GRIDIRON FAME
Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, and Georgia Tech Gain Laurels at Football.
Collegiate football organizations of the country bid for 1918 laurels with as delectable a dish of gridiron tidbits Saturday as has been offered in several seasons. Few of the institutions so well known in intercollegiate ranks lacked representation in teh long list of scores, and those elevens which in the last few years have been placed among the leaders again exhibited such prowess as to be accepted again as ready for the spotlight.
Glenn Warner's Pittsburgh Panthers came out of obscurity for the first time this season and ably demonstrated the usual Pittsburgh power and dash by smothering Washington and Jefferson by 54 to 0. With the veterans McLaren and Easterday in the back field, Pittsburgh again seeks gridiron laurels of the highest.
The showing of the Panthers was such as to raise the hopes of football followers for a battle pre-eminent when Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech get together later this month in a game for the War Work Fund. Georgia Tech rolled up 128 points against North Caroline A. and E., a well-drilled and conditioned aggregation. With such scoring possibilities the Tech-Pittsburgh contest should develop into one of the greatest gridiron feasts ever concocted.
Two more the leading elevens of the East added brilliantly to their season's records. Rutgets smothered all opposition offered by Penn State and swept aside Hugo Bezdek's charges by 26 to 3. The only balm enjoyed by Penn State was a field goal kicked in the first few minutes of play. After this score Rutgers seemed beset by a fury which drove Penn State almost off the field. Foster Sanford has developed a back field in Gardner, Baker and Kelly which, with the hlep of Robeson, the giant negro end, seems the most formidable now playing. Once in action and speeded up to its best strength, Rutgers is almost unstoppable. Charley Brickley, who played against Rutgers a week or so ago, says that the Sanford pile-driving line attack would dishearten any opposition. Brickley's team was beaten by Rutgers 40 to 0.
Syracuse added Brown to its 1918 victims alongside of Dartmouth, and it may be consoling to Dartmouth adherents to learn that Brown was handled even more severely by the up-State farmers. Syracuse rolled up 53 points against Brown, and only let down when it appeared as if the Providence eleven was not going to be able to stand the punishment. Syracuse has crowded into the Eastern football limelight with such certainty that it now is to be figured among the leading elevens of the year.
Pennsylvania, after a series of misfortunes which almost disrupted the team, seems to have regained its proper sphere, since the eleven hammered its way through that of Lafayette for a victory by 34 to 0. Penn sent an entirely new backfield into the game against Lafayette, and the line was so shifted that few of the spectators knew the lineup. The new team gave promise of offering some kind of opposition to Pittsburgh when the two elevens get together soon.
New York seems to be represented by a football eleven of ability once more, judging from the efforts of the Columbia team to bring fame to itself and its coach, Fred Dawson. The Union team was totally unprepared for the slashing attack of Columbia's backfield, and went under promptly and decisively. With Robb, Houlahan, Shaw, and Collins alternating in carrying the ball, Columbia pounded the Union forward wall to nothing, and rolled up five touchdowns. Columbia students are eagerly accepting as a fact that Columbia has the greatest football team that ever represented the institution since the days of Foster Sanford football there.
Fordham had a hard time getting rid of the opposition offered by New York University in their local football battle, but eventually, with Frisch outdoing himself, managed to win by 7 to 0. N. Y. U. showed unusual strength, and earned almost as much glory as that of the victor.
After having been denied a chance for gridiron revenge since 1905, Michigan went to Chicago and gave A. A. Stagg's eleven a 13 to 0 trouncing in the most exciting game played in the West. Notre Dame and Iowa also figured in prominent contests.
The Harvard Informals got started on a 1918 journey by taking advantage of a momentary lapse on the part of Tufts and scoring a 7 to 0 victory. Harvard will not engage in many games, but it seeks victory with a representative team.