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THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
WHAT NEBRASKA HAS DONE IN J 909
CLYPE E. ELLIOTT
CHALOUPKA, 1908
Explayer who has done much
1909 squad.
for
To assort that tho CornlniBkors of
1909 Bhould havo been tho champions
of tho Missouri Valloy that thoy had
tho matorlal for such an olovon and
that thoy woro coached well onougu
acqulro tho title has a paradoxical
tono; yot a caroful rovlow ana analy
sis of tho toani, with a survey of Its
Individual playerB, and a Btudy of Its
rocords how It lost and won games
will prove that such a declaration Is
anything but nbHurd.
A glanco at tho record for this fall,
with no offort to Investigate why moro
games were not won, or to hoo what
conditions obtained at tho tlmo oach
gamo was lost, will glvo a wrong vlow
of tho season of 1901); Justlco will not
bo dono to tho team or tho coaches.
Nebraska deBorvod bott&r than a 14
to 0 scoro against Minnesota; south
Dakota, tho team that hold Colo's men
G to G In tho first gamo of tho fall, Is
not In tho samo class with tho Corn
huskor olovon that complotoly out
played tho championship Donvor ag
gregation last Saturday; woak Iowa
should havo suffered a trimming by
three or four touchdowns Instead of
getting a G to 6 scoro, and tho title
holders from Lawronco. Kan., woro not
six points bettor than CoIo'b mon and
should havo been defeated by two
touchdowns.
Nobraska, on tho ovo of tho clash
with tho Haskell Indians, bus an
olovon that could havo won from Kan
sas, Iowa, South Dakota, and could
havo held Minnesota to a lower score.
Tho truth Is, It haa had thin Bamo
strong eleven since tho fow days bo
Toro It mot tho Gophers at Omaha.
Why did it not accomplish thoso things
then? This can bo answered in two
words: hard luck. And no man who
has followed tho Cornhuskors day
after day this fall can gainsay that.
In following the Cornhuskors
through two dofoatB, two ties, and
threo victories, tho writer nover has
felt that tho team was a falluro, or
that tho season wns not a success;
and on tho ovo of tho last battlo of
tho fall, his opinion is that tho No
braska team of 1909 is suporior to that
of 1908. and that It dosorves a higher
nicho in tho football annals of tho
Cornhuskor institution than its last
predecessor.
Kansas, who has to defeat only Mis
souri to bo hailed as tho champions
of tho Missouri Valloy for tho second
time within two xears, has tho right
to thoso honors, because it won from
Nobraska, 6 to 5; but it has not tho
right to proclaim that it has tho best
olovon In thlB section of tho country.
Tho way its victory was won from tho
Cornhuskors, and the way In which
tho Cornhuskors permitted It to got
that victory, deny that Nebraska is
weaker than tho Jayhawkers.
For two seasons, now, Kansas has
playod In fortune's favor and Nebras
ka haB -fought hard as an unfavored
son of tho flcklo ddmo. Not ovon In
the gamo with Denver last Saturday,
.when the Cornhuskora won, was for
tune on the sldo of tho Scarlot and
Cream. Penver had all tho luck. Had
Nebraska had Us share tho scoro
would havo been 20 to 5, Instead of
6 to, 6.
But plain apologies, without plain
evidence, are not convincing proof to
the great majority, and it Is best to
go back to tho beginning of tho pres
ent season and put a searchlight on
the events that hayo occurred since
"King" Cole landed in Lincoln on Sep-
tombor 20 and began his third year of
work with tho Cornhuskors.
Whon Coach Colo Journoyod out to
tho stato farm on tho first aftornoon
of tho practice Boason ho found about
tho poorost lot of eligible matorlal
that any coach has faced slnco tho
lato nlnotlcs. Thoro woro Just flvo let
tor men on hand. TheBo woro Captain
Boltzor, LouIb Harto, Tolt Bontloy, Lo
roy Tomplp and Johnny Johnson. Even
with a tried bunch of now matorlal, In
addition to thoso flvo veterans, tho sit
uation would havo boon a mighty hard
ono for any coach to havo bucked
against;
But tho now matonal with winch to
build up a machlno around thoso flvo
lottor men was all green, and It looked
vory gloomy, Indeed, for tho Scarlet
and Croam. On tho squad thoro woro
Frank, Shonka, Magor, Chaunor, Elli
ott and Rathbono. Later Wolcott re
turned to school and Jolnod tho bunch.
ThoBO men woro all now to tho gamo,
and a part of thorn woro rogardod as
far too woak to play varsity football.
Tho Boason was schedulod to open
on October 2 with tho University of
South Dakota, a school that boasted
of a veteran olovon. Colo, starting In
with tho matorlal on hand, put his
mon Into tho host shape poBBlblo and
sent olovon playors ogalnBt South Da
kota. Tho northern representatives had
boon at practlco for two wooks longer
than tho CornhuskorB, and thoy woro
In fit shapo for a battlo. Tho Corn
huskor team, composed of six grooy
playors, woro about as poor a lot that
ever played for tho Scarlot and Croam.
Shonka was not at contor, Magor was
not In tho gamo, nor had Wolcott and
Ewlng como to tho aid of tho team
as yot.
Tho olovon that played South Da
kota, then, did not havo In its lineup
threo of tho playors who woro lator to
bo on tho toam and mako It a winner.
Shonka while not playing center waB
at right guard, playing his flrBt game
of tho fall. Even ho was roplacod lator
In tho gamo by LouIb Harto, who had
played at full back.
This Nebraska eleven, after being
shut-out In tho first half, came back In
tho second half and ovoned up tho
scoro by making a touchdown and
kicking goal. South Dakota had scored
In tho opening session, and tho final
rosult of tho gamo wns a G to G tie.
This game would havo been lost
but for the oxcollent work of Tomplo
and Harto, two Nebraska votoruns.
Frank playod quartor part of tho game,
but did somo costly fumbling and that
kopt Nobraska from scoring on two
dlfferont occasions. It was a miser
able bunch that hold South Dakota to
a tlo. Tho team that ropresonted No
braska threo weoks later could havo
dofoatod tho northernorB by bIx or
Bovon touchdowns.
By tho next Saturday, whon Kno
wnH niot. tho CornluiBkorB. bUII having
no nadltlons to tho squad, had como
togothor under tho strong coaching of
."King" Colo and thoy put tho Illinois
toam under tho snow by a score of
34 to 0. Frank, 8honka, Rathbono and
Chaunor woro beginning to show good
form then, and thoy played faBt ball.
Thoro was, howovor, nothing In tho
play of tho CornhuskorB that indicated
thoy would bo able to play Minnesota,
their next opponent, any Bort of an
ovon game. Knox was woak weaker
than South Dakota and tho victory
gained by Nebraska was nothing of
which to boast.
During tho wook which followed tho
Knox game, and in which tho team
was to play Minnesota at Omaha,
Ewlng, Wolcott and Magor, threo mon
destined to play star ball, camo to tho
toam. In tho two early gamos tho No
braska lino had boon oxtromoly weak,
and It was foared that tho Nobraska
forwards would prove oaBy proy for
tho stout Gophers. Tho acquisition of
Ewlng and Wolcott, and tho marvelous
development of Shonka, though, gavo
Nebraska a lino that outplayed Minne
sota's. Tho Gophers wont Into tho gamo at
Omaha oxpoctlng to tear through tho
Cornhuskor forwards for long gains.
Tho thing that happened was that tho
Nobraska forwards stopped all tho
dangerous Gopher playors and mado
big holoB in tho opposing lino. Shon
ka, Temple, Harto, Wolcott and Ewing
mado up tho lino from tackle to tackle
and thoy playod as brilliant ball as
any Nebraska lino over has put up.
Magor. playing his first gamo for
tho Cornhuskors, was located at right
ond, and there ho was a sensation,
diagnosing play after play and pro
tecting his wing llko a veteran.' John
son, on tho othor end, did Just as
well.
In tho back Hold, Frank, Bontloy,
Rathbono and Captain Boltzor hold tho
four places. Thoy did not play as
fast ball as thoy did lator In tho sea
son, and It was tho weakness there
that loBt tho game. Rathbono proved
himself a mighty hard lino hitter and
earned a right to a permanent posl
tlon on tho earn. Shonka and Wolcott;
tho two now Hnd men, woro invincible,
and tho former began to play tho kind
of football that has earned him a right
to bo classed as tho bcBt center In tho
west.
During tho first half of this gamo
Nebraska hold Minnesota oven, neither
sldo scoring. Tho second half told on
tho strength of Nebraska, and tho Go
phers won by scoring fourteen points.
Their scores woro made In rather a
fluky manner, though.
Tho first touchdown camo In tho
early mlnuteB of tho second half; an
unguarded forward pass took tho ball
from tho Cornhuskor fifty-yard lino to
Its ton-yard lino. There It took threo
attompts to push tho oval over tho
lino. Tho next points woro made af
ter a kick of Captain Beltzer's had
boon "blockod on his own fifteen-yard
lino. Tho threo points from a drop
kick woro scorod from Nebraska's
twonty-flvo-yard line, Captain Boltzor
fumbling ono of Captain McGovern's
long punts and allowing the ball to
bo recovered by a Gopher.
Tho gamo was a "great one," and
tho Cornhuskors established their
placo In western football. Their show
ing against Minnesota proved to bo
bottor than any othor team made,
with tho exception of Michigan, tho
olovon that last Saturday defeated tho
powerful pupils of Coach Williams.
Tho Minnesota game settled tho No
braska lineup for tho season, and gave
"King" Colo eleven good players. H1b
linemen wero tho best that could be
desired, but he lacked a star for his
back Hold, and this part of tho olovon
was weak. Tho dofenso was grand,
but tho offenso was Blow and not ef
fective as a scoring machine. This
woakness In the offenso was prom
inent In tho Iowa gamo, tho Saturday
following tho Minnesota gamo. It was
not bo notlccablo In the Kansas bat-
COACH "KING" COLE
Ex-Michigan
tlo, and in tho Denver game last wook
tho only ovhenco that it still remained
was tho fumbling that tho backs did.
In mooting Iowa, Nobraska was
plckod as tho favorite, and should
havo won. Thoro Is no denying it
had a bottor olovon. A quartorback,
not of varsity material, gavo Iowa its
chances to scoro and kept Nebraska
from winning. Both Nebraska's of
fonso and defense woro far Buporior to
Iowa's. Tho only way In which tho
Jayhawkors could scoro was by tho
air lino, Hyland booting two goals
from tho field. His Inaccuracy was
shown, though, in his falluro to get
moro than that, for ho attempted nine
In all; two out or nine is not even a
fair average.
There is no doubt thai Nobraska
would havo defoated Iowa by two or
threo touchdowns had Frank or Bont
loy boon In at quartor instead of Has-'
call. This latter boy played tho best
ho could, and it Is not fair to criticise
him too much, for in placing tho blamo
for the failure to win it Is only just
to the other members to speak the
truth. Anybody who witnessed tho
Nebraska-Iowa game wjll, In giving a
fair Judgment, pronounce tho Corn
buskers a superior eleven to tho Jay
hawkers. It it is denied, however,
point to tho comparative scores of the
Kansas-Nebraska and tho Iowa-Kansas
gairies. Tho former stood 6 to 0, with
Kansas exerting its full strength; the
HP
second closed 20 to 7, with the Jay
httwkors playing their substitutes.
After tho Iowa gamo Nebraska met
Doano college of Creto, a team that
was hailed as tho strongest of the Ne
braska college eleven, but which haa
failed to establish a tltlo to that honor.
"King" Colo ordered his players to
take things easy and the Creto lads
wero defeated only 12 to 0. The
Cornhuskors had a substitute back
field in tho battlo for tho greater Bhare
of tho time. Tho regulars wero saved
as much as possible for tho noxt Sat
urday, when tho real big gamo of tho
Nobraska schedule was to take place,
Kansas being tho foe.
During the days preceding tho Jay
hawker battlo tho Cornhuskors worked
overtime to get Into shape, and they
wont into tho battlo In tip top form.
During Iho first half neither side
scored nnd tho advantage apparently
was with Colo's mon. They, at least,
played tho ball In Jayhawker territory
most of tho tlmo and should have
scorod.
In tho second session tho battlo was
a see-saw, and In the last two min
utes of play tho Jayhawkors were
given tho gamo, when Quarterback
Johnson ran from tho Kansas forty
yard lino for a touchdown. He
caught a low punt from Captain Belt
zer's boot and raced by Nebraska
tacklers to a touchdown. He was
tackled and should have been stopped
easily.
Poor generalship and questionable
penalties provonted tho Cornhuskors
Bcorlng In tho second half. They threo
times rushed the ball down to tho Jay
hawkor twenty-ynrd lino, and each
tlmo wero brought back for alleged In
fractions of tho rules. Tho decisions
woro vory shady, to say tho least. In
tho opening half tho Cornhuskers
wero twice down to tho Knnsas fifteen
yard lino, nnd a littlo better general
ship would have brought scores.
In this gamo tho Nobraska forwards
outplayed their opponents man for
man, and won tho right to bo placed
on the All-Missouri Valloy eleven.
Shonka was a big advantage over the
much touted Carlson, while the other
linemen bowled over their opponents
with en bo.
As thlH wns tho crucial battle in'
the Missouri Vnlley league, nnd ns
Knnsns won It, the championship hon
ors were lost to the Cornhuskors. The
merits of tho two elevens were not,
howovor, Indicated by tho 6 to 0 Hcore.
A tlo ending would havo been ncarlng
tho oquitable thing, but even that
would hnve dono tho Cornhuskers nn
Injustice. This sounds a great deal
llko squenllng, to many, but If ono
hns followed the CornhuskorB and re
alizes how well they played against
Kansas he must como to the came
conclusion.
Tho Jayhawker battlo was followed
by a roat of two weokB and thon
Denver University was mot on Satur
day, November 20, at tho Colorado cap-'
uni. i no i ornnusKors won uio gumu
by a scoro of G to 5, a result that in
no way indicates tho relative strength
of tho two elevens.
Nobraska had not played Donvor
University since 1907, whon tho west
erners camo to Lincoln and wero
smothered under a score of G2 to 0.
Tho Ministers, as tho Donver players
aro named, caused several strong play
ers to Immlgrato tho noxt season
after meeting Nebraska, and settle at
Denver University. Tho Ministers aro
hedged In by no freshman rule, and
it waB posHlblo fpr thorn to rejuvenate
tholr team in a singlo season, and
that was tho thing which thoy accom
plished. From a woak eleven that was hold
to a 12 to 0 score by a high school
team In 1907. Donvor camo up In ono
year to an olovon that won tho cham
pionship or Colorado nnd tho Rocky
mountain region and that hold tho
famous Carlisle Indians to an 8 to 4
score.
It was last fall that tho Ministers
did this, and this season, with prac
tically tho aamo eleven, thoy havo
again won tho championship of Colo
rado and whon Nobraska mot thorn
wero hailed asJftho best olovon In tho
west, although thoy had boon defeat
ed by tho Haskolls.
No ono In Denver, howovor, will ad
mit that tho Haskell Indians havo a
better eleven than penver, for the red
mon took tho Mlnlstqrs by surprise.
Deacon Koehler, coach of tho Minis
ters, had underestimated Haskell's
strength. Tho result was that tho In
dians won, 8 to G.
This gamo with tho Indians preced
ed tho Nebraska contest just ono week,
and Immediately after It Deacon Koeh
ler began to prepare to take out re
venge on Nebraska for that which tho
Indians had given him. "Ho worked
Volk, a half back, into Bhapo and put
his strongest eleven in the Nobraska
game.
But even with his beBt team, he
filled to win. Tho Cornhuskors proved
thomsolves superior In every depart
ment of play. Tho forward pass they
worked often, while tho Ministers did
not once succeed with it. Tho Corn
huskor lino was invincjblo. and the
ASSISTANT COACH HARVEY
Captain 1908
back field had struck its gait. Magor
and Rathbono toro through holes in
tho Denver lino continually for great
gains, and Frank Bwept around ends
for long advances.
Tho Thanksgiving day gamo will soo
four Cornhuskers playing their last
football for tho Scnrlet and Cream.
These men aro Harry Ewlng, Louis
Harto, Captain Boltzor, ,and "Johnny"
Johnson. Thoy havo played football
with the Cornhuskers for three years,
and havo showed up In grand form.
Their loss to tho team will bo severe,
but there aro some new men on tho
squad who promise to got into tho
gamo in n. way that will help keep tho
Cornhuskers in a high class In western
football. It is doubtful, though,
whether Nebraska will soon havo as
powerful a line bb tho present one.
In tho back field this fall Nobraska
has threo players who certainly aro
"comers" in every sense of the word.
Thoy aro Magor, right half; Rathbono,
full back, and Frank, quartor, Tho
way they played tho gamo at Donver
Is an Indication that they will bo real
stars of the first magnltudo noxt fall.
Magor did some work at Denver that.
If continued noxt fall, will mako him
tho host half back In tho west.
In tho lino thoro will remain for
noxt fall Walcott, right guard; Shonka,
contor; Tomplo, right tackle, and
Chaunor, right end. Shonka has
proved himself a wonder this fall, and
it is hard to guess to what extromo
his play will go next fall. Walcott'B
work at guard marks him for ono of
tho boat guards in tho weBt next fall.
Ho has not met his match this season.
Tomplo Ib ono of tho best dofenslvo
players in the west today, and noxt
fall, which is his last season of foot
ball, he undoubtedly will bo a terror.
Chaunor has mado an oxcollent ond
this fall, and noxt season ho should bo
. ono of the beBt flankerB Nebraska has
possessed In several seasons. Elliott,
who played right guard at Donvor, Ib
suro to prove a tower of strength to
tho Nobraska lino noxt fall. His play
against Denver wns of a high order.
Nobraska has another quartor, bo
sldes Frank, who will bo eligible for
another season of football, but who is
leaving school after Thanksgiving. Ho
Is Tolt Bontloy, who played In but ono
big gamo, that being against Minne
sota at Omaha. Ho Was injured at
that tlmo and kept out of tho Iowa
gamo because of his physical condi-
UUll.
Ho was not put in tho KansaB and
Donvor games becauBo Frank was con
sidered a better player for quartor.
The poor generalship In the Kansas
gamo which lost the Cornhuskors tho
gamo, probably would have been elim
inated had Bontloy been at quarter.
Bontloy has nover been vory fast In
running tho eleven, but ho haB used
good judgment and would havo dono
better than Frank In tho crucial con
tost with the Jayhawkers. Frank is a
"comer," though, and probably will do
much better work next fall.
A team needs a heady individual like
Tolt Bontley, and if ho fails to return
to Nebraska next fall tho Cornhuskers
will feel tho Iobb occasioned byr his
absence. He has shown real Nebras
ka spirit in sticking by tho team after
ho has seen that Frank has been given
his position. He has realized the shift
was made for strengthening tho team,
and he has willingly surrendered his
placo. He has tho kind of spirit that
makes good football players and good
men.
M
n
