EARLY FOOTBALL PRACTICE

The University football squad started work last Wednesday. Forty-six men reported the first day, but this number has now increased to sixty-five and a great many other players are expected out before the end of the week. The first game will be with Williams this Saturday and until then the efforts of the coaches will be directed principally towards organizing the most efficient temporary line-up.

As was the case last year, the supply of big experienced men for the center of the line seems scarce, but there is an abundance of good backs and ends. Captain Kernan will doubtless play his old position at left half, while to support him and Graydon, who will arrive in a few days, will be a choice between Meier, Piper, Knowles, Foster, Tenney, Lindsay, Parmalee, and Sard, Leatherbee and Harrison of last year's Freshman team. Some promising men will be lost, however, in McGrew, who will not be in the game this year, and Derby, who will probably be unable to play on account of an injured knee. Putnam has not been heard from yet. Marshall is out again for quarter and if he plays the same kind of a game as he did last fall should have little difficulty in holding his position. Baldwin will probably not return to College, and the ability of Daly, with his weak knee, is rather uncertain. Elkins; of the 1905 team last year, is a fast player and may develop into an efficient man at quarter.

There have never been so many strong candidates out for end as there are this year. Bowditch is out again for his old position and for the other end there is a close competition between Burgess, Clark, Motley, McDonald, Crocker, and S. T. Jones who was last year a prominent candidate for tackle.

Barnard, at guard, is the only member of last year's team left in the center of the line, and to fill the positions left vacant by Blagden, Cutts, Sargent, Greene, and Lee, there seems to be no one of more than average ability. Wright, however, has had some experience and with King, Hovey, Knowlton, Shea, and O'Connell, should help to form a strong line. Sugden might be a likely man except for his tendency to get hurt, a misfortune which has already put him out of the game for the present. On the whole, the material for the team does not now appear to be anything remarkable, but taking into consideration the improvement which will come between now and the final game, there seems to be no reason to fear that this year's eleven will be below the average of Harvard teams in the past.

The practice up to this time has been of the most fundamental nature and has been intended merely to harden up the men. Yesterday afternoon the men were given a half hour's work in punting and in tackling the dummy, after which squads "A" and "C" lined up against each other for a few minutes. Guard and tackle plays were used almost entirely and squad "A" had very little difficulty in forcing the ball down the field.

The make-up of the first three squads during the last few days has been as follows:

Squad "A"--Burgess, l.e.; O'Connell, l.t.; Hovey, l.g.; King, c.; Barnard, r.g.; Knowlton, r.t.; Littig, r.e.; Marshall, q.b.; Sard, Lindsay, l.h.b.; Tenney, r.h.b.; Meier, f.b.

Squad "B"--McDonald, l.e.; Oveson, Dodge, l.t.; Coburn, l.g.; Sugden, c.; Fry, r.g.; Frost, r.t.; J. T. Jones, r.e.; Parker, q.b.; Noyes, l.h.b.; Foster, r.h.b.; Harrison, f.b.

Squad "C"--Mook, l.e.; Pettingell, l.t.; Lehmann, l.g.; Wilder c.; Lennox, r.g.; Frantz, r.t.; Aydelotte, r.e.; Elkins, q.b.; Randall, l.h.b.; McGlenzy, Pruyn, r.h.b.; Bunting, f.b.

Practice will be held in both the morning and the afternoon until Thursday when there will be practice but once a day.