HARVARD AND YALE TEAMS

New York, N. Y., Nov., 18, 1911.--A comparison of Yale and Harvard from their play against Princeton is comparatively easy. Neither team follows the ball as does the Princeton team. Neither Harvard nor Yale has as vicious or powerful a defence nor are they equal to Princeton in either department of the kicking game. The Harvard team on attack is the antithesis of the Yale team, the former having broken up their offence on the lines of the old style football. Harvard plays a line breaking game almost exclusively, in which Wendell, the star line-breaking back of the season figures prominently.

The entire Harvard team plays together as a unit on offence, while the weakness of the Harvard attack is its lack of versatility. From tackle to tackle it is strong, but is weak on the ends and in the open style of play.

While Harvard scored against Princeton on a cleverly executed forward pass, I do not consider the Harvard team adept in the use of the forward pass or the onside kick. The Yale attack on the other hand is built along different lines. The old fashioned line-breaking style of game, so famous at Yale under the pull and push rule, has been practically eliminated.

The Yale attack is developed and built up upon the shift play developed in its infancy by Glenn Warner and improved by Minnesota. The shift is good for swing plays outside of tackle or around the end but weak for line plunging. The strength of the Yale shift is dependent upon the speed of the linemen in getting to the line of scrimmage and upon the variety of formations which can be used in shifting the line. The Yale backfield gets around the runner in good style and puts the defensive linemen out of play much better and surer than do the Harvard backs.

To sum up in the running game I consider Harvard much stronger from tackle to tackle in rushing the ball, while Yale is correspondingly better in plays outside of tackle and around the ends. Camp, of Yale, should outkick any man Harvard has, while the Harvard backs can catch punts better than the Yale backfield men. This is Yale's greatest weakness, the handling of punts by the backfield, and unless remedied will prove fatal next Saturday as it did today, for the Harvard ends follow the ball well.

Yale is more prepared to make dropkicks than Harvard, Captain Howe being a dangerous man inside the thirty-five yard-line. Harvard to a certain extent is weak in this very important part of the game, depending as they do on a pinch man sent in for the one play. On defence Harvard and Yale are equally strong, and both lines charge hard and fast. Harvard will be no doubt weakened by the loss of Gardiner. The Yale forwards seem a little quicker diagnosing their opponents' play.

I doubt if either team can push the ball over by straight rushing and the game will no doubt be decided by an open and probably unexpected play.