Depth, Speed Loss May Hinder Line

The main defects in the Harvard line are defects which the finest coaching in the world cannot remedy--lack of depth and lack of speed. No one can pluck 210-pound ten-second tackles out of thin air, and no one can make show men run fast.

Harvard's present line lacks such formidable men as Will Davis, Howie Houston, and Stretch Mazzone--Buemen with exceptional football instinct--as well as two other first-string players from 1949, John Coan and Chief Bender. This means that only two men who started against Yale last year--left end Dike Hyde and center Paul O'Brien--are on hand now, and it does not appear that Hyde will be in the lineup which opens against Columbia here tomorrow.

It is still possible that this season's linemen will hit as hard as the 1949 line did. Ted Schmitt and Joe Maras, in charge of linemen and ends respectively, are highly capable coaches and they have been concentrating on drilling their men in the fundamental techniques of blocking and tackling. Harvard's will be a well-drilled line, but many of the players have had little--and, in some cases, no--previous varsity experience.

Three Sophomores

The varsity will probably line up tomorrow with Paul Crowley and Henry Rate as ends; Bob Stargel and Phil Connelly as tackles; Jerry Kanter and Bill Roseman as guards; and O'Brien at center. Three of these--both ends and Stargel--are sophomores; the rest are lettermen.

The sophomore end combination has moved up quickly in the last few days, replacing Hyde and Fred Ravreby, another 1949 letter winner. Lloyd Jordan has been conducting everything on a "you-have-to-show-me" basis, which means he is taking nothing for granted, that seasoned veterans must produce just the same as eager newcomers. Where sophomores are pushing the elder men for starting jobs, Jordan seems perfectly willing to go along with the boys who are going to be around for two or three years.

Rate Shines

Crowley and Rate are both excellent prospects. Rate, third-string freshman end last year, is one of the hardest working members of the squad, finally gaining recognition by his fine play during the B.U. scrimmage. He will probably see action on defense as well as offense, teaming with Hyde.

With the sophomore combination plus Hyde and Raverby, the ends appear to be one of the squad's strongest positions. The loss of Bob Di Blasio, who quit the squad this week while recovering from an appendectomy, will be felt, especially on offense, but Jordan still has Stan Britton and George Emmons and, if he needs them, Don Cass, Fritz Drill, and Art Rohn. Britton, a sophomore, is presently out of action with a sprained ankle; he is very tall but quite slow. Both he and Emmons, a jayvee last year, can go both ways with case.

Tackle Deficit

The tackle corps is not up to last year's. Stargel, a guard last year and an end in spring practice, is untested against varsity competition; Connelly saw only limited service last fall, and that as a guard. The outstanding prospect at this position seems to be sophomore John Nichols, 213 pounds, six-foot-one, and quite fast for a man his size (he also plays basketball). He will probably see considerable duty on defense along with Connelly, one of the weaker defensive links last season, Duke Sedgwick, a letter-man, is running third string now, having been pressed by Arnie Horween. Horween works hard, but he is hampered by slow reactions.

Nick Culolias, another sophomore, has been off and on the first team and will probably by the first replacement on offense. In the unbalanced line which Jordan employs, the left tackle is called the inside tackle; the right tackle, the outside. Both men line up between the strong side guard and the right end.

Experienced Guards

Rosenau and Kanter, the guards, are experienced operators. Rosenau, squat and stocky, plays both ways although he is stronger on offense than defense, where he showed a weakness against T formation teams last year.

Kanter weighs only 187, which makes him the lightest lineman on the starting eleven, but he is quick and hits with a sharp initial shock. Dick Heidtmann, originally a tackle, has been working at guard lately and he and Rosenau will probably complete the first string defensive line. Heidtmann, a 24-year-old 213-pound sophomore, is a vicious defensive player.

At the weak side guard position, Jordan also has Bob Fallon, a senior in his first year of varsity ball, and sophomore Art Pappas, another fall appendicitis victim. On the other side, he has sophomores, John Jennings and Hank Toepke and ex-jayvee Law Gordon.

Al Wilson, six feet, three inches and 210 pounds, showed great promise last fall as a tackle and it was generally considered he would be an extremely able guard or tackle this fall, because of his height and strength. However, he was unable to report this season.

Center is another well-fortified position. O'Brien, first string for two years, has had to work his way up after starting the fall workouts on the third team. He is experienced both on offense and defense, as a line-backer. O'Brien is quite large; if he can get into his best physical condition and stay there, few centers in the East are his equal.

Behind O'Brien come Buddy Lemay, an aggressive sophomore who has been pushing O'Brien all fall; Red Lewis, first string junior varsity last year; and Bainy Frothingham, also jayvee in 1949. Lewis is not so big as O'Brien or Lemay, but he is quick and is a good backer-up.

The line as a whole is alert and follows the ball well." It has ends who can catch a pass a strong center in O'Brien, battle-wise guards in Rosenau and Kanter. Injuries in a few key spots could prove fatal to a squad which lacks real reserve strength.