1938
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
,i
PRESS
Reserves
Run
hrough
PASSES
-By BUD BENJAMIN
Back In Motion ...
ALL PLAYERS of the team in po
session of the ball must be sta
tionery in their positions, witho
movement of the feet or swaying
the body, head or arms at the instar
the ball is put in play, except that on
player of tnis team may be in mo
tion (either directly or clearly in a
oblique direction) toward his own en
line." (Rule 7, article 4).
The above rule has been quoted du
to the widespread comment in regard
to the backfield-in-motion penalt
which cost Michigan a probabl
touchdown in the Northwestern gam
Saturday. It was the fourth quarter
first down on the Wildcat eleven, anm
a little more than six minutes to play
Tom Harmon with a terrific driv
slashed to the three on the next play
The officials ruled, however, that thi
Michigan backfield was in motion
the play was called back, and thi
Wolverines were penalized to the 16
That's a loss of 13 yards, a likely
touchdown, and a slice, perhaps, o
the Big Ten title. Mighty importan
decision I should say.
Backfield-in-motion is a diffi-
cult penalty to call. One back
may move parallel to the line of
scrimmage or bakwqrds but the
others must wait for the ball to be
snapped. Football is a split-sec-
ond business today with timing of
plays essential. The quicker the
blockers and ball carrier move out
after the ball has been snapped,
the better chance a play has of
succeeding. Thus the offensive
team craves the fastest possible
break.
Since the back usually moves as
soon as the ball is snapped, you can
see how easily he might start a split
second early, and how difficult it
would be to decfde whether he had
jumped the gun or not. A backfield-
in-motion penalty is more a matter
of individual interpretation than it
is a positive call. In the case of the
Saturday penalty, the officials could
never be certain, given normal eye-
sight and reflexes, that a back had
led the play. It is unfortunate that
their interpretation took on such a
crucial twist.
THE MOST flagrant example of
backfield-in-motion that I saw
Saturday also came in the fourth
quarter. Bernie Jefferson, in the wan-
ing minutes of the game, stood in
deep punt formation. Instead of punt-
ing, he ran with the ball. Standing
deep as he was, he had to get moving
fast. By the time the ball had been
snapped he had moved almost a yard
closer to the scrimmage line.
There is a general unanimity
among those that have seen the
movies of the game that Michi-
gan's backfield was not in motion.
The players insist that there was
no motion, and that comes not
only from those present in the
backfield but from numerous
squad members, who have seen
the play run over several times.
The coaches are non-conmnital,
but so are the officials of the
American government in re. Herr
Hitler's treatment of minorities.
If you get the analogy, it's the
ethical procedure no matter how
difficult a position may be.
Gerald Hoag, manager of the
Michigan theater, may have the
answer to the entire question. Hoag
talked to the newsreel photographer
who shot the game. Sensing a touch-
down, this camera man used a very
powerful telescopic lens in shooting
the play. It brings you practically
next to the Wolverine backs and
should definitely indicate whether
there was motion or not. After the
game, Hoag asked the photographer,
whom he claims is an ace, to rush
the films to New York for develop-
ment. e
He has wired the New York office,
repeatedly this week asking for pic-
tures of the game, especially the con-
troversial section. As yet, he has re-
ceived no reply. I hope Mr. Hoag
gets those films. Among other things,
they may indicate something of the
calibre of the officiating in the Con-
ference this year. So far, it has prov-
en unusually mediocre.
Cold Weather
Postpones All
Bodily Contact
Janke Still Nurses Injured
Ankle But Should Start
In Saturday's Game
The last week of actual practice
for the 1938 Michigan football team
got under way yesterday afternoon
with an extended drill on wind-swept
Ferry Field.
Forgoing scrimmage and contact
work because of the cold weather and
hard ground which increase the pos-
sibilities of injuries, Coach Fritz
COLUMBUS, O., Nov. 15.-UP,
-Grid Coach Francis Schmidt
strove for additional drive in
the line bucking of Ohio State's
big backs today in preparation
for the invasion of Michigan Sat-
urday.
Frank Zadworney, J i m m y
Langhurst and Don Scott were
sent crashing into a stubborn
freshman line repeatedly during
a strenuous practice The Buck
r coaching staff also devoted con-
siderable time to blocking tactics
in an effort to improve timing.
Crisler spent most of the time in pre-
paring his team to stop the Buckeye
offensive.
Bennie Oosterbaan, who has scou-
ted the Buckeyes, showed the reserves
the Ohio plays and they ran through
them time and again so that thevar-
sity could become acquainted with
the formations and deceptive ele-
ments the Bucks employ.
Oosterbaan indicated that Satur-
day's tilt would be among the hardest
and toughest that Michigan has
played this year. Coach Francis
Schmidt's forces got pff to a slow
start, losing to Southern California
and then being whitewashed by Pur-
due later. However they have im-
proved considerably with each game
and aptly illustrated their strength
by overwhelming Illinois last Satur-
day, 34-12. I
A win for either team Saturday
plus a Minnesota-Wisconsin tie at
Madison Saturday will give the win-
ning team a slice of the conference
crown.
The Buckeye offense, according to
Oosterbaan, is extremely varied. The
team uses numerous laterals on ]
kcik-offs and punt returns as well a
as regular plays. They have several t
powerful runners in Jim Langhurst,-
Jim Strausbaugh and Mike Kabaelo. j
Langhurst is a sophomore and at f
present Iead the conference scorers s
with six touchdowns to his credit. w
Wally Hook, the hard-running
enior full-back, worked out with the d
irst team today, taking his place in a
he backfield alongside of Tom Har- t
non, Paul Kromer and Forest Eva- w
hevski. Hook's defensive play against t
he Wildcats, particularly in the now a
amous goal line stand, was out- J
tanding w
Bill Smith also seemed to havee
arned a regular place with his play Is
n the game Saturday. He was at t.
,he right tackle post yesterday as y
ion Siegel spent most of the time C
flaying left tackle while Capt Fred
anke favored his injured ankle. p
'hough still limping slightly, Janke t
s expected to be fully recovered for i
aturday's game. C
Ends Football Career Saturday
11 arming Bench Harder Than Playn
Sit iue Tik rheKodros
By EL FINEBERG I was little cause foi alarm. Kodros Kodros at center for the entire game
Sixty-minute football players? had the matter well in hand. What -and Northwestern knew it.
Pish-tush-They don't mean a thing, Kodros started, Kodros finished. And But Kodros, modest and retiring,
according to one who knows. And Kodros started football games. takes no credit for playing 60
the one who knows is Archie Kodros. Michigan State came and went- minutes. "Its not very hard", he says.
For those who arrived late, Archie I and Archie had played all but two "Shucks, it's a heck of a lot harder
Kodros plays center on the Michigan ' to sit on the bench than to play." It
football team, although, on the frosh i minutes. When Kodros finally left might be added here, however, that
squad two years ago, Archie reported ' the Minnesota game, after the final this is a sentiment which Archie's
as a guard. - ---- opponents do not share.
But centers were scarce in the dark T..Archie's fondest and most enthu-
days of 1937. The call was sounded siastic fan is his father. Mr. Kodros
Lnd presto, Archie responded with the Elder has been at football prac-
ypical alacrity. In fact, his response tice at Ferry Field every day since
was so spontaneous that by the time the Michigan State game except the
he Michigan State game rolled week between the Minnesota and
%round, Archie had ousted Captain Yale games. Kodros the Elder is,
Joe Rinaldi from the pivot post. Thisbuilt like Kodros the Younger. He is
was quite a feat for anyone and was short and barrel chested. He watches
especially remarkable for a, green practice day after day, nods or
Intramnural Ice
HockeyLeague
To Start Soon~
By GLENN ENGLE{
As the students get their first taste
of winter, their attention turns from
-the Stadium to the Coliseum, where!
the Intramural Ice Hockey League
will inaugurate its 16th season. Here-
tofore the league schedule has not
begun until the first week in Jan- 1
uary, but the plans this year call for
play to start shortly after the opening
of the Coliseum on Saturday.
The league is composed of frater-
nity and independent teams and at
the close of the regular season the
fraternity and independent champs
play off for the all-campus cham-
t;
c
t%
i
s
p
r:
a
ii
ophomore. But that game sounded
she keynote for the remainder of the
ear. Kodros was regular center and
_aptain Rinaldi was the substitute.j
As the year progressed (or didn't it
arogress) Kodros got better and bet-
er. His improvement continued on
nto spring training when he won the
"hicago Alumni Award, the first time
-his Award was made to an upper-
lassman.
1938-centers were even scarcer
han in the preceding year but there
A.K.L. Downied
By Acacia, 8-2
Wolverines' Protest Holds
In Touch Football Game .
In the seconddplace playoffs in
ntramural speedball. the Acacias
wept to an easy 8-2 victory over Al-
ha Kappa Lambda.
Led by Doug Jeffrey. the victors
an wild in the second half to break!
2-2 tie. Jeffrey scored four pointsI
n the second half and two in the
f
gun, somebody told him that he had
played the entire 60 minutes against
the -powerful Golden Gophers, the
Scourge of.the North. Archie replied,
"So what" which stumped the ques-
tion.
On the following Saturday, Archie
played the entire game against Yale.
Against Illinois, the impossible hap-
pened-Kodros was injured. A side
injury, sustaiined in the Yale game,
was aggr vatevdand for the first
time in two years, Kodros wasn't
ready to start a game. So he missed
the Penn game. But, a week on the
bench was too long for Arch. Against
Northwestern, with one of the
toughest lines in the country, it was
pionship.
Forty Freshmen Featuring the inGividual play last?
season was the work of Norm Ander-
Answer Cage Call son, Cougar wing, Ralph Zimmerman,
Phi Kappa Psi wing and hardest shot
in the league, and Dave Barnett, Phi
Forty candidates answered Coach Kappa Psi's defense man. Last year's
Ray Fisher's first call for freshman all star team was composed of a quar-
basketball practice at Waterman tette of Cougars. Herb Raskin, Bud
Gymnasium last night. Twenty or Maythem, Hugh McCormick and
thirty more are expected to report Norm Anderson, plus Ralph Zimmer-
later in the week, man of Phi Kappa Psi and Herb Kil-
Coach Fisher does not expect to ner of Chi Psi.
cut the squad until the end of the Because of the advance of the
week, so that all will get a chance to opening date of the league schedule,
show their stuff. The boys will work entries for hnth fraternity and ind.-
first. The other points for the winning
team were scored by Fred Sey fried' Coliseumil Will Be Open
md Johnh Durr. To PublicBy Saturday
For the losers Dick Roemer and
Tom Buermann tallied once each in Workmen are putting the final
the first half. touches on the renovated Coliseum in
A protest entered by the Wolver- preparation for its opening to the
ines, an independent touch football skating public Saturday night.
team, resulted in the decision that The rink will be open daily from
the fourth quarter in their game 2:30 to 5 p.m. and from 8-10 p.m.
against the Senators is to be re- , There will alsc be skating Sunday
played. afternoons from: -5. Tickets are avail-
With the score tied at 0-0, one of able to students in blocks of 7 for $1
the Senators broke loose on a pass
play. Thinking that the man had been
tagged, the referee blew his whistle.
However, the man escaped being
tagged and the ball was downed at
the spot where he was finally tagged.
and. Student identification cards
must be shown when these tickets are
used.
SPFCIA I
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