STRONG LINE-UP FOR PRINCETON

With its championship games coming on in rapid succession in the next two weeks, the Princeton football team is still an uncertain quantity. Not for many years past has such a wealth of first class material been available for the eleven and the early-season prospects were unusually bright; but the team has not as yet struck its stride and the showing in the games to date has not been as good as the ability of the men would seem to warrant.

One difficulty has arisen from the very excess of material, which has caused the coaches to experiment with a larger number of men than usual and has made the task of selecting the best players a hard one. The process of weeding out has been lengthy, and this probably as much as anything else has retarded the development of the team. In the last two weeks, however, considerable progress has been made in this line.

As is generally known, the coaches this year abandoned the conservative tactics which have been cherished at Princeton for so long and committed themselves to the open game. And while the change was heralded with much enthusiasm and the marked approval of everyone concerned, the results have been far from satisfactory thus far. The team's gains from open formations in the games played have been much less than was expected and less, also, than the gains through straight football. It is hoped, however, that the hard practice of the past week will have its effect in this respect in the two remaining contests and that the policy of the "open game" will thereby be vindicated.

The record of the games played to date shows five victories and one tie. The victories have all been by narrow margins, but the attack of the University eleven can hardly be blamed for this fact, as the policy has been to develop team play rather than waste energy in trying to roll up big scores. The opening contest was with Rutgers, and Princeton won by the score of 12 to 0. Bucknell was defeated the next week by 10 to 0, and then the team entered upon two hard mid-season games in preparation for the struggle with Dartmouth. Syracuse came to Princeton with one of the strongest elevens that has represented that university in a long time, and while they scored on the university, the final score was 12 to 7 in favor of Princeton, Lafayette was next, but proved inferior to its predecessor and was beaten by 16 to 0, although the University team did not play up to standard, and showed a disappointing lack of the "scoring punch." The game with Dartmouth was a satisfaction in every way, not only because of a 16-12 victory over a very strong team, but also because, in that game, Princeton gave an exhibition which was near to championship calibre and which partially fulfilled the prospects of early-season predictions The game was won, as many others this season have been, on the opponents' errors, but there was little doubt in the minds of the spectators that the eleven could have demonstrated a superior attack, had it been necessary. The Williams' game the following Saturday marked a decided slump in the playing of the university, and the 7-7 tie which resulted was a big disappointment. Williams took the university by surprise by scoring in the first four minutes of play, and as they offered no opportunities to Princeton through errors, the university eleven found it difficult work even to tie them. Practice this week has served to get the team into good shape again, however, and it is confidently believed that the team will show none of the weaknesses against Harvard which were manifest last Saturday.

The injuries at Princeton have probably not been so extensive as at Harvard, but they have nevertheless impeded the progress of the team considerably. Eberstadt, who played quarter in the early games and gave much promise for future development, has been laid up twice, and the result of the second injury was such that the doctors forbade him to play for the rest of the season. Bigler and McLean, two tackles of first-rate ability, have also been on the sick list, and while they are both back in the line-up now, their absence has been a severe handicap and has considerably weakened the tackle positions. Dickerman, S. Baker, E. Trenkman, and others have been out of the game for some time and the result has not helped the team any. But in picking the eleven from the best men available at present for today's game, the coaches will be able to present as strong a line-up as has represented Princeton this year.