HORWEEN EXPECTS FIERCEST OPENING CONTEST IN YEARS

The University opens the 1926 football season at 3 o'clock this afternoon when the Crimson eleven meets the unusually powerful Geneva College team from Beaver Falls, Pa. On the ever of the first clash of the year, Coach Arnold W. Horween '21 made the following statement: "I realize we are meeting the hardest first game competition of any Harvard team in many years, but my team is as far along as can possibly be expected, and I feel that we will make a good showing."

Playing without the services of R. W. Turner '28 and J. P. Crosby '28, center and halfback on last year's team, who are barred because of failure to meet their modern language requirements, the Harvard team will have a gruelling test today against the Covenanters.

Style Will be Altered.

That Harvard's style of play will be considerably altered is certain. During his years in the West following his graduation from Harvard in 1921, Coach Horween has absorbed a number of ideas from association with men connected with "Big Ten" conference football, and a more open style of attack is expected to feature the offense on this year's eleven.

Only five of the eleven men who start today's game were in the opening lineup a year ago. Coady, Kilgour, Lindner and Sayles were in the line against Rensellaer a year ago, but this fall Sayles is shifted to the backfield and is listed to start at halfback. Miller is the fifth of the veterans. He will start at the fullback position.

Daley Perfectly Recovered.

Gamache at left end and Bell at center were ineligible for the team last fall, but having regained good standing are now included in the first string lineup. Daley, captain of the freshman team of three seasons ago and whose leg injury prevented his playing much last fall has now completely recovered and is holding down one of the guard berths. Robinson at right end has been a member of the varsity squad for the last two seasons, and has earned the call for the start of hostilities today over Strong and Rudman.

The Geneva squad of 24 players, in charge of Coach McMillin and Mr. Edgecomb, Graduate Director of Athletics arrived in Boston yesterday morning and went immediately to the Lenox hotel where the Pennsylvania team is making its headquarters during its stay in the Hub.

A number of the Geneva athletics practiced yesterday without stockings and it is possible they will discard stockings for today's game. They showed a lot of pep as they ran through signals, and if size is any indication of strength they will be a formidable outfit today.