The first week of this season's practice showed Yale's new material in good form. The two requisites for a 'varsity eleven-a heavy line and a set of strong fast backs-formed a team with admirable spirit and dash. Their great handicap was the absence of old 'varsity players in or behind the line. In the first game of the season with Trinity, which Yale won 10 to 0, the general impression was that Yale was playing a fast game and showing up better than at the same time last year. The second game, in which Wesleyan was defeated 30 to 0, showed a marked improvement over the play in the Trinity game.

The next week Yale slumped in her play, and the game with Amherst proved decidedly uninteresting. The score was 18 to 0 in favor of Yale. Three days later, however, the game which Yale won from Williams 32 to 0, showed great improvement in the teamwork of the eleven. In comparing the Yale and Harvard teams, the Williams men thought that Yale's play was far more snappy, but her defence was much weaker. The work against Newton A. A. the following Saturday was most discouraging, even considering the number of substitutes that went into the game. The ends and tackles showed themselves to be the weakest parts of the team.

In the game with Brown, Yale was greatly surprised at the strength of her visitors, who, but for the missing of two goals, would have tied her score. Yale was comparatively strong on the offensive, but weak on the defensive, especially at the ends. The score of the game was 18 to 14. The following game, in which the Indians were defeated 24 to 9, showed a vast improvement in Yale's play. This was particularly evident in her defensive work, in which Yale was heretofore inexcusably weak. The improvement was due in great part to the work of the coachers, who came to Yale's assistance after the Brown game. In the eighth game, against West Point, Yale's team was again surprised by the strength of its opponents. The score stood 6 to 0 in favor of West Point until within the last four minutes of the game, when Corwin made a touchdown after a 70-yard run. This alone saved the game for Yale.

Between the West Point and Chicago A. A. games, fast hard practice improved Yale's play on both the defensive and offensive. The defensive, which has been Yale's weakest point all the season, was greatly strengthened, and renewed dash was infused into the team by the efficient work of the coaches. In no time during the year has Yale's improvement been so fast and lasting. In the Chicago game, the line held strongly, and in but a few instances were Chicago's backs able to gain around the ends. The reason for Yale's not scoring more in the second half is that the coaches thought it advisable to save the team as much as possible and not risk injuries by hard play. The fact that Yale was scored upon was due entirely to the efforts of Draper, who played a brilliant game for Chicago.

The work of the eleven since the Chicago game has been very light, but the improvement has been steadily advancing and the team work is now satisfactory to the most pessimistic of Yale's supporters. Today Yale is supposed to have a stronger set of backs and Harvard to have a slight advantage in the experience of its line.