A season of backward development, marked by several surprising reverses, has brought the University eleven up to the time of the Yale game with but a poor record for its total work. Two games have been lost, and two others won by the narrowest margins; nor in any game has the work of the eleven been consistently satisfactory.

Early in the season the back-field developed a strong, vigorous attack, but the line has never reached the effectiveness of the men behind it. A scarcity of experienced men who were at once heavy and fast made the problem of building up the line difficult from the first, and team-work made little progress under the many changes and experiments in the personnel of the team. For a long time there was evident in the line a woeful lack of aggressiveness, due largely to the lack of confidence of the men in themselves and to the same unfamiliarity with the play of their team-mates, which prevented team-work. There was uncertainty and hesitation in all the play. The elementary faults of high tackling and high charging were also noticeably present.

The first games of the season, with Williams and Bowdoin, both played before College opened, were won by scores of 17 to 0 and 24 to 0, respectively. In both these games the eleven showed speed and aggressiveness, and gave promise of satisfactory development. But the game with Maine on October 3 was barely won, by the score of 6 to 0, and the swift attack of the Maine eleven disclosed the weakness of the Harvard defense,--a weakness which became evident then and has been evident ever since. In the game with Amherst on October 10, the eleven, through a combination of ill-fortune and lack of sustained offensive power, was defeated. The play of the team was distinctly unsatisfactory, and so it continued for the next two weeks which ended with the Carlisle game on October 31. Then a change was made in the line-up. Parkinson was moved from left guard to centre, Meier was put in at left tackle, LeMoyne was moved from left end to left guard and Clothier was put at left end. This new order, though not giving a line that was thoroughly satisfactory, yet made the team at least stronger than it had been before. The men played aggressively and well together.

The game with Dartmouth last Saturday showed that the team still lacks the cohesion necessary to resist a vigorous attack, and that the line is very weak on the offense. The line is made up of strong, energetic players, but there is little concentration, little effective and certain co-operation. The men charge too high, and very seldom charge in time; the Dartmouth team on Saturday was almost invariably in motion before the Harvard line had started to meet them. On the defense, the line is uncertain and does not mass at the point attacked; on the offense there is a similar lack of concentration, partly offset by helping the runner along after he has broken through. Seldom does the line hold well enough to permit the formation of strong interference for the backs.

The backs, capable of a very swift attack, have been held back of late by the slowness with which signals have been given. This slowness has delayed the play and made quick charging by the whole team impossible. The interference of the halfbacks and the fullback for one another is not very effective; Captain Marshall, however, has been more than usually valuable in helping the runner.

Individually, the players are capable, and in some cases brilliant. Bowditch, a veteran of three seasons, is the most valuable man in the team, and inspires confidence in the entire line. Adverse criticism of him is impossible. Knowlton at right tackle should be more effective than he has shown himself, but he is hard-working and persistent. A. Marshall at guard is slow to action, but when started is powerful and aggressive. Parkinson at centre is energetic and strong, but plays too high for his position. LeMoyne is new at guard and while willing and hard-working is not experienced enough to take advantage of all opportunities. But he has a determination and activity which helps out his lack of experience. His punting is generally good. Meier plays a hard, determined game, but because of his lack of weight, is apt to be worn down by repeated attacks. Clothier at left end suffers by comparison with Bowditch, but is a player of average ability and more than average aggressiveness. Back of the line, Marshall has not played the game that his former reputation called for. His signalling for plays has been slow, and his judgment in directing attacks not good. On the defense he plays too far back of the line, and is not reliable in handling punts. Nichols is a fast and brilliant runner, and fights for every inch after being tackled, but is apt to rely too much on his own efforts. On plays through the line he lacks power; in the secondary defense he is uncertain. Schoellkopf is a hard plunging back on line plays, a sure ground gainer, and very effective on the defense. Hurley starts quickly, and runs swiftly; on the defense he is too light to be of maximum assistance.