It is a significant fact that Dartmouth's 16 to 0 victory Saturday was the worst defeat the University has suffered sinec 1907 or since Coach Fisher took the reins. But as he said himself, "Dartmouth proved to be the better team and won. Our whole team gave its utmost, but that was not enough".
It is rare that a Harvard team is outplayed in every department of the game. Yet on Saturday Dartmouth was so powerful as to smother any attempted offense of the Crimson, and when on the defense, with the lone exception of Hubbard's superb playing, the Crimson forwards were dwarfted by the Green line, which found little trouble in opening holes for their backs and even swinging into the interference.
It is clearly apparent that the Harvard team has been extraordinary slow to develop this season and Saturday's exhibition proved that the eleven is not as far advanced at it should be at this point in the schedule with only two weeks intervening before the Princeton game. One finds it hard to remember when at this time of year the Harvard tackles were ever as completely or consistently boxed as on Saturday or when the Harvard tackling was as weak and sloppy.
Team May Develop Rapidly
Yet inspite of its apparent weakness on Saturday Coach Fisher's eleven may develop amazing power in the next two weeks. The line is still clumsy and chargeless, yet it undoubtedly possesses latent strength and power to no small degree which time alone can bring out. Also the nature of the backfield is such that an exact precision and co-ordination among it, the forward line, and the interference is essential before a real offensive will be developed.
It is extraordinary when a Harvard eleven fails to diagnose the opponents' attack, yet such was the case Saturday, and in this department as well much remains to be done by Coach Fisher and his assistants. Time and again the Crimson was fooled by the Dartmouth criss-crosses. Perhaps this was due to the fact that not enough time was spent in "pointing" toward the game with the Hanover eleven. Its strength was clearly underrated and it is hard to tell what Harvard might have done had the Dartmouth attack been understood and expected by the Crimson forwards. Undoubtedly as far as possible this will be the case when the eleven invades Palmer Stadium against Princeton and it may make a surprising amount of difference in the showing of the Harvard team.
Scrimmages of the hardest sort will be called for daily by Coach Fisher starting tomorrow in an attempt to bring the team forward with all possible speed. The opinion prevails that Saturday's encounter may have been just the medecine needed to put determination and earnestness in the team for the next fortnight's work, and the critics expect to see vast improvement when the Tiger is faced on November 10.
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