Two days of steady, drizzling rain have done much to hinder Coach Roper's charges in their concentrated practice for the opening game of the season on next Saturday against Amherst. Long blackboard talks and several hours drill in signals have occupied the greater part of practice sessions this week, together with short periods of work on the muddy surface of University Field under the eyes of Keene Fitzpatrick, the veteran Tiger trainer, each afternoon.

As a week-end attraction Coach Roper staged a practice game last Saturday afternoon between his first eleven and the second string line-up. It was the first time that these two teams had opposed each other in scrimmage and the 32 minutes of actual playing time were full of action. In spite of the stubborn defense of the second team, the regulars finally emerged on the long end of a 13 to 0 score, Captain "Buzz" Stout and Caldwell carrying the ball across for two touchdowns.

Stout Runs 39 Yards

Ragged charging by the University line on the offensive kept the regulars from gaining consistently on line bucks. The first touchdown was scored early in the first quarter when Stout scooped up a fumble and made a beautiful 39-yard run to the goal line. Slagle's toe accounted for the seventh point. The second tally came in the last quarter on a neatly executed forward pass from Williams to Caldwell. Williams' drop kick for the extra point was unsuccessful. The game was featured by the sterling work of Gibson, who played defensive back on the second choice men.

Punting Duels Feature Contest

The greater part of the first half was taken up by a punting duel between Slagle and Dignan, with the advantage slightly on the side of the former. The whistle blew with the first string gridders in a position to score, Williams, who replaced Slagle, and Caldwell having placed the pigskin on the substitutes' 8-yard line. Another punting duel between Dignan and Williams featured the second half as well. The University line showed a marked weakness in charging and failed to open adequate holes for the backs.

At the beginning of the practice tilt Captain Stout and Shackelford were at the wing positions for the University; Gates and Rosengarten, tackles; Hills and Howard, guards; Forrest, center; Caldwell, S. Legendre, Slagle, and Weeks, backs. Beares, Goldstein, McMillan, and Williams also got in the game as substitutes. The second team was composed of the following: Schenk and Dyer, ends; Baldwin and Meislahn, tackles; England and Davis, guards; Bartell, center; Dignan, Gibson, Gilligan, and Prendergast, backs.

Tillson Off Hospital List

Sax Tillson was back in uniform Monday after several days' absence due to illness and he relieved Dyer at left end on the second string aggregation for a few minutes. Dyer, however, was back at his old position Tuesday and appears to be putting up a merry battle against the ex-invalid. Murray Gibson, a veteran of last year's eleven and present intercollegiate javelin champion, was inserted into the University backfield Monday, taking the place of Legendre, who was moved to end to replace Shackelford.

Following the blackboard talk on Tuesday, Roper ran his men through a lengthy signal drill, emphasizing slants off tackle and forward passes for the most part. The scrubs then took the ball and went through several Amherst formations while the coaches drilled the linemen individually in the playing of their respective positions on the defense.