New York Naval Militia at Navy

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  Evening capital, Annapolis, Md., November 5, 1903, page 1

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  NAVY WINS A GAME. The New York Naval Militia Eleven Defeated BY Score of 28 To q. The football eleven of the First New York Naval Battalion played the Mid shipmen at the Naval Academy yesterday afternoon, and were defeated by a score of 2S 10 o. The Navy’s pionts were netted by five touchdowns and three goals. The game was an enigma as far as affording any indication of Nays present ability is concerned. The Wis itors were nearly all former college men, with more or less experience ON the gridiron. They were also mate rally older than their opponents and, in most cases, outweighed them. Yet they have had very little experience in playing together as team, have had no opportunity for practice under a competent coach and, until yesterday, had not encountered a team even of the second class. Moreover, they were seriously handicapped, in view of the fact that their game was necessarily largely on the defensive; by the lack of good punter. On the other hand, the eleven placed on the field by the Academy coaches contained so many men foreign to the regarded as scrub Under these circumstances it is quite impossible to form an estimate of the middies’ prog ress. In fact, one is in doubt whether To approve or condemn their perform ance, as whole. There were some features, however, as to which the condemning process may be indulged in without hesitation. The defense, on numerous occasions, was lamentably weak. On the very first kickoff, New York, on receiving the ball, was able to advance il to the middle of the field by series of line plunges, and had the visitors possessed even fairly good punter, the first touchdown could have been deferred several minutes, thus reducing the final score by at least five or six points. The visitors succeeded in making the necessary first down nine times during the course of the game, fact which, under the cir cumstances, augurs i’ll for the defensive ability of the local players. On the attack, Navy’s representatives were far more effective. On no occasion were they held for downs, though once they lost the ball on a technicality. With the exception of a 15-yard gain made by cleverly exc cuted double pass, there were no SEN sational runs, most of the game being won by legitimate, though monotonous, line bucking. In view of the success of this one vancouver, and the fact that the New Workers were OBJ viously weak in defense, it was decided mistake in Judgment to at tempt greater number of open plays. Another error of Judgment, suggesting also an ignorance of the rules, was the attempt at a quarter back run when the ball was within twenty five yards of the New York goal For this blunder the middies suffered a penalty of twenty yards. Except for two sue cessive fumbles, which cost nothing, Navy deserves credit for clean hand ling of the ball and for falling on it promptly when opportunity offered. The first touchdown was made with in five minutes after play began by constantly bucking the line, the attack being chiey directed at the tackles. The second touchdown followed with in another five minutes, but though the ball was taken over between the posts, the attempt at goal was dis NAL failure, as was also the succeed ing one, from a similarly favorable position The third touchdown was made in the first half, which ended with the ball in the New Workers possession, after they had succeeded in advancing it twenty five yards. The second half was almost a repetition of the first, both touchdowns being made by steady ploughing at the line. The monotony of this half was relieved by a clear run on the part of Navy’s quarter back, Wilcox, who returned the ball twenty five yards after receiving New York’s only successful punt of the game. The line-up; N. Y. N. M .-Scrymser, left end !; O’Donnell, left tackle; Christianson, left guard; Roberts, center; Lottemor, right guard Moore, right tackle ;Crawford, right end; Strauss, quarter back !; Hone, left half back; Pollock, right half back; Walz, full back. u. S. N.-Baggaley, left end; Nc Kinney, left tackle; Mcconnell, left guard McClintic, center; O’Brien, right guard; Doherty, right tackle I; Clay, right end; Wilcox, quarter back I; Spencer, left half back; Jones, right half back: Reichmuth. full back.

Public-domain newspapers from the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America, found through the American Stories dataset (Dell and Harvard, CC BY 4.0). The text is the machine reading of the page, mistakes and all.

Navy leads 1–⁠0 in their only meeting.