Pennsylvania at Michigan

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  The Bridgeport evening farmer, Connecticut, November 21, 1911, page 7

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  Penn Says Team Was Given Very Raw Deal In West Claims Michigan’s Victory Was Due to Poor Deci- sions by Referee Pendle- ton. Something that has never happened in the entire history of athletic com petition of the University of Pennsyl- vania, occurred immediately after the Red and Blue game with Michigan, when Mike Murphy and several of the Penn coaches visited the dressing room of Joe Pendleton, of Bowdoin, the ref cree, and told that official that he was directly responsible for the defeat of the Penn team. Leon Jourdet, the Penn right end, took an onside kick in the first minute of play on the Michigan 20-yard line. Thayer had made a perfect kick, and the ball was bounding along toward the goal line of the Blue and Maize, caught it. At the same time Bell, one of the linesmer, also jumped for the ball. Jourdet being the lighter and more nimble, went higher than Bell, and consequently caught the ball. The men returned to the ground to- the earth Bell put his hands on Jour- det to prevent their sprawling about. There were two other Penn men about the ball to ward off the attack of Michigan. Jourdet started toward the Michigan goal and crossed the line. As he planted the ball behind the goal posts. Pendleton, who was at least 30 yards from the start where the ball had been caught, blew his whistle and or dered the ball returned to Michigan’s 2O-yard line Captain Roy Mercer im- ball had to be returned. Pendleton replied that Bell had used his hands and assisted Jourdet to score. The fact that Bell did place his hand up- on JOurdet was to prevent both men from losing their balance while in the I . c,1 AI,~ T prevent their starting for the Michi- gan goal line. Captain Mercer made a long kick on the decision, and even asked Pen- dleton to refer it to Dr. Al Sharpe, who acted as umpire, but his request ted while on the train coming East with the Red and Blue team that he certainly would have allowed the score had it been his decision. The play that preceded the Michigan touchdown made by Jimmy Craig,4 was erred in his decisions, according to the Penn coaches and other officials. Roy Mercer was carrying the ball back up the field by sensational spurts around Michigan’s right end. He was tack led and flung out of bounds with the ball in his possession on his own 30- yard line. Mercer had the ball tight ly cupped in his arm as he went over the boundary line: but Conklin, the heavy Michigan end, tackled him after | his body crossed the line, and he fum- bled, but recovered the ball by sweep | ing 1t to his body with his outclasped arms. Pendleton was 20 yards away from this play, but he ruled upon it, declaring that the ball was Michigan’s, and an instant later Craig made that pretty run for the second score of ! the Michigan team, and it won the Oolx fyUn mi tn l be played, and Mercer had rounded out a first down on the end run, and would have at least had the ball for 1 two more attacks and then a punt, and it is more than possible that Mich l igan would not have scored, for Barr would have kicked the ball into their l territory, even if Penn had failed to advance the ball for another first down. l When the game was over the officials I returned to their dressing room. Mike 1 Murphy, who has taken defeat uncom- plainingly for thirty years in athletics, l hurried to Pendfeton’s room and said, ! “You had better quit, you don’t know 1 the game. I know that you cost us the game today, the world will know l it tomorrow by sunrise. You took one | touchdown from us, you gave Michi- gan the chance to make the second when we were playing them safe. You 1 have caused bad feeling, for this Penn | team won that game. You’re too slow; you don’t know the rules, and I would | advise you to get off the list of off, l cials before they let you go.’‘ Al Sharpe, of Yale, and Walter Eckersall and Walter Booth, of Princeton, the other officials, stood in open-mouthed astonishment at the charges of Mike Murphy, still all three admitted that Pendleton had erred in 1 his decisions. Andy Smith then went to Pend’e- ! tons room and said, ‘You did the best you could, but your inefficiency cost | us that game.’‘ l It was not Michigan that chose Pen dleton to off1ciate, for he was the choice of the Penn coaches, who were l asked to name the referee, and Michi- gan knows but little about the Bow | doin official. | Roy Mercer did not return to Phil adelphia. He stopped off with Billy Paul, the former mile wonder, at Buffalo. but before he left the train he remarked: 1 “I am sorry for the fellows. They | played such plucky ball; they were penalized 110 yards to Michigan’s sin

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  New-York tribune, New York [N.Y.], November 19, 1911, page 1

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  MICHIGAN DEFEATS PENN. Trick Play Near End OF Game Gives Yost’s Men Victory. Ann Arbor, Mich, Nov. 1s.-The craft OF Yost and the speed Of Jimmy” Craig, overcoming the wonderful individual play ing Of Mercer and the deadly right leg Of Marshall, enabled Michigan to defeat the University Of Pennsylvania football team nv a score of II to in a snowstorm on Ferry Field this afternoon. Michigan scored a touchdown in the Sec ond quarter. and Conklin missed goal; the touchdown which won the game was the result OF double pass during the last Few minutes Of play. and Craig carried the hall over after a 2s-yard sprint. Conklin kicked the goal. Two thrilling runs by Captain Mercer, totalling more than fifty yards. gave PENNSYLVANIA a touchdown in the third quarter and Minds kicked the goal. In the final period, few minutes before Michigan won the game, Marshall was substituted for Thayer, and the former executed a perfect drop kick from the 20 yard line. Defeat was staring Michigan in the face when the trick play brought victory. MichIgan’s interference started to the right and the Red and Blue secondary del. to Craig, waiting far TO the left, and after lodging two men and outsprinting an other he crossed the Pennsylvania line. There was little 10 choose between the two elevens. Mercer the star Of the game, was the only Pennsylvania man able to nierce Michigan’s defence and he also outpunted Meek by using better Judgment IN placing his kicks. Michigan made gain after gain through the Pennsylvania line, one touchdown coming as direct result. Craig was Michgan’s offensive and defensive hero. The game was clean, snappy, spectacular. thrilling. Pennsylvania suffered more from penalties, being guilty of holding on two or three critical occasions Pennsylvania won the toss and chose 10 defend the west goal Michigan kicked off I’m the face of 35-mie wind. Only the hardest kind of lighting enabled Yosts men TO prevent the Quakers from scoring during the first quarter. Before the game was two minutes old Jourdet grabbed an on-side kick from Mercer and crossed the Michigan goal line after a thirty-ive yard run The score was disallowed. From then until the end OF the first quarter Michigan and Pennsylvania frequently exchanged punts. Three times the visitors had the ball OH Mlchgan’s 1O-yard line, but failed to advance another inch. After battering through the Quakers in the second period for half a dozen gains, averaging six yards, Michigan tricked PENNSYLVANIA by q fake place kick, and worked the ball 10 the Quakers’ 3-yard line, where Wells plunged through tackle for a touchdown. Conklin missed the goal by a narrow margin. With the ball near the middle Of the field early in the third period. Captain Mercer. | Pennsylvania’s only consistent ground gamer, skirted right end for thirty-hve yards, and then circled the other end for a touchdown Minds kicked goal. After a i5-yard penalty inflicted upon the visitors for holding Michigan got the ball on Pennsylvania 35-yard line. Here Yost’s interference started toward right end, but a delayed pass was shot TO Jimmy Craig and he raced around left end for the touch down which put Michigan In the lead Conklin kicked goal. | The lineup follows:

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  The Fargo forum and daily republican, Fargo, N.D., November 20, 1911, page 3

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  WOLVERINES TRIM PENNSYLVANIA Ann Arhnr, Mich, Nov. 20.--FTRhting misfortune, crippled and bruised the wolverines redemmed themselves for all past fault and future sins Sat urday afternoon when they defeated Pennsylvania in as hard a fought warns as ever was seen on Ferry field. Handicapped by absence Of Thompson and Pontius and the injury 70 Wells in tina third quarter, the wotverines fought Pennsylvania to a stand still. The final score was ii to 9. MCMILLAN after keeping the stands In suspense in the last quarter bv call ing line play after line play and fake place kicks with Michigan four points behind, sprung the unexpected at lust the right Inoment, double pass, Mcmillan to ConkIjp 10 Craig, en- a play that apparently was headed for left end gave the lit tie Detroit Splinter a clear field around right and he made the most OF 1t for the winning touchdown. cGnkIin Boots Goal. Captain Conkrn, whose failure to kick the goal from the first touch down HIS team scored, and enabled Pennsylvania to put the wolverines In hole, booted much more difficult tally and the Michigan stands went wild. 1osFs hustxias had the bali in mid : neld when the game ended and Penn sylvanias eVen In spite Of the marvel Gus runninB Of Mercer. had no chance. Mercer’s work featured the play of the fasteners. Time and again he cir-cled the maize and blues both ends for big gains. Twice Shorty MCMILLAN saved possible touchdowns by spillinR the Quaker star or driving him outside when there was no one else defending the wolverine goal. 1t was MERGERS great work that enabled Pennsylvania to march fifty three yards in three plays with the wind behind her in the third quarter to a touchdown. II was Mercer again almost alone who put Pennsylvania IN position to call Marshall for a pretty drop kick against the wind In the beginning of the forrt quarter. Mer- Ger was the whole works and when Wells waa laid out in the SECOND half and compelled to quit, the Mtchigan roOters almost gave up hope. Weais was thought TO be the only man who could Offset the star fullback’s gains. Meek’s Kicking a Factor. Meelx’s kicking was a big factor m helping the wolverines 10 victory, some of his boots ranging over sixty yards and all except one being well placed. The one looked costly as 1t gave Penn syivania the ball In Michigan’s terri tory. but as It turned out 1t did not matter The Michigan line inside TACKLE was q stone wall, especially inside It’s own ten-yard line. Ccnklin and Carpet covered lrtchw In great style. The open field running Of Craig and his handling OF punte brought the rooters UP standing time and again. The high wind interfercd with Pennsylvania forward pasaes. although several did work for small gains. Pennsylvania biggest hanAicap was the snow, which made the field slippery and slowed down the easterners who depended on speed more than the wolverines.

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.

Michigan leads 11–⁠8–⁠2 in 21 meetings, counting the 14 since this game.