Page:The fighting scrub, (IA fightingscrub00barb).pdf/100

 pigskin had been slapped down on the soggy ground close to the Scrub's fifteen-yard line by Captain Lothrop after a savage romp through the enemy's left wing, "G.G." ordered a dropkick, and Houston, playing quarter, mishandled the wet ball so that it banged into the crowd, and was chased to the side-line and downed by Clif. It was only in the second period, however, when faced by the First Team substitutes that the Scrub could show any offense. Then, with fewer interruptions, the Second's backs got to working and made the most of the opponents' right side, slamming through a dozen times before they were finally stopped. But the First Team's twelve yards was the nearest the Scrubs could approach to the goal, and from there, when two tries had been smeared, Sim Jackson booted for a miss. A few minutes later a First Team substitute, and a third-string man at that, scooped up a trickling ball and galloped for some forty yards to the Scrub's goal-line, making the only score of the day, and registering the Scrub's first defeat. On the whole, Mr. Babcock's warriors didn't cover themselves with glory during their première. The coach, patiently and cheerfully explaining their shortcomings afterwards, was, it seemed, far less depressed than the players.

"What was wrong to-day can be corrected to-morrow," he ended. "I'm not expecting you fellows to play perfect football yet. I'm satisfied if you realize your mistakes when you make them, and I think you do. You won't make me mad until you make the same