For a "fair catch;" getting a quick start the moment the ball was
snapped back, and a dozen other elemental features that constitute the
alphabet of the game. The boys had practiced these things a hundred
times before, but they can never be done too often or too well; and
to-day under the new stimulus they outdid themselves. Each tried to
surpass his fellows and worked as he had never worked before. After an
hour of this, they were lined up for two ten-minute sessions with the
scrubs. The play was sharp and snappy and every move was followed by
keen and critical eyes that nothing, however trivial, escaped. By the
time the team had rolled up twenty points and held their opponents
scoreless, the volunteer coaches knew pretty well the defects that would
have to be corrected, and just what work was cut out for them. The coach
was immensely pleased. Once more he saw daylight ahead. "What do you
think of them, Butch, now that you've clapped your eyes on them?" he
asked, as they strolled off the field. "All to the good," said Ames,
sententiously. "Of course it's far from being a finished team as yet,
but you've got some first-class material to work on. You're a little
weak at the end of the line, and right tackle can stand a lot of
improvement. But all the fellows seem willing, and that goes a long way.
I didn't see one that appeared to be holding back." "That fullback of
yours is a peach," broke in Hadley. "He comes pretty near to being a
team in himself. If he once gets a start, there's nothing that ca
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