Iowa State University - Bomb Yearbook (Ames, IA)

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The referee ' s whistle sounded; the pigskin darted aloft. The Old Golds advanced like a wedge, while the Cardinals dosed ranks to meet them. The teams lined op once. They were even, very- even. Twice. It was futile. A loss on fumbles, a drop-kick by- Kirk, and in less than ten minutes from the sounding of the whistle, Iowa had scored. The wearers of the Old Gold were wild with delight. Cheer after cheer broke forth, but the pla-y- had been so rapid and the outcome so sudden that the Cardinals were dumb in consternation. The Iowa warriors were upholding their records. The enthusiasm of their supporters was unbounded. The ball was again put in pla-y, the Hawkeyes proud of their manifest superiority, while their op- ponents encouraged each other in grim determination. A few minutes of rapid play followed, when Mac Ilhinney, the famous Ames right end, tucked the ball under his arm and darted around to the left. Iowa ' s guard and tackle as well as the end were effectively blocked by the interference. Kirk, the mighty defensive half back, was circled, the little quarterback was taken care of by Mac ' s strong stiff-arm, the defensive full was cleverly dodged, and the big captain swung in behind the bars for a touchdown. The Ames rooters arose as one man and a deafening roar of applause broke from the recently dumb followers of the Cardinal and Gold, resounding deeper and stronger as the ball cleared the bar for a safe goal. The visitors felt for a moment that they had met their match, but there was no time to pause for the fight was on again fiercer than before. Signal after signal rang out. Gains were no sooner made than lost. From the twenty yard line Kirk ' s reliable boot sent another drop-kick safely over the bar mid the frantic cheers of his supporters. The forces rallied. Revised football rules were thrown to the winds. All the tactics of war were employed. The center was rushed. The tackles and ends were tried, but, finally, forward passes and punts were used, and to some effect, for Law, the Ames right tackle, went over for another touchdown and then, mid deaf- ening yells for the players and the team, Jeanson kicked goal. A few minutes of hard but uneventful play followed, when the whistle sounded. The first half was up, score 12 to 8. During the ten minutes of intermission, the giants were sur- rounded by their substitutes and seconds while the coaches gave them helpful words of advice and encouragement and planned for the last half. The rooters paraded around the field, boys and gray haired men alike. The two bands played thrilling pieces, — both in harmony and in discord. The Ames supporters were jubilant, but far from confident, for they realized that their opponents had that which they did not possess and that this element had been a deciding factor in the big games of the season. When the whistle sounded for the second half, the question on each side was Will Kirk ' s boot save the game? The second half started with a snap. Iowa kicked to Ames who gained steadily for a few minutes, crowding their heavier opponents toward their own goal line. Iowa tried the forward pass and lost. Punts were no more successful for gain. Both sides were penalized

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5|HE jFonb iHemoriesi THE UNDISPUTED TITLE. day of the contest that was to decide whether or not the ' OId Gold should wave triumphant over Iowa ' s Gridiron had come. By the middle of the forenoon, the greater part of the army of Ames- Iowa enthusiasts had reached the city. Special trains from Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, and heavy loads from the west and north had been pouring in for some time. State field was to be the scene of battle. By two o ' clock the forces of the Cardinal and Gold were gathered three thousand strong on the east side; on the west were the Old Golds, while at either end the hostile colors intermingled. Never was loyalty more strong. Around the standards were grayhaired men; men whose faces were well known in legislative halls; sober and calm-minded judges; robust and hardy farmers who had laid aside their cares for a time to rally once more around the old flag and shoot for their Alma Mater. The graduates of the last class or two were omnipresent, even the girls, with faces all aglow stood ready to advance, like the Amazons of old, to the defence of the flag they loved. The chimes pealed the half hour and a great cheer arose from the west side as the Old Gold varsity, massive yet active, battle scared warriors of many a fray, came upon the field. This cheer however, had no sooner died away than another, at first indistinct, but gradually growing louder like a peal of thunder, rolled simul- taneously along the east side as the Ames varsity squad, lighter but faster, eagerness and power eminating from every movement, trotted out single file. Stripping off their sweaters, both teams went through a little warm- ing-up practice while goals were being chosen. Iowa won the toss and chose the north goal with the wind at their backs. The players took their positions, every nerve under control, every muscle tense with determination. Iowa ready? Captain Mac Ilhinney of Ames? There was not a sound around the whole field save the slight rustle of the wind in the falling maple leaves back of the bleachers, and in the gentle flapping of the canvas wall around the south half of the field. Both sides were waiting breathlessly for the signal which would start the hottest football contest in the West,

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for holding, but a thirty yard gain by the backs enabled the plucky Irttle Ames quarterback to send a place kick safely over the bar. This feat seemed to surprise the visitors. They rallied, using their greater weight to advantage, making every play a unit in itself, massing their great weight first against one and then against the other side. Fast play and the helping spirit were gaining through the Ames line. Hazard, the big fullback, was sent through for a touchdown, thus gaining for hiTself and for his team the honor of being the only ones to cross the Cyclones ' goal line that season. White, the right end, kicked goal while the rooters gave them yell after yell and encouraged them for bigger gains and more scores. The greater weight of their team was beginning to tell. There were only two points of difference in the score now. Onlv one more score and the game and the State Championship would be theirs! The long coveted was almost within grasp! Just a little more effort and the much— sought-for would be won! Again the ball was in motion, now advancing, now receding, until in a few minutes the little, cool-headed Ames quarterback put another place kick safely home, while cheer after cheer came from the husky-throated rooters. Time was precious now! The team that had beaten Missouri by a big score, the team that had whipped Illinois, and played Wisconsin to a stand-still, felt their prize slipping irresistibly out of reach. Something must be done and that quickly! Only six points to make but the half was nearly up. A touchdown with a safe goal would tie the score and keep their opponents from a clear title! Could they do it? The Ames varsity, too, had seen play before. Had not these same Cyclones played Minnesota and Nebraska off their feet? The men who were playing their last game for their Alma Mater real- ized that the moment of their careers had come! For the last time the ball was put in olay. Iowa gained, then lost but slowly worked toward the goal. The fifteen yard line was reached. The time signal might sound at any moment. Would Kirk try a drop kick? NO! for Iowa wanted at least a tie score. The heavy team gained slowly but surely. The ten yard line was reached and passed, then the five was put behind the attacking team. The excitement on the bleachers was intense, the Cardinals fear- ing lest, after the hard fight, the heavy-Weights would be too much for the team, the Old Golds trembling at the nerve and staying- power of the lighter team. With their feet on their own goal line, the Ames men braced for the final charge. It came. Hard and fast though the game had been, there had been nothing like this last desperate effort, this dying gasp, this awful struggle for the goal, so near and vet so far! One down! — No gain, — Second down! The line held like a stone wall! The last play was play massed against one man, Brugger, the Ames right tackle. If ever the training of coach and trainer told, it told at that moment. Thirty-four minutes of hard and fast play, two awful onslaughts by a heavy and determined team are wearing, but this man clinched his teeth, braced his powerful limbs, and, when the rush came, did not give an inch!