CHAPTER XV.
THE PLAYER WHO BLUNDERED.
The elation of the Oakdale players over making a touchdown and goal inthe first quarter was quickly subdued by their captain, who, in theprivacy of the gym, sternly informed them that they should have donemuch better.
“It was a lucky stab, nothing less,” said Ben. “Only for theresourcefulness and speed of Grant, they would have held us scoreless.We threw away fine opportunities, one splendid chance in particular;and, although we got the start on them to begin with, we made nothing byit. Unless we do better, we’ll be outplayed in the next quarter, markwhat I say.”
After this bit of general talk, he selected several of the players forspecial advice and criticism. Lastly he spoke to the quarterback, whoseeyes, although fixed on Stone, held a far-away look, which seemed toindicate lack of attention.
“Sage,” said Ben sharply, “Sage, listen to me.”
“Yes, sir,” said Fred, with a start.
“Several times you were woefully slow with your signals, and you knowthat the swift aggression of a team depends mainly upon the quarterback.No matter how prompt and ready the players may be, they can’t play fastwhen a quarter dawdles over his signals. It’s not like you to be slow,and I fail to understand it. You missed a fine chance to take advantageof a Barville fumble, and, only for Nelson, those chaps would haveobtained possession of the ball after losing it on a bungling pass andletting it bound to your very feet. Are you sick?”
Fred’s face was crimson. “No, sir, I’m not sick,” he answered. “I’m allright.”
“Then it’s up to you to get into the game and play as if you were allright.”
“I will, depend on it,” promised the quarterback.
Before the boys returned to the field Roy Hooker found an opportunity tospeak privately with his friend.
“Get a brace on, Fred—get a brace on,” urged Roy. “If you don’t, they’llblame it on our little outing last night. I never saw you so punkbefore. Your wits seem to be wool-gathering.”
“I guess that’s right,” acknowledged Fred regretfully. “I’ll get intogear now. Watch me.”
“Has anything happened to worry you?”
“Nun-no,” faltered Sage, “not a thing.” But, somehow, Roy felt that hischum had not spoken the truth.
The second quarter opened quite as fiercely as the first, but withBarville plainly prepared for quick, savage work and ready to contributeher part of it. Indeed, the visitors seemed the more aggressive, eventhough Oakdale improved all the opportunities that were offered; and,presently, after some eight minutes of play, the home team found itselfmaking a desperate defence on its own thirty-yard line. Right there,after a first down had yielded no gain, Barville tried the forward passand executed it successfully, cutting down the distance to the hometeam’s goal by fully one half.
“Hold them, boys—you’ve got to hold them!” was the cry from the Oakdalecrowd.
“Got ’em going!” came from the visiting spectators. “Keep it up, boys!Put the ball over for a touchdown! You can do it!”
Barville had found a weak spot in Oakdale’s line, and, mercilesslybuffeted and battered, Bob Collins, the left guard, showed signs ofgrogginess. With only fifteen yards to gain, the visitors followed theforward pass with another assault on Collins, which, although they madeonly a slight gain, left him groaning on the ground. Promptly attendedby a doctor, Collins pluckily tried to stand on his pins and resume hisplace in the line; but the moment he was released by supporting hands hestaggered, being prevented from falling only by the quickness of Nelsonin catching him.
Stone saw that Collins could not continue and ordered him to the sideline, at the same time calling for Hooker. Surprised that he should beselected from the waiting substitutes, Roy promptly responded.
“Get in there at left guard, Hooker,” directed Stone, “and see if youcan stop that hole.”
Fresh and exultant, Roy took his place in the line, and, when Barvilletried the quality of the substitute, the hole was found to be stoppedeffectively. Not another foot could the visitors gain through Oakdale’sleft wing.
Blocked and held, Barville apparently decided to try for a field goal,even though success at that would leave the home team still in the lead.It was Stone, however, who suspected a fake and hurriedly warned hisplayers; and Ben’s perception baffled the smashing charge of thevisitors, who were held for the final down, thus losing the ball.
Of course no time was lost in booting the pigskin away from thatdangerous point.
Nothing daunted over this failure, Barville resumed the batteringprocess, occasionally varying it with an end run or some peculiar pieceof strategy of her own concoction. But the locals, stronger on thedefence than the offence, refused for the time being to let the enemyregain the lost advantage.
In the last minutes of the quarter, with Oakdale in possession of theball, Sage once more betrayed surprising slowness and even symptoms ofconfusion in giving the signals. This was true to such an extent thatfinally, in desperation, Stone went in at quarter himself, letting Fredplay fullback. And even then Sage was slow about getting into the plays.
The quarter ended with the score unchanged.
In the second period of rest the Oakdale captain drew the quarterbackapart from the others and talked to him with great earnestness. Of thosewho watched the two, Piper took special note of the fact that Sageseemed discouraged and downcast, and it was evident that Stone wasseeking by every possible manner of encouragement to brace him up. WithFred at his best, no one else on the team could fill his position nearlyas well, and for this reason Ben was extremely loath to make a change.
Collins, having recovered from the gruelling he had received, wasanxious to get back into the game, and he made an appeal to Stone themoment Ben finished his talk with Sage. Hooker, however, had donesurprisingly well, and the captain told Collins that he would have waituntil, during the course of the play, an opportunity offered for him toreturn.
The Oakdale boys were now showing few signs of elation, for the secondquarter had led them to realize that the two teams were more evenlymatched than they had supposed, and that, doubtless, they had beenrather lucky in securing six points in the first quarter, to say nothingof their success in holding Barville in check after that.
In the last minute before they returned to the field, Stone called allthe players around him and hastily gave them a plan of action. As soonas the ball came into their possession, unless they should chance to getit so close to their own line that a kick would be necessary, they wereto line up and attempt a series of three varied plays, without waitingfor signals. He was careful to make them all understand precisely whatthose plays were to be, and in what order they would be carried out.Having made certain that no man misunderstood these directions, he ledthem back to the gridiron.
It was Barville’s kick-off, but Copley’s effort was somewhat weak, andNelson ran the ball almost to the forty-five yard line before he bit thedirt. This made it especially favorable for the carrying out of Stone’splans, and the Oakdale players lined up, eager to get the start on theirantagonists then and there.
Tuttle, with the ball between his feet, took one quick backward glance,and, seeing the others springing into position, prepared to snap it.Just as he was on the point of doing so, he was astounded to hear Sagecry:
“Signal!” Following which, Fred rattled off some numbers which calledfor a play entirely different from that agreed upon.
A bit confused, Tuttle snapped the ball to Sage, who passed it instantlyto Grant. The confusion of the center was likewise felt by every memberof the team, which led to faltering and gave the enemy a chance tooverwhelm them and bear them back for a loss of more than five yards.
In the midst of the untangling mass Stone reached Sage, grasped him bythe shoulder and almost snarled into his ear:
“What’s the matter with you? What made you do that? You know we hadarranged to work three plays without
signals.”
“I—I forgot,” said Fred. “I’m sorry, but I forgot, captain.”
“Well, you messed things finely! It’s too late now. Get into action andsee if you can make up for the blunder somehow.”
Apparently Sage tried hard to atone, and for a time he displayed areturn to his best form. His blunder, however, had greatly disturbed theothers, and the entire team betrayed such uncertainty and lack ofcohesive, united action that the home crowd was dismayed. In a fewmoments Oakdale was compelled to surrender the ball on a kick.
After this the quarter was heartbreaking in many ways. Twice thevisitors threatened Oakdale’s goal, and twice they were repulsed. In herturn Oakdale had an opportunity that set her supporters into a frenzy ofhope and enthusiasm. An end run that netted thirty yards was followed bya trick play that yielded ten more, and then came a forward pass whichplaced the locals within striking distance of the enemy’s goal.
Right there Sage once more dashed Oakdale’s hopes. The team had two setsof signals. This was necessary to enable them to switch from one set tothe other in case their opponents should get wise to the signals in use.Now, however, Sage put them all into confusion by mixing the signalshimself in such a manner that it was impossible to tell which of twoplays he had called for. Then he made a bad pass, which was followed bya fumble, and Barville, coming through Oakdale like water through asieve, got the ball.
Immediately Stone ordered Sage out of the game. Nelson was placed atquarter, and his position was filled by a substitute.