Let Cobber
be rough, if that suited the college men.
Cobber lost the ball on downs.
Then Gridley took the pigskin.
"Play for time," was Badger's signaled order.
Not much in the delay line is possible under a vigilant referee,
yet all the time that strategy _could_ gain was taken advantage of.
Thrice the ball was fought over the center of the gridiron. Then
it settled slowly toward the High School goal, making slow, stubbornly
fought advances.
Three minutes left to play!
Gridley H.S. got the ball once more, under the distance rule.
Now Badger called out the same signal that had been used for that
most effective fake kick.
Captain Halsey smiled as he saw the High School fighters spread out
swiftly, just as they had done before.
Halsey thought he knew this time! That same old ruse of dashing
around the left end; then a fake kick and a dashing race by Stearns.
Halsey's swiftly telegraphed orders disposed his men to meet
the former dodge more effectively.
The whistle sounded, and the ball was passed. But what Halsey didn't
know was that, the second time this signal was called it meant the
players were to do exactly what they seemed spreading out for.
So the ball actually went around the left end this time, Evans
making the best sprint that was left in his stiffening muscles.
He covered twenty-four yards before he was brought to earth.
Here was where delay came in. While Cobber was fighting stubbornly
to regain the pigskin, the whistle sounded the end of the second
half.
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