Merriwell was under the ball, caught it, and jumped away like a flash, avoiding the rush of Rogers. Nearly twenty yards Dick ran with the ball before being tackled and brought to earth by Dana.
This was brilliant work for the Fardale half-back, and his admirers cheered loudly.
With great courage Fardale lined up for the attack.
Up to this point Rivermouth had played an unusually clean game for them, but now there came a change. In the very first charge, Stanton, who had received severe usage in the first half, was slugged in the mêlée and knocked out. When the ball was down Fardale’s right tackle was discovered stretched on the ground, though the referee had not seen the foul that laid him low.
Frank Merriwell’s sharp eyes had seen it, and he was indignant. He made a demand that Twain be put out of the game, but this was ignored.
Stanton did not recover quickly, and so Hovey was substituted and the game went on. Fardale seemed angry at what had happened and slammed into the home team hard enough to advance the ball to the forty-yard line.
But there they stuck. Try as hard as they might, not another yard could be made, and the oval went to Rivermouth on downs.
At once Rivermouth began a series of mass-plays that seemed to stagger and daze the visitors. The first gain was four yards. Then six yards were made. Then four more yards.
And then, with a revolving wedge, the home team literally hurled aside and trampled on the Fardale line, carrying the ball across into the territory of the visitors and within one foot of the fifty-yard line.
In this scrimmage Gordan went down with a twisted knee, and he could not bear his weight on that leg when he was helped to his feet.