It was evident soon after the third period began that Coach Cotting had decided to play a defensive game and take as few risks of injury to his players as possible. Gordon punted as soon as the ball went into Maple Hill’s possession, and after that Stacey invariably called for a kick on second or third down. The punting game was not ill advised, either, for with a wet ball and a slippery field fumbles by the opposing backs might well be looked for. They came, too, but good luck attended St. Matthew’s that day and her fumbles were always recovered before the Maple Hill ends could get to the ball. Toward the last of the third period the Green-and-Gray partisans were treated to an anxious three minutes. Using a shift formation that was hard to meet, St. Matthew’s took the ball from her own forty-five yard line by successive rushes down to Maple Hill’s twenty-seven. There, with the stands imploring Maple Hill to, “Hold them!” and Watson begging the team to get together, a fumble by the St. Matthew’s quarter lost two yards, although the ball was recovered by a back, and another try netted but a fraction of a yard, Kitty and Pounder refusing to be budged and the entire Green-and-Gray backfield, solving the play, piling in behind them. There was a conference then by the St. Matthew’s quarter and the captain, and after one or two false starts the right tackle was sent back to try a place kick at goal. Maple Hill, however, broke through desperately and the ball bounded away from some charging defender, and, although a St. Matthew’s player fell upon it some ten yards up the field, it went to Maple Hill a moment later when Peterson intercepted a forward pass. A plunge at left tackle gained two yards, and Gordon punted and Maple Hill’s goal was once more out of danger. The period ended after the visitors had gained a first down with the ball near the middle of the field in St. Matthew’s territory.
It had been a gruelling game, and more than one of Coach Cotting’s players showed the pace. With the big game only seven days distant it would not do to overtax his best men, and so during the short intermission the Maple Hill lineup was considerably changed. Of the forwards only Pounder, Kittson, and Peterson remained when the fourth period began, while, with the exception of Gordon, an entirely new backfield was presented. St. Matthew’s went desperately to work for a score, and her heavy charges at the Green-and-Gray line soon began to tell. The right side of it was weak, and most of the gains were made there. St. Matthew’s went down to her opponent’s thirty-four yards without losing the ball. Then there was a slip up on signals, and Kitty wormed through and fell on the pigskin. In Maple Hill’s first play, a double pass behind the line, Anson, who had substituted Fuller, wrenched his knee when tackled, and when, a moment later, he tried to run up the field under Gordon’s long punt and had to subside in a pool of water, Cotting called him out and sent in Rodney. There remained only some six minutes of playing time. St. Matthew’s, who had made several changes in her line already, now put in a new backfield entire, perhaps concluding that her chance of winning had gone by and that the best to be had was a no score tie.
She started back with the ball, but much of her aggressiveness had departed, and the new backfield was slow and uncertain. In spite of that, however, she managed to keep the ball until she had gained two first downs. Then she was set back for holding and presently punted. The kick was poor, and Gordon, playing back, raced in with upraised hand and made a fair catch on the forty-four yards. The Maple Hill supporters arose and loudly demanded a touchdown and for a minute or two it looked as though their demand might be satisfied, for two gains outside of tackles brought a first down with the pigskin on the thirty-two yard line. Gordon gained three straight through center, Rodney made two on a skin tackle plunge at the left, and Gordon again took the ball, but was stopped for no gain. It was then fourth down with five to go, and after a conference Gordon fell back to kicking position. But the signals told a different story and Rodney sprinted across the field, Peterson close behind him.
“Forward pass!” cried the opposing quarter. “Look out!”
Peterson, slackening his pace, turned for the throw. Rodney met the first of the enemy and sent him staggering aside. The ball came arching across the field. But Gordon had thrown too far and Rodney saw that the flying oval would pass over Peterson’s head. He stepped back, dodging a blue stockinged enemy, heard Peterson’s warning cry as his upstretched hands failed to grasp the ball, and got it himself, head high. In front of him at the instant stretched an open path to the goal line. From the stands came frenzied cries of delight, from the enemy hoarse shouts of warning. Had Rodney started on the instant and made straight for the goal line he would have scored, and Maple Hill would have won another hard fought battle. But for just the instant that it took to turn the opponent’s confusion into action Rodney hesitated. The ball should have been Peterson’s, he realized, and by some chance it had come to him. For an infinitesimal instant of time that thought crowded back all others. Then he saw what was to be done and bounded off, throwing aside a pair of clutching arms. But the hesitation cost him success. The stretch of sod that had been empty a second before was now guarded, and eager hands reached for him. Peterson did his best, but the enemy was too many and Rodney was pulled to earth on the twelve yard line, ignominiously defeated by his own inaction, by the lack of that one factor that Terry Doyle called football instinct and Coach Cotting termed football sense.
The game ended 0 to 0 and the teams cheered each other dispiritedly, each feeling, doubtless, that by rights the contest should have been its own. Not a soul spoke to Rodney of his failure. In fact, it seemed to him that every fellow looked more kindly upon him than usual. But he knew what had happened, knew that by just a fraction of a moment he had lost the game for his team, and between the sounding of the final whistle and the reaching of the gymnasium door he came to a decision. He would resign from the team.
CHAPTER XXI
COTTING TELLS A STORY
“Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”