Coach Cade was back on Monday for dinner, and to one or two especially observant members of the squad he looked more grim and determined than usual. Instead of sending the squad out to the field at three-thirty that afternoon he talked to them in the gymnasium for some twenty minutes. First he took up Saturday’s game and went through it exhaustively, pointing out mistakes and short-comings. He started with center and worked through guards, tackles, ends and backs, and it was surprising how many faults he managed to mention. Finally he said: “Now, fellows, I’m going to talk plain. We are all in this together. If I fail in my duties it affects you, and if you fail it comes back on me. You want to win your games and I want you to, and if you’re to do it you and I have got to team up and pull side by side from now on. There’s no getting around the fact that so far we’ve made a poor showing. You will have to look back over the Alton football records for many years before you’ll find a season as disappointing as this has been so far. We’ve played four games and won just one. Not only that but, against pretty weak teams, we’ve managed to score only 40 points to the opponents’ 31. You don’t need to have me tell you that there’s something wrong somewhere. I wish I could tell you what it is, but I can’t. I’m willing to assume half the responsibility, though, for I have a hunch that I know one way in which I’ve failed this fall. I’ll take that up in a minute. What I’m getting at now is that it’s up to all of us to face the situation and determine to get the best of it. It’s a time for drastic measures, and I want you to realize it. We can’t defeat Kenly Hall if we keep on the way we’re going. I’m certain of that, and those of you who have played here in other seasons know it too. All right, then. We’ve got to stop taking things for granted and prove them. That’s what we’ve been doing, fellows, taking things for granted. Both of us. That’s the mistake I spoke of a minute ago. You are taking it for granted that you’re going to be able to play winning football when you get up against Kenly. Probably you know yourselves capable of it. I think you are capable of it. I’m taking it for granted, too. That is, I have been. Beginning to-day, though, I’m not.”