Then the Brown's warriors broke through and bore down, big and ugly, upon Pearse and Smith; but Neil was stepping toward the ball; a long stride, a short one, a long one, and toe and pigskin came together.

Pearse was down and Smith was shouldering valiantly at a big guard.

Two blue-clad arms swept upward almost into the path of the rising ball; there was a confused sound of crashing bodies and rasping canvas, and then a Robinson man bounded against Neil and sent him reeling to earth.
For an instant the desire to lie still and close his eyes was strong.
But there was the ball! He rolled half over, and raising himself on his left hand looked eagerly toward the posts.

The pigskin, turning lazily over and over, was still in flight.

Straight for the goal it was speeding, but now it had begun to drop.