11/10/1900 - at South Carolina

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Unfortunately, not many details of the game against South Carolina have been preserved. Just the third game ever played by A&M outside of the state of North Carolina and her sixth-ever out-of-state opponent, the Red and White had not fared well against out-of-state teams recently. Their two previous out-of-state games (1895 vs VMI and 1899 vs Clemson) had been lost by a combined score of 6-64, and their last three-straight out-of-state opponents had been losses. Heading in to this game, the Fighting Gamecocks had really only started playing out-of-state matches in 1898, having lost to the Augusta Athletic Association in 1894 but then playing only in-state opponents for the next 4 years. In 1898, they played the Robert Bingham School, of Asheville, North Carolina, winning 16-5, and Davidson, losing 0-6. In 1899, the Garnet and Black played the Robert Bingham School twice, once in Columbia, where they won 11-5, and once in Asheville, where they lost 6-18. The South Carolinians also played Davidson in 1899, losing 0-5.

In the 1900 season, South Carolina had played just three games so far, and only two complete games. They opened their season with a 0-5 match against Georgia in Athens; the Columbians forfeitted the game after the referee refused to award them a game-tying touchdown. Their second match of the season had been against Guilford, which they had won 10-0. Their third match was a 0-51 slaughtering at the hands of Clemson watched by 5,000+ spectators at the South Carolina State Fair (Garnet and Black, 1901, p. 160; The Greenville Daily News, November 2nd, 1900, p. 1).


A photo of South Carolina's team from Garnet and Black (1901), p. 161

The A&M team left Raleigh on the Tuesday, November 9th, for South Carolina. They reached Greensboro around dinner-time and ate; their rush to get back on the road prompted The Greensboro Evening Telegram to write the following humorour observation: "The boys were told that they had only two minutes in which to eat supper here, and the way they made Gresham's edibles fly was a sight to behold" (News and Observer, November 10th, 1900, p. 8; The Greensboro Evening Telegram, November 10th, 1900, p. 1). In addition to the regular members of the football team, four substitutes joined the team on the trip.

The game kicked off at 4 PM (The State, November 10th, 1900, p. 8). Though it was meant to be played in two 25-minute halves, the second half was shortened to just 20 minutes "so that the Agricultural and Mechanical boys could catch the train." The weather was superb, however, the crowd was disappointingly small considering the "superb" weather and the low price of admissions.


Roster

A&M SC
McKinnon RE Deal
Wright RT Jennings
Gardner RG Neil
Grimsley C Freeman
Bowden LG Herbert
Turner LT Oliver
McCanless LE Mills
Worth QB H. Withers
Welch (Capt.) RHB Bell (Capt.)
Wootten LHB J. Withers
Dalton FB Yancey
Thompson SUB Blackwell

Source


Period Time Description NCSU SC
2nd 12 SC - Yancey - 25 yd Run (Yancey kick) 12 plays, 95 yards, TOP 8 min. 0 6
2nd 6 SC - Bell - 6 yd Run (UNKNOWN kick) 15 plays, 84 yards, TOP unk 0 12

NCSU Opponent
Rushing TDs none Bell (1), Yancey (1)
Passing TDs N/A prior to 1906 N/A prior to 1906
Receiving TDs N/A prior to 1906 N/A prior to 1906
Defensive TDs none none
PATs none Yancey (1/1), UNKNOWN (1/1)
2PT: N/A/ prior to 1958 N/A/ prior to 1958
FGs none none
Safety: none none
Game Notes:
Kick Off Time: 4 PM - 11/10/1900 - at South Carolina
Length: 45 (25 / 20) - Duration: unk
Attendance: unknown
Location: College Park - Columbia, SC
Temperature: ???
Weather: ???
Wind: ???

The Farmers won the toss, electing to receive the kick off, defending the west goal. Yancey kicked off to Welch, who received the kick at the Red and White's 25-yard line and advanced the ball 5 yards before being tackled by Mills. The Aggies fumbled on both first and second down, and on third down punted the ball 30 yards away. One of the Withers caught the kick and advanced it 8 yards. After a 5-yard gain by Mills and a 10-yard dash around right end by Bell, Yancey fumbled the ball on a line buck, giving the A&M team the ball around the Farmers' own 37-yard line.

The fumbling didn't stop there. After a 20-yard gain by Welch, the next play was a turnover which was recovered by Neil. After a 1-yard loss by Bell, he redeemed himself with 10-yard scamper around left end. After a 5-yard run through the line by Yancey and a similar scamper by J. Withers, the ball was in Garnet and Black possession around midfield. A 30-yard run by Bell and a 20-yard dash by J. Withers placed the ball within about 15-yards of the Red and White goal line. The South Carolina left halfback remained the man for the next couple plays, gaining 11 yards on two runs. A 4-yard run by Bell brought the ball to within 3-yards of A&M's goal line. Despite valiant efforts by Yancey, Withers (which one was not specified, but probably the LHB), and Bell, the Farmers held firm, earning the ball back from a turnover on downs.

Dalton immediately punted the ball 30 yards away, but 10 of those yards were negated by Withers' return. After a run for no gain by an unspecified Sandlapper and a 2-yard run by Bell, Yancey attempted a place kick which "would have worked well enough if it had been kicked a little higher." As balls remained live even after a failed kick in this period, the two teams made a scramble for it; the Farmers eventually gained control. Starting from the 25-yard line, the Dalton and an unspecified player gained 2 yards each on two plays. On third down, Welch was tackled behind the line of scrimmage, giving the Garnet and Black the ball. Bell gained 3 yards on the Gamecocks' first down, but failed to advance it further, resulting in a turnover right about where the Farmers lost the ball to start with.

After losing a yard on first down, the Farmers elected to punt the ball, Dalton sending the pigskin 25 yards downfield; H. Withers caught the kick and returned it 10 yards, placing the ball around midfield. After a 10-yard gain by Yancey, South Carolina lost 2 yards on a fumble. Jennings made 6 yards, but the Farmers' line proved stout, getting the ball back on downs. Back in control, the Farmers attempted a trick play, but instead lost 2 yards. They lost another 6 while attempting a double pass. On third down, needing 13 yards to go, the Aggies attempted a line run, which proved unsuccessful. Fortunately, Bell fumbled the ball on the very next play, ceding control back to the Farmers. Losing 3 yards on her first play, the Red and White elected to punt, sending the ball 20-yards away.

Evidently, A&M recovered the ball, but shortly gave the ball back on a turnover on downs. J. Withers started things off with a 5-yard run, but soon thereafter the Sandlappers punted, Yancey sending the orb about 20 yards, where it "rolled out of hands" (bounds?). On the very next play, the Farmers were penalized for being offsides, giving South Carolina the ball back. The Garnet and Black promptly punted the ball 30 yards; the Farmers returned in kind, sending the ball 25-yards. Again, the Aggies apparently recovered the ball, but were penalized for a forward pass, giving the ball back to the Gamecocks.

After a 10-yard run by Bell, an 8-yard dash by J. Withers, and a 4-yard gain by Yancey, "The A. and M. then got the ball" -- how is not explained -- "and kicked it 30 yards," where it was caught by Withers, who was tackled before he could advance the ball. Bell continued to drive down the field with a 5 yard run, but Yancey's run for only 2 yards; South Carolina proved unable to get a first down. After runs for 4- and 9-yards by Dalton, two unspecified Farmers got 5 yards on two runs, followed by a 10-yard penalty on USC for being offsides. This difference was recouped on the next play, when Yancey tackled Welch an equal distance behind the A&M line of scrimmage. The Aggies were called for being offsides themselves and assessed a likewise 10-yard penalty just as the 25-minute first half came to an end with the ball roughly at midfield.

The Farmers kicked off to start the second half; a distance was not given, but based on the following distances given, it was around 30 yards, to about the 15 yard line; Bell returned the kickoff 15-yards, to the South Carolina 30. After a 3-yard buck by an unnamed South Carolina runner, Yancey ran for 5 and then 4 yards. On first down, J. Withers got 2 yards, but Yancey made it 8 on the second down to get another set. On the next play, Bell vaulted the Farmer line for 3-1/2 yards to put the ball at midfield. J. Withers ran the ball for 8 yards, followed by a 3-yard dash by Oliver. A 5-yard gain by Yancey was then followed by a 4-yard run by J. Withers. Bell made another 10 yards around right end, and finally Yancey punched through a 25-yard scamper to make the game's first touchdown. He also kicked the goal, putting the Sandlappers up 6-to-nothing after 8 minutes of play in the second half.

Dalton kicked off for the Farmers, booting the ball to the Sandlappers' 10-yard line, where it bounced and rolled out of bounds behind the South Carolina goal, resulting in a touchback. The ball was brought back out to the 25-yard line, where Yancey punted, sending the ball 30-yards to midfield. Welch caught the kick and advanced it 5 yards. Unfortunately, the Farmers gained only 4 yards on the following three downs, resulting in a turnover on downs at the South Carolina 36-yard line. The Garnet and Black lost 10 yards for an offsides penalty on the subsequent play. On the next down, Yancey gained 6 and Jennings netted just 2-1/2 yards, but on the following play Yancey continued to find success on the ground, going 10 yards. After J. Withers got 6 yards, Bell ran for no gain. But Yancey and Oliver made the distance with a couple of 3-yard dashes. On first down, one of the Withers brothers bucked the line for a 12-yard gain, which Yancey followed with a run for 5. A 7-yard run by Bell, two runs for 3 and 8 yards by Yancey, and a 3 yard scamper by one of the Withers put the ball on the A&M 6-yard line; a second run for no gain went undescribed, but set up third and two at the A&M 6-yard line. Bell gained the requisite yards and four more, putting the ball across the goal line after another 6 minutes of play in the second half. The goal was successfully kicked, making the score 12-0 in favor of South Carolina with just six minutes remaining in the second half.

The Farmers kicked off again, sending the ball 30 yards to H. Withers, who advanced the ball 10 yards to his own 35-yard line. Oliver started the drive off strong with a 10-yard run, and on the second play Yancey got 5. After a 3-yard buck by Oliver and a 5-yard gain by one of the Withers (probably J.), Blackwell was substituted for J. Withers, who had been injured. Blackwell started things off strong with an 8-yard rush, and Bell followed him with a 5-yard gain; here, Wootten was replaced by Thompson. The substitution did little to help, with Bell immediately breaking free for a 35-yard run, to the A&M 10-yard line; evidently, 10 yards were lost somewhere along the way, because basic arithmetic says this should have been a touchdown. Fortunately, it was not; it was actually a fumble. The Aggies landed on the ball and immediately kicked the ball 35-yards away, to their own 45-yard line. After a run for no gain by H. Withers, an unspecified Gamecock lost 7 yards. A 30-yard punt by Yancey put the ball at the Red and White 17-yard line as time expired. The second half was only 20 minutes.

Despite the scoure, the teams were reported to be evenly matched, with the game "very slow" but pretty "at times." The game was also marred by "too much squabbling and slugging" by both teams, with A&M kicking "a great deal over the referee's decisions" in the first half; they apparently also took umbrage with the play of Captain Bell quite often. Apparently the Aggies used "several new formations" throughout the game: "Their favorite play was for the centre [Grimsley] to roll the ball back to their quarter [Worth], who simply held it up for the end as he came by, who would then run behind a seven man interference." Unfortunately, however, South Carolina eventually caught on to the play.

Stars of the game for South Carolina were Yancey, Bell, and, the Withers boys; the work of South Carolina's line, especially that of Neil, Freeman, Jennings, and Oliver. For A&M, Dalton, Welch, and Wootten were praised, as was the teamwork of Grimsley and Worth, who played "like clockwork." Their line and ends, in particular, were noted for being deficient. Dalton's much-utilized foot was also praised for his excellent punting (The State, November 11th, 1900, p. 12).

A&M coach Joel Whitaker was furious over the loss, not because of how his team performed, but because of the work of the referee, as mentioned previously. In Whitaker's own words, the referee, Mr. Jennings, of Wofford College, "robbed the A. and M. College of a safety, ruled out the end plays which were used in every game this season by the Carlisle Indian team, misinterpreted the rules to benefit the South Carolina team, and this once when their [South Carolina's] coach told Jennings he was wrong" (The North Carolinian, November 15th, 1900, p. 7). Whitaker made no such claims throughout the rest of A&M's paltry 1900 season, so I can only assume that his complaints were justified in this game. A second report published in Raleigh wrote that in addition to the stolen safety, that A&M was "penalized... without cause" and that South Carolina was also arbitrarily given the ball "when the A. and M. was near their goal." Finally, the referee reportedly "refused to notice forward passes" made by the South Garnet and Black team (The Raleigh Times, November 12th, 1900, p. 2).

Last updated: 6/4/2024