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Since playing their last game against Furman in Greenville, South Carolina, the A&M boys had been training after being unable to schedule an additional football game. The team returned from South Carolina on October 8th, and immediately returned to "fast and furious" practice. Despite the loss against Clemson and the tie against Furman, "The record made by the team on the recent trip is perfectly satisfactory to the student body" as Clemson's team was "one of the strongest teams in the south." Notably, no attempt was made to explain the tie against Furman (The (Raleigh) Morning Post, October 9th, 1902, p. 2).

Furman, on the other hand, had been playing. Essentially following A&M out of Raleigh, Furman stopped in Davidson on October 10th and won 6-0. The next day, the Purple and White arrived in Chapel Hill to play UNC. The Chapel Hill boys won 10-0, noting "it was natural for us to class Furman as an easy proposition and unworthy of due consideration. But when we were appraised of the fact when the South Carolinians had held the strong A. & M. team, which has repeatedly and boastingly said that it will defeat us in Novembe, to a tie game, neither side scoring, and that Davidson, our strongest State opponent to their terrific blows and severe line plunging, we became uneasy and apprehensive and accordingly prepared ourselves to have a battle royal with the Palmetto boys," though the editors did note that the score would have been closer to 20-0 had the Tar Heels not fumbled the ball twice in the second half (The Tar Heel, October 18th, 1902, p. 1). South Carolina papers reminded Furman's fans not to be too upset by the loss, writing "The defeat of the Furman football eleven... was not as discouraging as it might have been. The Carolina team is considered one of the best football teams in the South and for Furman to hold them down to a score of 10 is considered quite a victory." The article closed by writing "The friends of the team here are expecting Furman to defeat A. and M. college in the game to be played Monday" (The Greenville Daily News, October 14th, 1902, p. 1).

The rematch between the "sand-lappers" and A&M was fairly heavily advertised in Raleigh; as early as October 9th, "A large crowd" was expected to turn out for the game. The Athletic Association hoped to boost the number of people in attendance by selling tickets for just 25 cents, instead of the 50-cent price of all of the other home games during the 1902 season, advertising a "good, clean, straightforward" game of football. Both teams were also weighted similarly, though Furman's team was "a trifle heavier" (The (Raleigh) Morning Post, October 9th, 1902, p. 2; The (Raleigh) Morning Post, October 12th, 1902, p. 2).

Notably, this game was the first game of the season played by last year's star, Welch. Welch returned to school late that season, and as such did not play the first game, but instead umpired for the Furman game. Welch's absence in the first games against Furman and Clemson was not minor, Welch being described by some as one of the top halfbacks in the South (News and Observer, October 4th, 1902, p. 5; News and Observer, October 7th, 1902, p. 1). Also making his premiere in a game involving A&M was Furman's captain, Sublett, who had sat out of their first meeting due to a bruised arm. Sublett had participated in Furman's games against Davidson and Chapel Hill (Charlotte Daily Observer, October 11th, 1902, p. 7; The Tar Heel, October 18th, 1902, p. 4).

The day was a great day for football, with the temperature averaging around 67 degrees, and only trace amounts of rainfall (News and Observer, October 14th, 1902, p. 8). The game was played in two 20-minute halves *, and described as "hard fought from the first minute" and "an interesting game to look at." Reportedly, the Farmers again had the better day but lost only because of two unfortunately-timed fumbles.

The game began with Furman kicking off to Tucker, who advanced the ball 10 yards. After gaining just 3 more yards, the Farmers turned the ball over. Furman immediately kicked the ball back to A&M; Robertson returned the kick to Furman, who at that time decided to keep the ball. Furman advanced the ball "by a series of rushes," and at that point kicked the ball over the goal posts to score 5 points in a "goal from field" or a place kick from 25 yards out. Notably, this was the first recorded time that a team had scored a goal from place kick in a game involving A&M. The kick, made by Capt. Sublett, "took the breath away from the local cranks and rooters." Nearly every account of the game acknowledged the "beautiful play" of Sublett in making the kick, and even The Agromeck noted that the kick was "difficult."

After being scored upon, A&M kicked the ball back to Furman, who was unable to advance the ball much further and quickly turned the ball over on downs. By a series of "plunges through the line" Gardner, Welch, Neal, and Shannonhouse advanced the ball down the field until "near the goal" the ball was fumbled and went over to Furman. Furman gained 4 yards in two downs, but was decided to kick the ball away on the third down rather than risking another turnover on downs deep in their own territory. Roberson caught the kick and then jumped over Furman's line to make a "brilliant" 20-yard dash. After that, Gardner picked up 3 yards and Roberson another 10. Those runs put the ball at the 25-yard line, but unfortunately for the Farmers, time was called and the first half was over.

The second half started with A&M kicking the ball off to Furman; "Furman's man was tackled in his tracks by Gulley." After that, "There were punts and rushes in rapid succession, with the ball most of the time in the territory defended by Furman." With every run the Farmers were reportedly making gains of 4-15 yards, yet the touchdown continued to elude them. Once inside the 5 yard line, the Red and White failed to run it across the goal line in the first two downs and then fumbled the ball on the third; the ball rolled to within 2 yards of the Furman goal line, where it was recovered by a Furman player. Furman then advanced the ball 2 yards to the 4 yard line. After that, Furman attempted to run the ball a second time, but was pushed back across their own goal line for a safety. That made the score 2-5 in favor of the Baptists.

Furman kicked the ball away from their 25 yard line after the safety. Asbury caught the ball and advanced the ball 10 yards. Unfortunately for the Farmers, they were unable to advance the ball further and Furman got the ball. Furman immediately kicked the ball away to about the A&M 20 yard line. From there, the Raleigh boys were "sweeping their opponents down the flied [sic] in a way that meant victory if time would only hold out." The drive was spearheaded by Shannonhouse, who ran the ball 20 yards in one run. Sadly, with the ball 15 yards from Furman's goal line, time was called, and the Red and White had lost their second game of the season (The (Raleigh) Morning Post, October 14th, 1902, p. 2; The Greenville Daily News, October 14th, 1902, p. 1; News and Observer, October 14th, 1902, p. 1.

The Agromeck described the frustration of the game as follows: "we outplayed the sand-lappers at all stages of the game; but the Baptist brethren seemed unconquerable; and we just could not beat them. Three times A. & M. fumbled when on Furman's two, five and three-yard line." The Morning Post echoed the sentiment of O. Max Gardner's editorial in The Agromeck, writing "Mr. Sublett, the captain and full-back on the opposing team, is the gentleman who did the business. He is the strength of the team, its star, and that unerring right foot of his is the secret of it all. To him, and to him alone, is due the credit for the victory of the visitors, for without his kicking A. & M.'s goal was at no time in serious danger." A South Carolinian paper called it Furman's "hardest game of the season" (The Agromeck, Vol. I (1903), p. 147; The Greenville Daily News, October 14th, 1902, p. 1).

The Furman boys were given a vociferous welcome in Greenville when they returned home. "Over half a hundred students of the university were at the train, and gave the team a glorious reception. The shrill college yell and three cheers announced the arrival of the men who have won glory for themselves on the gridiron." The paper went on to write "It is generally conceded that the present team of Furman's is the best football team that the institution has ever had" (The Greenville Daily News, October 15th, 1902, p. 10). Little did they know what the future had in store for the Furman boys; after winning 3 of their first 5 games, the Purple and White would go on to win just one more game for the remainder of the season, losing to Georgia and Clemson, tying St. Alban's school and an anemic Georgia Tech team who went 0-6-2, and defeating only South Carolina.

One interesting report from the game came from one of Raleigh's religious papers, the Raleigh Christian Advocate. The Advocate wrote the following:

"We clip the following from the News and Observer's report in Tuesday morning's paper of a game of football between Furman University and the Agricultural and Mechanical College on last Monday afternoon: 'There was a large attendance. The girls' schools were well represented. * * * All kinds of cheers from the different classes smote the air. One was very unique [yes, very.] It was evidently from the class of '04, for it ran thusly: 'One-two-three-four; four-three-two-one; who-in-the-hell-are-we-for? A. and M.'! and Dr. Winston who sat among the girls from Peace, smiled.'

"We are glad that no mention is made of a smile from the 'girls.' How that word must have blistered their sensibilities!

"We are very sorry that a smile from the President was noted. We sincerely trust that it was not provoked by that class cry. A smile of a college President at anything bordering on profanity is a fearful thing in these days. We must believe that the 'President' in this case was smiling at something else.

"But that class cry! It was undignified; it was lacking in respect to the opposing side, representing an institution of a great Church; it was coarse; it was profane; used, as it was, publicly, in the presence of pure school girls and innocent boys, it was an outrage on common culture and morality.

"That class cry contained a word whose utterance by small boys often causes an application by devoted mothers of soap and water.

"It is a word which we have been taught should never be used flippantly by gentlemen in the presence of ladies.

"It is a word which no one is allowed to use boisterously on the streets.

"It is a word which always brings a slight contraction of the heart to every pure girl and woman.

"Shall we have it used in the class cry of an institution of learning, whether private or public, where fathers and mothers send their boys to learn the principles of high manhood and womanhood? No; a thousand times, no!

"No institution of learning in this century of grace can allow coarseness and profanity, though couched in a class cry. We send our boys and girls to school to learn something cleaner and nobler.

"Let us have no more of that class cry, and any encouraging official smile. we have as much right as citizens to demand this from our public schools as we have as professing Christians to demand it from our church schools."

Interestingly, I could not find this report in the News and Observer's report of the game, which was incidentally just a paragraph and just as meager of a game summary as many of the "away" games. None of the other Raleigh papers carried this report, either. As contentious as the cry was to the sensibilities of the crowd, it was not noted elsewhere (Raleigh Christian Advocate, October 15th, 1902, p. 1).

* The Agromeck's post-season summary noted that this game took place with two 25-minute halves (Agromeck, Vol. 1 (1903), p. 147