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The Red and White left Raleigh on October 3rd for Clemson. Because it was the first game either team had played in the 1902 season, most papers made little comment on the chances of victory of each team. While A&M's team was noted as being "heavier than usual," it was still noted in others that the 1901 Clemson team had defeated UNC by a score of 10-22, and that Clemson's team was likely to be just as good this year under the auspices of 3rd-year Head Coach John Heisman. Despite that, the News and Observer wrote "It is a strong team and a good record is expected" (The Asheville Citizen, October 4th, 1902, p. 6; News and Observer, October 4th, 1902, p. 5).

Clemson fans, on the other hand, were also expecting a win. "Our prospects for a good team this year are not as bright as they might be; but we have Mr. Heisman back with us, and that means that Clemson will have a winning team," wrote the Clemson College Chronicle. The Greenville Daily News wrote that "The Raleigh team is a strong one" and wrote that "Coach Heisman is especially interested in this game.... Nobody knows yet whether they will play like veterans or stampede like steers" (Clemson College Chronicle, Vol. VI, No. 1 (Oct. 1902), p. 26; The Greenville Daily News, October 4th, 1902, p. 9).

The best surviving summary of the game comes from the Clemson College Chronicle. Most all reports, however, agreed that the weather was miserable. A&M's first edition of The Agromeck, the NC State student yearbook, wrote that the game was played "in a perfect downpour of rain." The Red and White wrote "It was a very close game, being played in a down pour [sic] of rain." Or, as The People's Journal wrote, "The rain was a little disagreeable for the visitors, but the ground was in nice condition for the 'rooters'" (The Agromeck, Vol. 1 (1903), p. 146; Red and White, Vol. IV, No. 1 (Oct. 1902), p. 11; The People's Journal, October 9th, 1902, p. 3). The condition of the field was terrible, with one author describing it as "a small replica of the Great Dismal Swamp" (Beezley, p. 12). In spite of the bad weather, "a large crowd viewed the hard-fought game from the side lines" (Clemson College Chronicle, Vol. VI, No. 2 (Nov. 1902), p. 84).

Capt. Gardner of A&M won the toss and chose to defend the South goal. Maxwell kicked off for to A&M, and Tucker caught the kick. After a 1 yard gain by Gully and a run for no gain by Tucker, Robertson kicked the ball away for the Red and White to Gantt. The Orange and Purple didn't fare much better themselves; Sadler ran for 1 yard, followed by a 2-yard gain by DaCosta. After failing to make a new set of downs, Clemson kicked the ball away; Robertson caught the ball but was stopped by a "beautiful tackle" made by Sitton. The Farmers then began making their first steady drive of the day, starting with a 4-yard pickup by Darden, and followed by an 8-yard gain by Shannonhouse. The drive then stalled, with Robertson, Neil, and Gully all failing to move the ball. Somehow, the Red and White got additional downs, likely caused by some procedural error on Clemson's behalf, but the exact reason for this was never explicitly mentioned. On the 4th try, an unnamed A&M player fumbled the ball for a loss of 2 yards. After that, the Raleigh boys decided to kick the ball away, with Robertson kicking the ball far enough that it rolled past the goal line and became a touchback after Gantt fell on the ball. Clemson carried the ball to their 25 yard line and kicked it away, but the ball was called back, likely because it went out of bounds. Maxwell kicked the ball to Darden, who returned the kick 10 yards. After three consecutive 2 yard gains by Robertson, Shannonhouse, and Gardner, A&m called time.

Upon coming back from their time out, the Red and White were eager to score. Shannonhouse ran for no gain, followed by a a 3 yard gain by Gully, a 1 yard gain by Robertson, and a 2 yard run by Neil. After that, Gully pulled of an 8 yard run, followed by a 1 yard pickup by A&M and a 2 yard gain by Darden. Despite being the third play of this set of downs, the Clemson College Collegian wrote "A. & M. second down: goal to gain. Shannonhouse hits the line for a touch-down." The Farmers missed the kick and got the first points of the game, up 5-0.

Maxwell kicked off for the Tigers; A&M failed to recover the kick, and Sitton captured the ball for Clemson. Hanvey ran the ball for 4 yards, followed by 1 for Sadler. Immediately thereafter, though, Clemson fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by A&M. Robertson ran the ball for 2 yards, but the ball was then fumbled and recovered by the Red and White. A&M kicked the ball away, where it was caught by Gantt, who brought the ball back 10 yards. DaCosta ran for 5 yards, and then Lawrance got a 12 yard run, followed by another 4 yard pickup. Sitton then gained 6 yards, followed by a pair of 2 yard gain by Hanvey and Gantt. Finally, Hanvey crossed the goal line for Clemson; Clemson missed their goal kick, and the first half ended shortly thereafter with a score of 5-5.

The second half opened with A&M kicking the ball off to Clemson. Sitton caught the kick and returned it 10 yards, followed by a 5 yard gain by Sadler. After that, Clemson again fumbled the ball, which was recovered again by the Red and White. However, A&M failed to advance the ball, and kicked the ball off to Maxwell, who advanced the ball 5 yards. After Hanvey and Garrison gained 3 yards in two plays, Maxwell made a "splendid kick of 65 yards." Shannonhouse picked up 2 yards, followed by a 1 yard gain by Tucker; A&M then kicked the ball to Clemson. Sitton gained 5 yards, followed by a 7 yard gain by Sadler. Sitton then made the longest recorded run of the game in the form of a 13 yard dash for a touchdown. Maxwell made the goal for Clemson, and the score was 5-11, Clemson (Clemson College Chronicle, Vol. VI, No. 2 (Nov. 1902), pp. 84-86).

The Clemson College Chronicle wrote that Maxwell then returned an A&M kickoff to midfield, and that the captains of both teams agreed to end the game mutually at that point. The Raleigh papers, however, dramatically described the ending by saying "the A. and M. team saw victory in sight, but the time limit shut this off, and Clemson won," insinuating that A&M had the chance to tie the score in the end but failed (The North Carolinian, October 9th, 1902, p. 2). The game was played in two 20-minute halves (Agromeck, Vol. 1 (1903), p. 146

Despite the rain, the game was described as "a game characterized by clever and vigorous playing on both sides." The stars for A&M were reported to be Gardner and Asbury, while for Clemson, Forsythe, Sadler, and Sitton were reported as stars, though most reports emphasized Maxwell's 65-yard kick. The Clemson College Chronicle wrote "Maxwell, the new quarter back, is a jewel and played an excellent game; Forsythe played a star defensive game his good plays came every down. Sitton, Sadler, and Hanvey did fine work." Despite their loss, the Red and White did not search for scapegoats; Gardner claimed that "the officials were the best he ever saw" (News and Observer, October 5th, 1902, p. 1; Charlotte Daily Observer, October 5th, 1902, p. 3).

A member of A&M's team bitterly wrote to the Raleigh papers "The heavy downpour of rain was clearly in Clemson's favor as they had been practising in the rain while A. and M. had never handled the ball while wet." The veracity of this claim cannot be confirmed (The (Raleigh) Morning Post, October 9th, 1902, p. 2). The same player did optimistically note that A&M was the first team to have ever scored against Clemson on their home field, which, while true, was somewhat disengenuous, as Bowman Field had only served as Clemson's home field since 1898, and in that time had seen only seen three games before that date: an 1898 matchup against the Robert Bingham School which Clemson won 55-0, a 1900 matchup which delivered the only loss to a strong Davidson team to the tune of 64-0, and a 1901 thrashing of a weak Guilford team 122-0. The only game played at Bowman field in 1902, the Red and White were not joined in their feat until 1904, when Auburn defeated Clemson 0-5, though this was partially aided by Clemson not playing at home in 1903.