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The Farmers followed up their first win of the season with an arguably more-important tie the following game. Still without the playing of Capt. Gardner, Devlin continued to do a more than able job filling in for the Farmers. UNC, on the other hand, had been unstoppable as usual. The Chapel Hill team opened the season with a 16-0 win over Guilford, followed by a 35-0 win over Oak Ridge, a 10-0 win over Furman, and a 27-0 win over Davidson in their first away game of the year. Their first game that didn't result in a win was a 0-0 tie against the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Roanoke. The following game, the Tar Heels beat the Virginia Military Institute 17-10, giving the White and Blue a 5-0-1 record heading in to Raleigh. Additionally, thr Tar Heel lineup was not injured heading into the game, playing basically the same rotation as most of their previous games that year.
The weather that day was reportedly quite typical for a late-season football game, with a stiff, cold breeze predominating the atmosphere that evening. The game, which had been set to kick off at 3:30 PM, started around 3:35 PM with between 800 and 1,500 people, including 150-200 rooters from Chapel Hill, braved the "fiece gale." The Morning Post had advertised the game as the State Championship Game; this was, in a way, technically true, as A&M had not lost to any North Carolina teams despite their meager 2-3-1 record, but only by virtue of playing a single game against a team from the Old North State, that team being an anemic Quaker eleven. A special feature of this marquee matchup was that there would be no crowding of the field from the audience, a complaint made frequently by football players and coaches in the early 20th Century. To prevent the crowding of the field, "City police, [NC A&M] cadet officers, and a substantial iron fence" were put in place to keep the crowds from impinging on the running of the players (The (Raleigh) Morning Post, November 8th, 1902, p. 7; News and Observer, November 9th, 1902, p. 1; The Agromeck, Vol. 1 (1903), pp. 147-148; The (Wilmington) Morning Star, November 9th, 1902, p. 1; The (Raleigh) Morning Post, November 9th, 1902, p. 5).
The Raleigh boys won the toss and chose to defend the North goal, which was, importantly, the direction from which the strong winds were coming.| A&M | UNC | |
|---|---|---|
| Gulley | RE | Cox |
| Neal | RT | Jones |
| Beebe | RG | Farlow |
| Hadley | C | Stewart |
| Carpenter | LG | Donnelly |
| Devlin | LT | Foust (Capt.) |
| Tucker | LE | Condon |
| Darden | QB | Graves |
| Welch | RHB | Jacocks |
| Shannonhouse | LHB | Berkley |
| Roberson | FB | Holt |
| SUB | Newton | |
| SUB | Carr | |
| SUB | Oldham | |
| SUB | Albright | |
| SUB | Endicott | |
| SUB | Fisher | |
| SUB | Engle |
| Period | Time | Description | NCSU | UNC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FINAL | No Scoring | 0 | 0 | |
| NCSU | Opponent | Rushing TDs | none | none | 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 | none |
| 2PT: | N/A/ prior to 1958 | N/A/ prior to 1958 |
| FGs | none | none |
| Safety: | none | none |
Length: 45 (25 / 20) - Duration: 2 hours Attendance: 800-1,500 Location: Fair Grounds - Raleigh, NC Temperature: ??? Weather: windy Wind: ??? | ||
As the Agromeck introduced the game, "Carolina looked rather dangerous when she took the field that afternoon. But in the heart of each man on our eleven was a grim determination to hold his own--the kind of resolution that makes men battle unflinchingly with the impossible. After the game commenced we knew that, from the start, we were in the game. The A. & M. had subordinated all her games before this for the crucial test." UNC held the advantage in "weight, strength, and experience," but the Farmers were "imbued with... grim determination to win" (Agromeck, Vol. 1 (1903), pp. 147-148).
The Red and White opened the first half with Devlin kicking the ball 50 yards from the center of the field to the Tar Heels' Jacocks returned the ball 10-13 yards. Foust then made a 5 yard gain, but after a series of short runs, the Farmers got the ball deep within White and Blue territory after the Tar Heels failed to convert on third down. The first run was a short gain, followed by a 2 yard loss by Shannonhouse, and then a 3-5 yard run by Devlin. The Red and White ran a fourth play for 2 yards, but fumbled the ball over to North Carolina. UNC's team again proved unable to gain against the 'Varsity, and after 3 failed downs, Jacocks attempted to kick the ball away. Kicking in to the stiff winds, Jacocks' kick went just 5 yards and was recovered by the Farmers. The Red and White again proved unable to advance the ball, and after another three downs, the ball was back in the possession of the Chapel Hill eleven. At this point, the drudgery of the back-and-forth possessions ended after Berkley made a long, 20-yard run. The game then returned to normal, and after the Tar Heels again failed to gain Jacocks kicked for 10 yards to Shannonhouse, who was tackled before he could advance the kick. The Red and White were again smothered by the Tar Heel defense, giving Chapel Hill the ball back. Berkley again made a long run, this time for 8 yards. After that, the White and Blue offense began to click; Jacocks, Foust, Berkley and Jones combined for 13 yards over 4 carries (of which 6 yards were gained on the feet of Berkley). There, at the A&M 30 yard line, the Tar Heels fumbled the ball, which was recovered at the Farmers' 25 yard line. Recognizing the danger that the Red and White faced, Devlin immediately kicked the ball 40 yard away. Graves caught the kick and returned it for 8 yards, after which Berkley and Foust added on another 8 yards to bring the ball back to midfield.
"It was a desperately fought game at this point," the The Morning Post opined. Jacocks initially lost 3 yards but managed to gain 4 before the end of the play. Following that run, was carried to about the A&M 40 yard line by Foust, Berkley, and Holt before the White and Blue's ground game wore out again. Still kicking into the wind, Jacocks' kick traveled just 8 yards. The Red and White tried twice to kick the ball away, likely hoping to take advantage of the strong northerly wind; the two attempts both resulted in a loss of yards, with one attempt resulting in the ball being snapped past Devlin, and the other resulting in Devlin fumbling the ball. The Farmers lost about 15 yards in total. "The confidence the A. and M. team have in Devlin," wrote the News and Observer, "was signall shown." On their third and final down, just 15 yards from their own goal line, Devlin connected, and kicked the ball 40 yards downfield, where it was caught by Graves, who returned the kick 10 yards. UNC carried the ball 14 yards in five carries via Berkley, Foust, Jones, and Holt. Eventually, the White and Blue lost the ball; whether by fumble or loss of downs in uncertain, as the News and Observer wrote it was the former while The Morning Post claimed the latter. Either way, the ball was close to the Red and White goal line after a steady series of Tar Heel advances. Devlin again decided to kick the ball away. Here, the Farmers' choice in direction of play really payed dividends. While The Morning Post simply called the kick "a long kick to Carolina's fifteen yard line," the News and Observer was a bit more specific, writing that Devlin had pummeled the ball 75 yards down the field; when the Chapel Hill eleven eventually regained control of the ball, it was at their own 18 yard line. Gains by Berkley, Foust, and Jones, a loss of yardage by an unnamed White and Blue player, left the ball on the Tar Heel 20 yard line on third down, so Jacocks decided to kick the ball away again. The Tar Heel kicker managed his first kick of the day that netted over 20 yards and launched the ball 35 yards to about midfield. The accounts vary slightly here, but either Roberson or Welch caught the ball; the News and Observer wrote that Welch caught the kick but was stopped before he could advance, while The Morning Post said that Roberson caught the ball and advanced 3 yards. Either way, the play was inconsequential, for though Roberson, Shannonhouse, and Welch made a first down, Roberson fumbled the ball. Fortunately, it was recovered by Tucker. After Tucker's save, it was third down, and Devlin decided again to kick the ball away. Devlin's kick was reportedly 50 yards ("within 15 feet of the [UNC] goal," according to the News and Observer), but the boot was nullified by an A&M player committing a holding call, and the ball given to Chapel Hill. From there, Foust, Jones, and Berkley combined for 11-1/2 yards over three carries before Foust ran for 13 yards. Berkley, Jones, Holt, and Foust all combined for 14 yards over the course of 5 plays; all of these runs were described as "hard collisions." Eventually "A. and M. got down to business" and stopped the Tar Heels from gaining a new set of downs "well down in their [NC A&M's] territory," around the Red and White 20 yard line. After two unsuccessful attempts to advance the ball, Devlin kicked the ball 35-40 yards away. The first half then came to a close.
"Then came rest and a vast amount of cheering," wrote the News and Observer. That summary is almost an understatement. The first 25 minute half was over, and the second half (which ended up lasting only 20 minutes due to darkness) was yet to begin; despite that, the Farmers were elated. "The field was crowded and A. and M. cadets were raised on the shoulders of their cheering comrades, and flags were waived and trumpets blown. The University [of North Carolina] men followed with a similar counter-demonstration, and then from the grand stand and all the crowd came cheers for one favorite and the other. It was a scene painted all over with enthusiasm." After some time, the field was cleared and the game restarted.
The second half of the game began at 4:35 PM. Carolina, now with the wind to their advantage, started the half with the ball and kicked off 40-45 yards to Neal, who caught the ball and advanced 20 yards. After a run for no gain, Devlin kicked the ball 40 yards deeper into Chapel Hill territory. Graves caught the kick and carried it back 10 yards. Berkley then made 6 yards and Foust gained 1, but Jacocks decided to emulate Devlin, and kicked the ball himself, booting the ball 40-45 yards into the dying wind to Darden, who returned the kick 5-10 yards. Welch carried the ball twice, once for 4 yards and a second time for no gain, and then Devlin kicked the ball 33-35 yards away. The Farmers were all over the Tar Heels, and after losing 2 yards, Graves kicked the ball away for North Carolina; the ball landed on the A&M 5 yard line. Roberson caught Graves' kick and carried it 5-10 yards before being tackled. Devlin then carried the ball twice for 3-4 yards before again electing to kick the ball away, this time sending the ball just 15 yards. Graves caught the ball and "heeled" (an early version of the fair catch; signified if a player raised their hand while running to catch the ball and then drew a line with their heel where they caught the ball) at the 30 yard line. Despite the fair catch, an A&M player tackled Graves, and the Red and White were penalized 15 yards for the foul tackle. Carolina ran the ball twice for 1 yard each time. Then, Graves attempted a drop-kick, but the kick failed.
This gave the Farmers a kickoff from their own 25 yard line. The length of A&M's kick was not given, but it was again caught by Graves, who advanced the ball 4 yards. In the following downs, Jones and Jacocks combined for 1-1/2 yards, and then Graves kicked the ball 30 yards away. Shannonhouse caught the ball and returned it 5 yards before being tackled by Holt, who hurt himself in the play and was replaced by Engle. In the same play, Berkley was replaced by Oldham. After one run for no gain and a single yard pickup by Carpenter, Devlin kicked the ball 40 yards away. Once in possession of the ball, Carolina began moving back towards the A&M goal line. Oldham picked up 3 yards, followed by a 4 yard gain by Jacocks. At this point, the Tar Heels made their third substitution of the day, and put in Endicott in the place of Cox. Then, Foust, Engle, Jones, and Oldham combined for 11-1/2 yards over 5 carries before the White and Blue drive again stalled; Graves kicked the ball 25 yards to A&M, who caught the ball at their own 15 yard line and returned it 5 yards. After the gain of a single yard by Welch, Devlin kicked the ball 25 yards back down the field. The 'Varsity again began slowly working the ball up the field, moving it 14 yards in five plays before Graves attempted a second drop kick from about the 25-30 yard line. Graves was unable to get the kick off and instead lost 4 yards. It should be noted that the News and Observer mentioned only one drop kick and attributed the attempt to Jacocks; The Morning Post's version is given here.The game ended with the ball in the Farmers' hands around their own 30-35 yard line (News and Observer, November 9th, 1902, p. 1; The (Raleigh) Morning Post, November 9th, 1902, p. 5). Oddly, neither of the Raleigh papers made a list of star players for the game, but out-of-town papers agreed that the best work was done by Devlin, Roberson, and Welch, though "The work of the whole team was fine." For UNC, the stars were Holt, Berkley, and Jacocks (The (Wilmington) Morning Star, November 9th, 1902, p. 1; The (Richmond) Times, November 9th, 1902, p. 2).
Though there were a number of great plays, perhaps the best-remembered action of the day took place post-game, when "the Carolina captain [Frank Foust] started from the field with the only ball the A. and M. boys possessed." Fortunately for their future practice endeavors, Cleveland Douglas Welch navigated the darkness and furor which descended on the field to intercept Foust and reclaim the ball for the Farmers (N.C. State Alumni News, Vol. 6 No. 5 (February 1934), p. 66). As good a story as it is, though, its veracity must be called into question, as a nearly-identical story was reported following the 1899 NC State-UNC game. Neither account was published until decades later; with no contemporary evidence to support one or the other, it's impossible to know which was actually true.
The game was huge for A&M: it was the first time the Farmers had held UNC without a score (including their games against the scrub teams in the early 1890s), and just the second time the two teams had tied, the first being an 11-11 tie in 1899. Additionally, A&M won without their top talent, Gardner, though they did have their coach, Devlin, playing; Devlin never professionally played football, but did play baseball in local summer leagues. The Red and White never once had to substitute a player, while the Tar Heels substituted three times. This is especially surprising when you consider that the game was reportedly a rough one; the News and Observer wrote that "It seemed miraculous that no one was severely hurt, for time and time again came the heavy thud and crash of bodies shot forward with all their force, and the players fell and piled over each other till it seemed but a bunch of struggling legs and arms and heads upon the ground."
The Raleigh boys were triumphant over their win. Described as "the finest game ever seen on the local field," the game resulted in a parade of about 250 A&M students and another 50 Chapel Hill boys through downtown Raleigh. "Pandemonium broke loose and was continued down town far into the night. A touchlight procession was formed and with shouts and cheers marched through the streets. They considered the result a victory, and it was a victory to prevent the strong Carolina team from scoring." The cadets, "blowing horns, beating drums and tinpans [sic], shouting victory," headed by the college's drum and bugle corps, proceeded to march down Fayetteville street en masse to the Yarborough House, a local hotel which served as an important social and political center of the city. There, they gave "an open air concert that could be heard to the city limits." Eventually, President Winston got out on the hotel's balcony and gave a speech praising the team for their win and clean playing, saying "I feel like the father and mother one of whom longed for a son and the other a daughter, when they were presented with twins. And to tell the truth, I am glad it was twins." He went on to say "A. and M. is going to play better next year and every following year, and if the University [of North Carolina] wants to win at football from the A. and M. College, she must play better." At that point, the Chapel Hill students in the crowd interrupted his speech with their college's yells. Winston concluded his speech by predicting (correctly) that North Carolina would win her coming game against Virginia and that A&M would "beat everything else she plays this season," a prediction that turned out to not be as accurate (The Farmer and Mechanic, November 11th, 1902, p. 2).
The Farmer boys also received a congratulatory telegram from Trinity College, whose football interests at the time were filled vicariously by either team, owing to Trinity's banning of intercollegiate football games in 1895. The message read "Capt. Gardner: We congratulate you upon the excellent showing your team made yesterday. (signed) TRINITY STUDENTS" (Red and White, Vol. 4, No. 3 (November 1902), pp. 10-11).
The students at Chapel Hill did not wory too much about the loss. Their college newspaper's summary in The Tar Heel was simply an abbreviated copy of the version that appeared in the News and Observer, and their yearbook dealt with the game curtly: "As A. and M.'s team was not composed of bona-fide students, we only mention the score, 0 to 0" (Yackety Yack, Vol 3 (1903), p. 214).
Last updated: 6/4/2024