Return to the 1905 season page

After two straight years of contentious tie games, the Techs came into the 1905 season knowing it would be the biggest game of the year. As early as October, Red and White wrote about the UNC game with anticipation. After adding Steele and Cromie to the team in mid-October, the magazine wrote "with this strong addition we feel fairly sure of defeating our dearest enemy--Carolina--on the eleventh of November." Before the game, the entirity of A&M college were busy getting the field ready by painting stripes and assisting in building additional bleachers. Additionally, the majority of the student body spent their free time leading up to the game attending rooting meetings. The A&M team was reportedly in good condition, and for the first time in series history, "The betting [was] in even money" (Red and White, Vol. VII No. 2 (October 1905), p. 64; News and Observer, November 9th, 1905, p. 5; The (Raleigh) Morning Post, November 11th, 1905, p. 5).

Coming in to the game, the Tar Heels were not in their best shape. After opening the season with a close 6-0 win over Davidson, the Chapel Hill team had lost three of their last four games. Though the teams were all well-established Northern teams, that did little to cushion the blow of one of the worst seasons in recent UNC history. The White and Blue started their downward skid with a 0-17 loss to Penn, followed by a 0-38 drubbing by Navy, and 6-35 loss to Virginia Polytechnic Institute. In their last game before their matchup in Raleigh, the Tar Heels had turned things around, defeating an atypically poor Georgetown team 36-0 in Richmond.

UNC's poor showing against historically strong teams was aided in part by a string of injuries. Before leaving for their game against VPI, a report wrote that "Never in the history of football at the University [of North Carolina] has her team been so completely torn up and badly handicapped as at the present time. Seven of the regular Varsity team will not be taken on the trip at all, and one or two of the regular men... could hardly be expected to line up if called upon." Many of the men were out due to a severe case of sore throat contracted over the course of their trip to Annapolis to face the Navy. In addition to those line-up changes, the team faced internal turmoil after the resignation of Manager Bohnson, who stepped down mid-season and was replaced by former Assistant Manager Tillet. Though the VPI game was a full two weeks before the match against A&M, it certainly boded poorly for the University boys (News and Observer, October 27th, 1905, p. 3).

Further hindering UNC's chances of winning was the fact that several of her star players were sitting out of the game voluntarily. Gardner, Whitaker, and Saddler, all former A&M players, sat out of the game optionally because they did not want to play against people who the previous year had been their teammates. While Carolina was "offering no excuse" in mentioning their absence" and believed that "Good men will be available to fill the vacant positions," the absence of three regular contributors to UNC's offense was certainly a common talking point heading in to the game. UNC's coach, Bill Warner, forbade the Varsity team from lining up for their usual practice against the college scrub team, hoping to minimize the risk of injury, instead opting to run signal practices and learn new formations (The (Raleigh) Morning Post, November 11th, 1905, p. 5).

As an aside, UNC's poaching of other college's former stars was not limited to just the top talent of A&M; the Tar Heels had also earned the talents of the Snipes brothers, formerly of Guilford, before the start of the 1905 season, though the addition of the Snipes is more justified, as Guilford ceased playing football before the 1905 season (The (Raleigh) Morning Post, September 17th, 1905, p. 2).

In addition to the exciting game between the Farmers and Chapel Hill, visitors to the game would get an exciting half-time show; the first such show that I have come across so far. At half-time, a free vaudeville show was put on. The show was given by "the little papooses and braves of the opera 'Powhatan,' which consists entirely of men and women from Raleigh." The "home made Indians" also gave performances before the start of the game. The opera, Powhatan, written by William A. Baker, debuted around 1899, was a semi-comedic retelling of the history of Native Americans in the United States. The opera came to the Raleigh area around September of 1905 and was performed periodically through the time of the football game.

Great efforts were taken to make this the premier game of football in the state and "the hottest game ever played in the South." Policemen from the city were secured to keep spectators from crowding onto the field (a fairly common problem at the time). Special trains were organized to bring specators to the game, and regular trains delayed to bring the crowds back to their home cities. Two houses near the Fair Grounds were secured so the two teams could be heated from the cold November air and relax during halftime. Bleachers were set up on both sides of the field, with A&M rooters on the West side and UNC fans on the East; finally, large banners decorated with each school's colors were hoisted on each side of the field, and the goal posts wrapped in streamers of red, white, and light blue (The (Raleigh) Morning Post, November 11th, 1905, p. 5).

It was estimated that at least 300 UNC students would take the trip to Raleigh for the game, joined by the UNC band, who hoped to encourage systematic rooting. Another 500 A&M students and alumni were expected to be in attendance, as well as A&M's band (News and Observer, November 11th, 1905, p. 5).

The game was filled with the growing banter of a budding rivalry. Before the game, as fans of the two teams exchanged banter, the Tar Heel faithful reportedly had but one response: "Ah! go home and milk the cows, you farmers? Don't you know it's milking time?" The Tar Heel victoriously cheered that "That query was never answered."

UNC won the coin toss and chose to defend the North goal. Wilson kicked the ball off for the Aggies, sending the ball roughly 40 yards to Carolina's 10-to-20-yard line. The kickoff was caught by Abernathy, who returned the ball 10-17 yards, with both accounts agreeing that he ended the run around his own 30 yard line. After Abernathy's return, though, both teams struggled to advance the ball. Reynolds and Winborne failed to make a first down for UNC, so Winborne kicked the ball to roughly A&M's 50 yard line. Once in possession of the ball, the Red and White faired little better, as Steele was sacked on a run play for an 8-10 yard loss, and Tull was unable to make up that distance, forcing Wilson to kick the ball away. After getting the ball back around their own 25, Carolina started a decent drive, with Abernathy, Reynolds, and Winborne combining with a 5-yard penalty for "offsiding" on A&M to give Chapel Hill 20 yards over 4 plays. That drive came to an end, however, after Abernathy tried to advance the ball but fumbled, giving the Farmers the ball at roughly UNC's 45 yard line.

Once in possession of the ball, the Techs quickly got to work. After a 3 yard run by Hardie, Steele made a huge 29-35 yard dash, aided by "good interference," placing the ball on UNC's 10 yard line. Shaw gained another 7 yards, but on the following play Tull lost a yard. UNC's goal line defense proved stout, as runs by Wilson and Beebe failed to cross the threshold. As The Tar Heel bluntly put it, "A. & M. did their best, but it simply wasn't in them to take the ball over that white chalk line." The ball was turned back over to UNC, where quick runs by Abernathy, Thompson, and Story moved the ball about 10 yards further away before the Tar Heels were again stuffed by the stout Red and White line. Roberson kicked the ball away, delivering a short kick to the Carolina 40-45 yard line, where it was caught by Wilson.

A repitition of A&M's previous possession followed: Wilson ran the ball for 25-31 yards, being stopped around UNC's 15 yard line. Short gains by Shaw, Tull, and Wilson brought the ball to within one foot of UNC's goal line, but again Carolina's defense stepped up and helped stop the Farmers in their tracks. The Tar Heels again proved wholly unable to advance the ball; after two runs by Abernathy proved insufficient to earn a first down, the White and Blue were in position to kick the ball away when they were saved by an off sides call on A&M, which gave them an additional 5 yards, placing the ball at UNC's own 9 yard line. After about six short runs of less than 2-1/2 yards each by Winborne, Abernathy, and Roberson, Abernathy kicked the ball away, sending the ball an impressive 60 yards away, to the Mechanic's 35-yard line.

At this point in the first half, the Tar Heels took a considerable stand and managed to keep the Red and White from advancing the ball at will. Wilson advanced the kick 2-1/2-to-5 yards, and on the following play carried the ball another 14-20 yards. Unfortunately, the next run was a "fake play" by Wilson which resulted in a 4-5 yard loss; this was followed up with a run for no gain, at which point, on third down with 8-10 yards to gain, Wilson kicked the ball away. Wilson's kick traveled 30-35 yards, to UNC's 35 yard line, where it was fielded by Reynolds, who returned the kick about 5-6 yards--The Tar Heel wrote that Reynolds advanced the ball 17 yards, but this number appears to be greatly exagerated based on other existing accounts of the game. After failing to advance the ball once again, Winborne kicked the ball away for the Tar Heels, sending the ball out of bounds to the Aggies' 30-33 yard line on a 40-yard kick. The Farmers advanced the ball 20 yards on 6 runs by Wilson, Tull, Hardie, Steele, and Shaw, taking the ball to about midfield before the half ended.

Neither team made any changes between the half, and the second of the game's two 25-minute halves began. Roberson kicked off for UNC, sending the ball to A&M's 7 yard line, where it was caught by Shaw and advanced 10 yards to the 17 yard line. After two runs by Wilson, the Farmers were forced to kick the ball away; Wilson punted the ball about 45 yards away, to Roberson, who was tackled by Wilson at A&M's 40 and stopped before he could advance the kick any significant distance. Then UNC began what The Tar Heel titled "a march for a touchdown." Arguably the White and Blue's best drive of the day, it was composed of just four plays for just under 30 yards by Winborne, Reynolds, and Abernathy, with Winborne making 14-15 of the teams' yards in one carry. After failing to advance the ball on second down, Abernathy kicked the ball roughly 30 yards to around A&M's 10-15 yard line.

At this point, the Aggies started a drive of their own march for a touchdown, driving about 95 yards down the field. Though Wilson and Tull carried the ball the most for the drive (Tull had 4 carries for about 20 yards and Wilson Wilson 4 carries for about 15 yards), the bulk of the drive came on two carries by Steele, who made one run of 23-34 yards (repots differ), and later had a second carry for about 20 yards. Beebe also carried the ball on this driving, carrying the ball twice for about 10 yards.

Then came the first of two recorded instances of referee "Doggie" Trenchard's "fertile imagination." Lined up inside Carolina's 5 yard line, the Aggies carried the ball over the Tar Heels' goal line, but the play was called back on account of holding by the Farmers; this brought the ball back to the 20 yard line. Steele tried to run the ball, and made about 2-1/2 yards for his attempt, but the Farmers decided to try for a kick. Shaw attempted the place kick (at the time worth 4 points), but the kick was blocked. Since the kick was missed, the kick resulted in a touchback. At that time, this gave Carolina the ball on her own 25, where she was required by rule to kick the ball to A&M.

Roberson kicked the ball for UNC, but the kick was short, and the Techs got the ball between UNC's 45 and 50 yard lines, where it was recovered by Steele. Here, the White and Blue again put up a stiff resistance, and after several short runs by Wilson, Tull, Steele, Beebe, and Hardie, the ball went into UNC possession after the Aggies failed to convert on third down. Starting from their own 39 yard line, a run by Reynolds and a delayed-pass play by Winborne proved fruitless, and the Chapel Hill boys were once again forced to kick the ball away.

Roberson's kick went about 35 yards, to A&M's 40-45 yard line. Steele ran the ball about 10-11 yards to A&M's 50 yard line. From there, the Farmers again met stiff resistance, and after a few runs, fumbled the ball; the fumble was recovered by UNC. At that point, Sitton came in and replaced Reynolds, and immediately started carrying the ball. Sitton, Abernathy, Roberson, Thompson, and Story carried the ball 15 yards over the course of 5 carries, however, the drive was stopped right as it was gaining momentum after Carolina received a 15-yard penalty for holding.

After the holding penalty, the Tar Heels decided to kick the ball away with 3-1/2 minutes of game time left. Roberson got the kick off, but the ball was blocked by an A&M player, and the Farmers recovered the ball at their own 45 yard line. Wilson and Hardie gained about 10 yards on two good runs in for the Farmers, but on a third run Tull fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Carolina around their own 45 yard line. From there, Sitton and Abernathy carried the ball about 15 yards in 4 carries, but turned the ball over on downs after a loss of yardage by Sitton.

From their own 50, the Farmers began the final drive of the game. On first down, Wilson kicked the ball towards UNC's goal line; Roberson attempted to field the kick around his own 30, but fumbled the ball 5 yards backwards, where it was recovered by Lykes. After the recovery by the Farmers, Steele ran the ball 11 yards to roughly UNC's 12 yard line.

At around this point in the game, the officials had to stop play for several minutes while attempting to remove spectators who had rushed the field from the playing area; reportedly, one of the timekeepers announced that time was up prematurely, while the other said that time remained. Some readers may recall that a similar incident took place during the 1899 UNC-NC State game; unlike the 1899 game, in this instance, the teams lined up for one more play.

With just three seconds left to play, the ball was handed to Steele, who "ran the width of the field" trying to speed around UNC's line. Unfortunately for the Farmers, Steele was pushed out-of-bounds by Brown between 2-1/2 and 4-1/2 yards short of the Tar Heel goal line, and the game ended in the third straight tie between the two schools (The Tar Heel, November 16th, 1905, pp. 1, 4; The (Raleigh) Morning Post, November 12th, 1905, p. 5; Red and White, Vol. VII No. 3 (November 1905), pp. 119-121).

The reuslt of the game was, of course, heavily disagreed upon by both sides. The Tar Heel carried the reaction of "one darkey" in response to the A&M students' post-game parade through Raleigh: "Huh! ... de didn' do nothin' but tie de game to come marchin' up here wid all dat torch!" As UNC's sports writer put it, "If the number of yards which a team carried the ball decided games A. & M. would probably have won. But to win a football game is to carry the ball across your opponents line, and that thing is what neither of the contesting teams did." Notably, accounts from UNC failed to mention the referees even in passing.

The Raleigh boys, of course, felt that the reason their ball never crossed the line was on account of foul play by the refs and by UNC's rooters. According to The Tar Heel, Dr. Winston opined to a mass meeting of Red and White students after the game that "you ought to have beat them 20 to 0, but those fellows actually made their band play just whenever you had the ball, and you couldn't hear the signals." The A&M student paper, Red and White, though, directly blamed the officiating, especially the work of former (1895) and future (1913-1915) UNC-coach Thomas "Doggie" Trenchard, complaining "We 'shore got bit' by 'Doggie.'" After talking at length about the several times "Doggie" robbed the Farmers from scoring, the paper went on to quote an "eminent foot-ball judge" as saying "It was the most complete robbery I have ever witnessed on the gridiron. Trenchard and [referee C. R. "Bob"] Williams [then-coach of Davidson] should be blacklisted by all colleges that want honest officials to rule their games."

In a letter quoted in The Asheville Citizen sent by A&M's manager Hodges to Trenchard, Hodges wrote more eloquently: "That game should have been A. & M.'s with a score of 18 to 0, but that luck was against us." The Citizen went on: "Perhaps it was luck and then perhaps it was not." The correspondent goes on to describe the game in similar detail to the description given in Red and White (The Asheville Citizen, November 21st, 1905, p. 3).

Raleigh papers agreed that the Aggies should have won, but did not go as far as insinuating the officials blew the game. As The Morning Post put it, "From an unbiased point of view it seems that the game should have gone to the A. & M. ... [but] Neither team should have regrets as to the outcome, for it was a fair, clean, fight between friendly teams." As several out-of-town papers put it, "Only hard luck prevented the Agricultural and Mechanical from winning by 12 points" (The Atlanta Constitution, November 12th, 1905, p. 5).

Unfortunately, the summary of the game from the News and Observer is missing from the historical record. This is especially unfortunate, as the News and Observer planned to include, in addition to their regular summary of the game, "a critical analysis of the play" by Perrin Busbee, former A&M coach and "authority on amateur sports" throughout North Carolina and Virginia.

Finally, Aggies RG Perkins was injured at some point in the game. Though the nature of his injury was not recorded, he sat out of the subsequent game against Washington & Lee on account of his injury.

It's important to remember the impact of this near-win on early NC State fans. UNC's 1905 team, despite their struggles, was remembered voted by a panel of Tar Heel football enthusiasts to be one of UNC's top 6 teams in school history as late as 1936; the Heels did finish off the season on a high note with a pair of 17-0 wins over the Virginia Military Institute and Virginia on Thanksgiving, putting the team at 4-3-1 overall (Barrier, p. 14). Additionally, State fans remembered the 1905 win as an even greater victory than the tie in 1904 since the Farmers crossed the goal line a reported 4-5 times (in the memories of early A&M football historians, at least) but were called back each time for their purported penalties (Red and White, Vol. XII No. 4 (December 1910), p. 179; Beezley, p. 16).