10/15/1908 - Georgetown

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The Georgetown was easily the most highly-anticipated game of the early season for the Farmers, and expected by many to be a harder win than the Virginia game. Georgetown had long been one of the dominant teams among East Coast teams in the strong Maryland-DC region, and had been Southern Champion as recently as 1904. The student-body of the Aggies made no bones about the fact that the games preceding their State Fair game against the Blue and Gray were comparatively unimportant: C. D. Harris, team graduate manager and sports editor the sports editor of Red and White, called the William & Mary and Wake Forest games "practise games" to help prepare the team for "more important ones later on" (Red and White, Vol. X No. 2 (October 1908), p. 97).

The game against Georgetown was also important to the Farmers because it was an important barometer to help measure their success against in-state rival North Carolina. Though the Tar Heels had terminated athletic relations with A&M in 1906, the White and Blue met the Capital City boys yearly from 1903 through 1910, and faced them twelve times from 1900 through 1912, missing only 1901 and 1911. By the start of the 1908, the Tar Heels had a 3-4-1 record against the Blue and Gray, having won 12-5 in 1907 and 36-0 in 1905, but otherwise had been outscored 5-65 since 1900. As such, a win over Georgetown (who UNC was facing in 1908) would give the Aggies a clear route to claiming a state championship.

This game was one of the earliest-scheduled games in A&M history, with the game having been announced as early as March 1st, though at that date the game was scheduled for October 17th (The Washington (DC) Star, March 1st, 1908, Part 5, p. 2). However, the early announcement of the game did not fully prevent the schedule from changing: manager C. D. Harris received a letter in late September from Georgetown's management which stated that the Blue and Gray would be prevented by their faculty from playing on any day other than Saturday. The athletic staff met to consider canceling the game--after all, if the game was played on Saturday "only a corporal's guard would attend" and the Farmers would be better off scheduling another team. However, on September 23rd Harris was received a telegram from Georgetown's management stating that the game could be played on Thursday as expected without issue (The Raleigh Evening Times, September 24th, 1908, p. 6). The Georgetown faculty granted the team special permission to come to Raleigh early and not play on Saturday.


A photo of Georgetown's team from Ye Domesday Booke (1909), p. 97.

Held on the opening day of the State Fair, the Georgetown game was expected to be "the Big Event of the State Fair," and was specifically scheduled so that fairgoers would not miss any events of interest at the fair. Conveniently, at that time A&M's new athletic field was located opposite the Fair Grounds at that time. The game was touted as "the most important and most fiercely contested... game to be played in the South" during the season (News and Observer, October 6th, 1908, p. 5). Before their game with A&M, the Washingtonians had played only two games: a 15-0 win over Gallaudet on October 3rd, and a 22-4 win over Baltimore Medical College the following week.

The management of A&M went all-in on this game, advertising "extensively" in Goldsboro, Wilson, Kinston, Smithfield, Henderson, Oxford, Durham, Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Fayetteville, and, of course, Raleigh, in addition to other cities throughout the state. It was known that a large train from Chapel Hill was scheduled to ferry students to the game; additionally, Wake Forest students were often given holiday for the Thursday of the State Fair, so many of them were expected to make the game as well. Ultimately, about 300 of Wake Forest's roughly 370 students attended the game (News and Observer, October 15th, 1908, p. 10). Raleigh's three female schools (Baptist Female University--now Meredith, Peace Institute, and St. Mary's College) were also, naturally, invited.

A&M's management were banking on all of these guests to turn out as intended: they offered Georgetown what was reported to be both the largest guarantee offered to bring a team to North Carolina and also the largest money guarantee of any Southern college: $600--just under $17,000 in 2019 (Charlotte Daily Observer, October 12th, 1908, p. 3). Surprisingly, seats to the game were free, with admission being the only cost (News and Observer, October 10th, 1908, p. 8).

In addition to having the home-field advantage, the Aggies would also have the advantage of returning future All-Southern LT Von Glahn, whose absence due to an injured elbow was likely not strongly felt during the William & Mary game, but would have been noticed more accutely here. Additionally, because of Georgetown's restrictions on football traveling, the Gray and White boys would not be arriving in Raleigh until 3 PM, and would get only an hour to stretch after their six-plus hour train ride (The Raleigh Evening Times, October 14th, 1908, p. 3). The Farmers also had superior weight, outweighing Georgetown 190 pounds to 170.

Though Red and White wrote that "not a man in college believes for a moment that we will be defeated on the 15th," Manager Harris was less unabashed. When asked about the prospects of the team, he said the following: "Georgetown is going to give us a good game. We are going to do our best to win that game and if we don't, why Georgetown will have the best team. They want to win and they want to win badly. Why, they are going to being twenty-five men with them. That looks as if they expected a hard job of work" (News and Observer, October 11th, 1908, p. 5).

Coach Whitaker was similarly confident. Speaking before the game, he said "I have a squad of big and small men, all eager for a fray, but not too eager to keep a cool head. They are all good men and know the game well, but they do not think they know too much to listen to Dr. Whitaker or myself. They have been worked harder than a farmer's mule, but not one word of dissatisfaction has been uttered. Unless I am greatly mistaken, Georgetown will surely strike a snag" (The Raleigh Evening Times, October 10th, 1908, p. 7).

Despite the usual cries in Raleigh papers that Georgetown had one of her strongest teams in years, such was not necessarily the case. The team, which had been practicing since September 21st, and was coached by first-year coach William Newman and captained by Miller, who was just one of four returning starters. The other returning starters were Stuart, McNulty (who did not play in the A&M game), and Edward Fitzgerald. Despite this, the team had several strong candidates trying out for the team, and over 40 participants to choose from (Georgetown College Journal, Vol. XXXVII No. 1 (October 1908), pp. 36-38).


Roster

A&M Georgetown
Sadler RE Miller (Capt.)
Ross RT Munhall
Dunn RG Cuniff
Bray C Eager
Floyd LG Dailey
Von Glahn LT O'Rourke
Hartzell LE Lowney
Stephens (Capt.) QB Stuart
Thompson RHB Shea
Spencer LHB Maher
Stroud FB Fitzgerald
Seifert SUB Carter
Gattis SUB Sitterding
Mott SUB
Wilson SUB
Johnson SUB
Long SUB

Source 1; Source 2, p. 78


Period Time Description NCSU GTN
1st 19-17 NCSU - Stephens - unk yd Run (Spencer kick failed) unk plays, unk yards, TOP unk 5 0

NCSU Opponent
Rushing TDs Stephens (1) none
Passing TDs none none
Receiving TDs none none
Defensive TDs none none
PATs Spencer (0/1) none
2PT: N/A prior to 1958 N/A prior to 1958
FGs none none
Safety: none none
Game Notes:
Kick Off Time: 4 PM - 10/15/1908 - Georgetown
Length: 50 (25 / 25) - Duration: unk
Attendance: 4,000-5,000
Location: A&M Athletic Field - Raleigh, NC
Temperature: ???
Weather: ???
Wind: ???

The game opened at 4 PM to a throng of between 4- and 5000 fans, reportedly mostly A&M fans. The weather was hotter than it had been for the William & Mary game, with a high of 82 degrees (News and Observer, October 16th, 1908, p. 1). This was a major complaint among the Georgetown players, whose journal complained that "a burning sun fell fiercely on the sandy gridiron, making it most dusty and suffocating for our men who were unused to the conditions" (Georgetown College Journal, Vol. XXXVII No. 2 (November 1908), p. 78).

A&M received the first kickoff of the game, and immediately the Farmers went to work, picking up several gains through the line. The first run was a 3-yard pickup by Stroud, followed by Thompson, who though "a trifle lame," made 8 yards. "If he had been in good form he could have presumably gone ten." On the next run, Sam Spencer made 2 yards through Georgetown's line; the Blue and Gray were also penalized another 5 yards for being off side, meaning the Aggies had gained 20 yards so far. Stroud then picked up another 3 yards twice, sandwiching the two runs between a "lightning dodge" by Stephens for 9 yards. After a 5-yard run by Thompson, followed by a 10-yard run by Thompson. Finally, however, Georgetown made a stop with "some of the best defensive work of the game" and held the Farmers from gaining 10 yards, resulting in a turnover on downs.

The Blue and Gray were unable to advance the ball, punting nearly instantly; their drive was so short that the Georgetown College Journal failed to even mention their possession. Stephens caught the Georgetown punt and advanced the ball several yards. On the next play, Stroud went through Georgetown's line "apparently for a touchdown, but [was] actually out of the field." Unfazed, the Mechanics picked up 2-1/2 yards through a line plunges, followed by a sprint by Stephens around the left end of Georgetown's line for a touchdown. Spencer's goal kick failed, putting A&M up 5 after 6-8 minutes of playing.

A&M kicked off to Georgetown, who started with a strong response, making steady gains on several plays through a mix of end runs and line plunges. Unfortunately for the Blue and Gray, a holding penalty took 20 yards from the Washingtonians, forcing them to punt the ball away. The Red and White caught the ball at their own 30-yard line, but instantly lost 15 yards on a failed forward pass. The Techs nearly made the ground back on a fake punt play, with Stephens again running, but his run came up short and a real punt followed. Georgetown attempted a line plunge of their own, and then followed suit by losing 15 yards on a failed forward pass. As the Georgetown College Journal put it, "At this point it looked as though a big score would be run up, but the tide soon changed and the rest of the half was merely a battle royal between the two teams."

After several plays where the ball went back and forth repeatedly with little material advancement, Stephens advanced the ball 30 yards on a Georgetown punt, and "came near to getting through [for a touchdown] entirely." After some more "uneventful playing," the first half ended, with the Aggies up 5-0 after 25 minutes of play. The Blue and Gray claimed that "Georgetown got the best of it" by keeping the ball primarily in A&M territory.

During most of the second half, the ball was in A&M territory; Georgetown even managed to threaten the Farmers's goal line a few times. A&M kicked off to start the second half, but received the ball again on a Georgetown punt. The two teams exchanged punts once more, at which point the Aggies started a solid drive, primarily through Georgetown's line; once Stroud even got A&M a first down on third down with 5 to go. However, "Two unlucky fakes, with an unprofitable line plunge sandwiched between" turned the ball back over to Georgetown. After six plays for "considerably less than twenty yards," Georgetown turned the ball over on downs back to the Farmers.

After a few more turns trading punts, Georgetown made "a highly artistic forward pass" which "made everybody sit up and take notice." Upon completion of the pass, nobody but Stephens, who weighed just 140 lbs, stood between the Georgetown receiver and A&M's goal line. Fortunately for the Farmers, Stephens's weight was enough, "and the visitors had to give up grandstand plays in favor of straight football." Soon, the Blue and Gray were within 8 yards of the Red and White goal line, but the Farmers defense proved stout and earned a turnover on downs; after a few unsuccessful runs, the Aggies punted the ball away.

Eventually, the ball made its way to midfield, and the ball finally made its way into Georgetown territory. After some time, the Farmers were forced to punt; Seifert downed the return man "before he could get started." Starting close to their own goal line, Georgetown tried a forward pass; the Georgetown receiver fumbled the pass and "Bullet" aka "Shorty" Long intercepted it. Time was called before the Farmers could make a play after the interception, with the ball 25-yards from Georgetown's goal line News and Observer, October 16th, 1908, p. 3).

The Georgetown College Journal complained that the refereeing of the officials nixed two of their potential scores in the second half, writing that they had come to A&M's 10- and 20-yard lines two times within 5 minutes but were subsequently "shoved back by penalties" each time. The Blue and Gray made similar complaints, however, during their subsequent UNC game (which they tied 6-6), so the merit of their complaints and the lack of any such comment in the News and Observer makes it difficult to substantiate their claims (Georgetown College Journal, Vol. XXXVII No. 2 (November 1908), pp. 77-78). Similarly, Red and White ridiculed the author of the Journal, writing that the magazine had "an article which pretended to be descriptive," adding that "the writer was either not present at the game, or else so scared and confused that he could form no correct idea of what was happening." Specifically, the veracity of their claims of poor officiation was challenged (Red and White, Vol. X No. 4 (December 1908), p. 209).

Stars of the game for A&M were Stephens and Thompson, despite his injuries. For Georgetown, the work of Captain Miller was commended, especially on defense. The play of Shea and Lowney was also praised, as were Maher's end runs, which were described as being "of a hig order."

After the game, Georgetown stayed in town until they took a 1:30 AM train back to Washington, where they prepared for their next game against another North Carolina team--UNC (The Raleigh Evening Times, October 15th, 1908, p. 2). The Blue and Gray would go on to tie that game 6-6 before losing 0-22 to Fordham, 0-6 to Virginia, and 11-12 to Washington & Lee to put them at 2-4-1 on the season.

Georgetown's strict rules imposed on athletics irritated Georgetown's coach, William Newman, to such an extent that he left the school immediately following their Thanksgiving loss (11-12) against Washington & Lee. Newman's departure surprised those familiar with the program, as they were reported to be making positive progress, however he was quoted as saying "Georgetown cannot expect to have a football team which will compare with its rivals.... I want to be connected with a winner, and I see no chance for Georgetown to get together a winning combination" under their current athletic management (The Washington Post, November 27th, 1908, p. 8).

Last updated: 6/7/2024