11/21/1908 - Wake Forest

  Return to the 1908 season page

The sixth and final game of Wake Forest's season was a rematch against A&M. The two teams first met back on October 3rd as A&M's season-opener; then, the Farmers downed Wake Forest 25-0. Since that time, the Farmers had retooled their team, with the Red and White having greatly changed their team over the course of the season.


A photo of Wake Forest's team from The Howler (1908), p. 143.

Wake Forest's first season in 13 years had gone largely as expected: since losing to the Farmers back in October, the Baptists had picked up two additional losses. The first was a 4-31 loss to Davidson, and the second a 0-11 shutout at the hands of the strong Robert Bingham School of Asheville. Additionally, the Old Black and Gold picked up their lone victory of the season, defeating Warrenton High School 21-0. It is worth noting at A&M's scrub team defeated Warrenton 40-0 earlier in the season (The Agromeck, Vol. VII (1909), p. 141).


Roster

A&M Wake Forest
Whitehurst or Hartzell RE Allen
Ross RT Harrisson
Floyd RG Funderburk
Bray C Powell
Dunn LG Clark
Von Glahn LT Elvington
Hartzell or Seifert LE V. Leggett
Stephens QB L. Leggett
Johnson or Saddler RHB Gay or Duffy
Saddler or Thompson LHB Duffy or Covington
Spencer or Johnson FB Covington or Gay
Wilson SUB Dawson
Davidson SUB Norton
Mott SUB
Gattis SUB
Marshall SUB
Seifert SUB
Sexton SUB
Thompson SUB

Source 1, Source 2

Note: Source disagree heavily about who played in which positions during this game. The number of discrepancies make it difficult to know which lineup is likely to be correct.


Period Time Description NCSU WFU
FINAL Remainder of game not reported. 76 0

NCSU Opponent
Rushing TDs (Assumed) Thompson (3), Hartzell (2), Ross (2), Sexton (2), Spencer (2), Saddler (1), Von Glahn (1) none
Passing TDs (Assumed) none none
Receiving TDs (Assumed) none none
Defensive TDs (Assumed) none none
PATs Thompson (11/13) none
2PT: N/A prior to 1958 N/A prior to 1958
FGs none none
Safety: none none
Game Notes:
Kick Off Time: 3:30 PM - 11/21/1908 - Wake Forest
Length: 50 (25 / 25) - Duration: unk
Attendance: 500
Location: A&M Athletic Field - Raleigh, NC
Temperature: ???
Weather: ???
Wind: ???

Unfortunately, scarce little is recorded about the play of the game, with sources even disagreeing about how many touchdowns were scored in each half. While it is generally agreed that A&M won with 13 touchdowns and 11 point after goals successfully made, News and Observer reported that six touchdowns were made in the first half and seven in the second (News and Observer, November22nd, 1908, p. 13); the Associated Press game summary reported incorrectly that A&M made 8 touchdowns in the first half and 4 in the second half (The Sunday Citizen, November 22nd, 1908, p. 1; The (Richmond) Times-Dispatch, November 22nd, 1908, p. 6); the most thorough summary of the game, which appeared in The Raleigh Evening Times, did not mention a halftime score (The Raleigh Evening Times, November 23rd, 1908, p. 8). No paper commented on when the goal kicks were missed.

Regardless of when the scores were made, we do know who made them: according to the Winston-Salem Journal, Thompson made 3 touchdowns, Spencer, Ross, Hartzell, and Sexton made 2 touchdowns each, and Saddler and Von Glahn each made a single touchdown. All of the goal kicks were attempted by Thompson, who went 11 for 13 on the day.

Features of the game were few for Wake Forest, but the team work of the Leggett brothers was a noted high point, as was Elvington's ability to get behind A&M's line. It was noted that these men would form "a nucleus around which to build a team for next season" (Winston-Salem Journal, November 22nd, 1908, p. 1; News and Observer, November 22nd, 1908, p. 13).

For the Farmers, the best work was done by Spencer, Sexton, and Hartzell. Sexton reportedly made 50-yard dashes across the field three times throughout the game, earning both of his touchdowns on such a plays, with another long run for 25 yards. Hartzell's speed was also praised, especially his work in recovering on-side kicks, which the Farmers reportedly ran frequently throughout the game. "Spencer, though not a spectacular player, could at all times be depended upon to gain from 10 to 25 yards"; his play was compared to noted Yale fullback Ted Coy, as he had the "same dash and vim and squirming after he hit the line" The Raleigh Evening Times, November 23rd, 1908, p. 8).

As for the playing, the Red and White played primarily a straight game with little to no use of trick plays. Wake Forest did get one material gain, on the first play of the game; A&M started the game by kicking to the Baptists, who returned the kick 8 yards. "Before the A. & M. team was aware of what was going on," wrote the Evening Times, "the Baptist[s] had lined up and made a beautiful forward pass on which they gained 28 yards. This was their only substantial gain, they being forced to punt thereafter." To the Old Gold and Black's credit, however, the pass was described as "one of the prettiest forward passes ever seen on the local gridiron."

Though it is unclear why, two of Wake Forest's better players, Forehand, and their captain, Simmons, did not play (Charlotte Daily Observer, November 23rd, 1908, p. 8). Just like in the first game, A&M outweighed Wake Forest by 30 pounds.

The game was not taken seriously by most of the people present; this is reflected in the paltry attendance of just 500 people. Additionally, Wake Forest's own coach, A. P. Hall, was one of the referees of the game. Red and White noted that the game was not of any consequence before describing it in just a sentence as "nothing more than a joke" (Red and White, Vol. X No. 4 (December 1908), p. 178).

Last updated: 6/7/2024