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Though the loss to Virginia was deflating for an NC A&M team with Southern Champion hopes, the season was not yet over for A&M, and they had the chance to prove their skills in a game against Davidson on Saturday, November 7th in Charlotte. Played on Charlotte's Latta Park, the game was one of the three most anticipated games of A&M's season; when Whitehurst returned to Raleigh at the start of the season reporters announced that beating "V. P. I. and Davidson is the result for which he will strive" (The Raleigh Evening Times, September8th, 1908, p. 6).

Similarly, the game was highly anticipated by Davidson as it was a chance to show that they truly were one of the top teams in the state. Davidson had long been a clear top-three team in the state, routinely defeating everyone on their schedule except A&M and UNC. With the poor showing (3-3-3, losing handily to Virginia, VPI, and Tennessee) of North Carolina this season, it was their time to show their were the dominant team in the state. Early in the season, A&M was called Davidson's "old rival" and the game was listed as a highlight on the year which "the entire student body will attend" (The Charlotte News, September 16th, 1908, p. 7).

Though the Farmers had swept the Presbyterians in recent years (2-0 in their last two meetings with a combined score of 16-0), things hadn't always been that way: the Farmers went 1-2-1 in their first four meetings, losing most recently in 1902 and being outscored 0-22 aside from an anomolous win in 1901. The Black and Red were looking to aascend to the level of top team in the state, and taking down the Aggies was a major step in doing that.

That's not to say that Davidson hadn't already assembled a respectable record; at 4-1-1 at this point through the season, the only non-wins coach "Dutch" Levine and his eleven had faced were a 0-12 loss at the hands of Virginia's dominant team on a muddy field back on October 9th, and a 0-0 tie at the hands of North Carolina a little over a week later. Otherise, though, Davidson had taken down the NC Deaf and Dumb Institute 41-0 and the NC Medical Institute 12-0. Their crowning achievement of the season, however, was a pair of back-to-back wins over Clemson (probably 13-0, though 13-2 or 11-0 were reported by some sources) at the South Carolina State Fair, and South Carolina (22-0). The Red and White were Davidson's first game since that string of victories in the Palmetto state.

The Farmers yet again had several players ruled out; Davidson disputed both Thompson and Von Glahn for the same reasons Virginia did. This trend followed the contentious aftermath of the 1907 match between A&M and Davidson, in which the Farmers drew much ire after playing men whom Virginia claimed were not "bona fide students." Davidson reportedly considered requesting a rematch against A&M with the same team the Farmers used to play Virginia, however, the rematch never materialized.

As the game came closer, interest began to build. Local papers advertised that the winner of the game would be the state champion; a logical conclusion given the fact that Davidson tied UNC. Though local papers reported the betting odds had the game as an even split, the reporter for Raleigh's Evening Times reported that "Only by offering big odds could a supporter of the red and white place a bet" (The Raleigh Evening Times, November 9th, 1908, p. 3).

The crowd was fairly evenly split according to most reports. Though Davidson brought 200-250 students to cheer thier on through the game, two players on A&M's team (Saddler and Wilson) were Charlotteans, earning the Red and White some of the roughly 1,500 rooters in the stands (Charlotte Daily Observer, November 7th, 1908, p. 3; The Charlotte News, November 7th, 1908, 4 O'Clock Edition Section 1, p. 1.

The likely winner of the game was obvious as soon as the teams took the field; A&M's team were described as "Herculean... giants" while Davidson's "fast and snappy little bunch" were significantly smaller by contrast. "The decided superiority in weight of the A. & M. aggregation was at once apparent, and those who could see the two teams in action could tell the end from the beginning." The bulk of the following game description comes from the detailed reporting of the Charlotte Daily Observer; when other sources are referenced, they are cited.

The Farmers chose to defend the northern goal. Wilkinson kicked off for Davidson, sending the ball to A&M's 15-yard line, where it was returned 5 yards by the Red and White. On the next three plays, Stroud and Saddler got 6 yards each, with Stroud performing the feat twice. After a few more yards picked up by Saddler and Ross, A&M was penalized 5 yards, forcing the Farmers to punt the ball away. Thompson punted the ball 35 yards, sending the ball to roughly Davidson's 30 yard line.

Somewhat emulating Virginia's kicking style of play (then known as the Eastern style), Denny kicked the ball back 20 yards towards A&M. There, the Farmers fumbled the ball; Daniel recovered, giving Davidson the ball around midfield. A 2 yard run by Denny and a run for no gain by Wilkinson led to another punt by Denny, who sent the ball 30 yards, where it was caught by Stephens at his own 15 yard line, who was stopped by Kluttz before he could advance.

The Farmers were again penalized 5 yards, this time for being off sides, pushing the Farmers back to their own 10-yard line. Thompson delivered a booming kick, punting the ball to midfield, where Wilkinson recovered the kick and returned the ball 15 yards. After a call for time by Davidson, Denny lost a yard on a left end run, and on a quarterback kick Saddler got the ball. Time was again called for Davidson.

To this point in the game, the Presbyterians had been "fighting the Farmers like tigers" and showing excellent defensive work. Here, though, the tide began to turn in favor of the Red and White. Stephens gained 2 yards, which Stroud followed up with a pair of run for 11 yards. Thompson then picked up 6 using his "Herculean strength" to go straight through a Davidson guard; he was followed up by Saddler and Ross, who gained 4 and 2 yards, respectively. On the following play, Stroud was "dragged by Thompson" for a 6 yard gain. Finally, however, something broke in favor of the Red and Black, as Thompson earned the Farmers a 10-yard penalty for hurdling.

The loss of yardage necessitated a punt by the Farmers. Thompson sent the ball 20 yards, where it was caught by Wilkinson, who was tackled by Von Glahn before he could advance the ball. Wilkinson then punted the ball, sending his kick 12 yards, where it was recovered by Saddler, who made "no material gain" on the catch. Stroud made 7 yards next via an "off tackle" play, and on the next down Thompson gained 2 more yards, followed by another 3 by Stroud. On the next play, Thompson attempted a drop kick, but Kluttz broke up the kick; Saddler landed on the ball, retaining possession for the Aggies. After two runs for only 5 yards, Thompson attempted another drop kick goal, but the "goal from field" (as it was then called) failed.

Denny kicked the ball for Davidson; Saddler caught the kick and returned it 5 yards. On the next play, Stephens attempted a quarterback run, but was sacked by Kluttz for a loss of 5 yards. Thompson then punted, sending the ball 20 yards, where Denny received the kick; Denny instantly followed suit, punting the ball 30 yards back. Thompson received the kick but was tackled before he could advance the ball. Here, Kluttz performed some "brilliant work" to keep Stephens from advancing the ball again. Thompson punted the ball 20 yards; here, it bounced over Wilkinson's head and was caught by Hartzell, who carried the ball across Davidson's goal line for the first touchdown of the game. A successful goal kick by Thompson made the score 6-0 after 10 minutes of play (The Raleigh Evening Times, November 9th, 1908, p. 3).

Davidson briefly disputed this call, claiming that it should have resulted in a touchback rather than a touchdown. The officials--an impartial group football aficionados from Georgetown, Dickinson, and North Carolina whose work was reported to be very satisfactory--determined that it was in fact a touchdown.

Wilkinson kicked off for Davidson. Stephens caught the ball and then began "dodging like a scared rabbit," running around the entirity of Davidson's line with the help of some "brilliant" interference; sadly, he was tackled from behind "just as he was getting under way" (The Raleigh Evening Times, November 9th, 1908, p. 3). On the next play, Thompson made 4 yards; Ross then ran 2. On the next play, Stroud fumbled the ball; Thompson recovered the fumble before it could hit the ground, but failed to gain. Thompson then tried an on-side kick, which was recovered by the Presbyterians. A "fine tackle" by Stephens kept Davidson from advancing the ball.

Denny resumed the Red and Black's strategy of punting, sending the ball 30 yards immediately. Thompson returned the punt 5 yards, then punted 30 yards himself. Wilkinson recovered the kick but was tackled by Von Glahn for a loss before he could advance. On the next play, Wilkinson got past the line and "had a pretty run under way" until, tragically, "he fell on open ground." Denny then punted, sending the ball 20 yards. On a "bad throw" to his knees, Saddler caught the ball and made a dash towards the goal, running 20 yards before being overtaken. After a two yard run by Stroud, Thompson failed to gain. Facing their third and final down with 8 yards to go from about the 20 yard line, Thompson attempted his third drop kick of the game. This time, his kick was successful, putting the Mechanics up 10-0 with very little time remaining in the first 30-minute half (The Raleigh Evening Times, November 9th, 1908, p. 3).

Davidson again elected to kick off, giving the ball to Denny. Denny's kick was caught by Ross, who made a "good return" before being tackled. On the final play of the first half, Thompson made 20 yards on a trick play, but the Farmers were penalized 15 yards for holding. Time was then called, with the Red and White leading 10-0 going into halftime.

During halftime, both teams made a few changes to their lineups. Davidson's coach, "Dutch" Levine, switched Wilkinson and Elliott. The Farmers, "Having the game practically sewed up" replaced the majority of their men with substitutes; the only noted change was the replacement of Marshall with Wilson. Davidson also requested that A&M remove their hip straps; the officials concurred.

Thompson started the second half, which lasted just 25 minutes, by delivering a booming, 45-yard kick to Davidson's 10 yard line; Denny returned the kick 5 yards. Denny ran the ball twice for the Presbyterians, gaining 5 yards on his first run and none on the second. He then punted the ball 30 yards back to midfield, where Stephens received the kick but failed to advance. With a "fierce rush and splendid assistance," Thompson then made 7 yards on a run around the right end of the line, and on the next run Stroud went around the other side for a 15-yard pickup. A pair of 4-yard runs by Thompson and Stroud brought the ball to the 20-yard line; at this point, time was called for an injury to Wilkinson, who was removed from the game and replaced by Thomas. After two unsuccessful line plunges by the Aggies, Thompson attempted another goal from field, but missed, giving the Red and Black the ball back.

Upon getting the ball back on a touchback, Denny punted again, sending the ball 40 yards, to midfield. Stephens caught the kick and returned it 15 yards. On the next play, Wilson ran 4 yards, and on the next, Stroud lost 6 yards after attempting a forward pass and getting tackled before he could get the ball out. Following the sack, Thompson punted. The ball bounced to the side of Denny, who was supposed to recover the it. No Davidson man jumped on the ball, allowing Hartzell to grab the ball and run across the Red and Blacks's goal line for the second touchdown of the game. Thompson kicked the goal, giving the Farmers a 16-0 lead (The Raleigh Evening Times, November 9th, 1908, p. 3).

Following the score, Seifert replaced Wilson at right end, and Spencer replaced Saddler. Davidson elected to receive the kick this time, receiving Thompson's 30-yard kick. Clark caught the kick and returned it 5 yards. On the first run of the drive, Denny made 7 yards, and on the next, Kluttz nearly broke free on a fake play. Having passed nearly every Farmer, Kluttz ran to midfield, where he encountered Stephens, the only Farmer between him and the goal line. The two stars of the game collided at full speed, Stephens making "a grand tackle" to stop the Red and Black runner. Reportedly, Stephens's tackle "brought the immense throng to their feet as one person." The collision was so powerful that Kluttz lost the ball and Stephens was "layed out for several moments"; despite his injury, the quarterback remained in the game nonetheless (The Raleigh Evening Times, November 9th, 1908, p. 3).

The lost ball was recovered by A&M, who then punted the ball 50 yards, where it was recovered by Elliott. Clark and James combined for 8 yards, and on Davidson's first third down conversion of the game, Dunn gained exactly the required yardage. On the next play, Kluttz got the ball from a quarterback kick, and on the next, James lost a yard on a delayed pass. Facing third down, Davidson attempted to kick the ball, but Von Glahn broke through the line, blocked the kick, and carried the ball across for the Farmers's third touchdown. Thompson's goal kick failed, giving A&M a 21-0 lead.

Following the Aggies' fourth score, "Interest waned" and many of the fans in attendance left. Here, Johnson came in to replace Thompson, Sexton replaced Spencer, and Whitehurst replaced Hartzell. Elliott kicked off, sending the ball 30 yards; Stephens caught the kick and returned the ball 7 yards. To start this drive, Sexton gained 5 yards, and Johnson gained 10. Ross then ran around the left end of Davidson's line for a 5 yard gain, an effort which Sexton duplicated. After a 10 yard run by Stephens and a 4 yard run by Sexton, the Red and White's drive began to falter; a second run by Sexton resulted in no gain, and on the next play A&M was penalized 15 yards for holding. Sexton made 3 yards, but a run for no gain by Stephens left the Farmers facing third and twelve from around Davidson's 10-yard line. With six minutes left in the game, Johnson attempted a goal from placement, but missed, giving Davidson the ball on a touchback (The Raleigh Evening Times, November 9th, 1908, p. 3).

Denny kicked the ball 40 yards for Davidson following the touchdback; Johnson advanced the kick 5 yards, but the gain was negated instantly with an equal penalty for delay of game on the Farmers (The Raleigh Evening Times, November 9th, 1908, p. 3). Davidson then attempted a forward pass; Kluttz caught the ball but failed to gain. Davidson punted 30 yards as time expired, giving A&M a strong victory and a clear path to number one team in the state, despite UNC's refusal to play them.

Despite A&M winning by such a large score, Davidson's team was noted as having snappier, faster, and more aggressive team, in addition to showing better teamwork. The Red and Black's coaching and time-management was also lauded. According to one sports writer, "With a team of comparative weight... the result yesterday would have been very different." Additionally, A&M's playing was criticized as sloppy; it was noted that the Farmers accrued 6 penalties over the course of the game, while Davidson cleanly played the entire game. It was noted that the cause of A&M's miscommunication was likely a combination of their high rate of substitutions and the team having learned a new set of signals following the Virginia game (The Raleigh Evening Times, November 9th, 1908, p. 3).

The best player for the Farmers were to be Thompson (whose work on both offense and defense was "admired by all"), while Stroud's efforts were second only because of Thompson's kicking. Third was Stephens at quarterback, who was ballyhooed as the best signal caller in the state; his playing during the game was said to be "of the usual Stephens style"--excellent.

While both papers agreed Von Glahn and Ross also played commendably, there was some disagreement on the other notable players; Charlotte papers praised the local boys (Saddler and Wilson) for their speedy tackling and line plunging, in addition to while The Evening Times lauded Hartzell for making two of the Farmers's touchdowns in addition to his speed. Finally, A&M's entire line was described as being "as strong as Gibraltar."

Papers had little to say about individual players for the Presbyterians. The work of Davidson's ends (Elliott and Kluttz) was celebrated, as well as James and Clark. Denny was also praised for his playing and kicking, though it was noted that Thompson out-kicked him throughout the game by 5-15 yards each time (Charlotte Daily Observer, November 8th, 1908, p. 10; The Raleigh Evening Times, November 9th, 1908, p. 3).

Though it was noted that luck was on their side thoughout the game, the win over Davidson gave the Farmers a lot of confidence. Red and White concluded that it was clear the Aggies would win the remainder of their games in the season, noting that "We found Davidson much easier than we expected" before adding that "they have a good team" (Red and White, Vol. X No. 3 (November 1908), p. 160).

For their part, Davidson went on to finish the season on a strong note: First, the Presbyterians beat the nascent Baptists of Wake Forest 31-4; finally, they played Georgia in Athens on November 20th. As with their Clemson game, the actual score is unclear; most news sources wrote that Davidson lost 0-2 after a safety in the second half, however Davidson's yearbook and current media guides claim the game was a 0-0 tie, belying the fact that Davidson may have protested the call of the safety, though no reports of the game mention such a protest if there was one (Davidson 2011 Football Guide, p. 63; Quips and Cranks, Vol. XII (1908-1909), p. 208). As such, the Presbyterians probably finished the year with a respectable 5-3-1 record.