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The Farmers' third game of the season, against Kentucky State University (now University of Kentucky) was one of the most eagerly-anticipated games of the season for the Farmers. The White and Blue were repeatedly ballyhooed as "the most formidable eleven any Carolina football team has ever faced" and "invincible, line plunging giants" (News and Observer, October 15th, 1909, p. 3). Other sources noted that Kentucky was repeatedly the state champion of Kentucky in recent years and that the White and Blue were the expected champions of the midwest for the 1909 season (The Charlotte Evening Chronicle, October 15th, 1909, p. 8). Other reports claimed that the game was the most important game ever scheduled in the South (News and Observer, October 16th, 1909, p. 2).

Kentucky had a strong team in 1909. With an average weight of roughly 160 pounds, the team was a respectably heavy one, and with all of the previous season's starters except for one returning, the team was long on experience (Lexington Leader, September 26th, 1909, p. 25; Lexington Leader, September 20th, 1909, p. 5).

Kentucky State opened their season with an 18-0 warmup game against Kentucky Wesleyan before taking down Berea 28-0. The next week the White and Blue pulled off a major upset in taking down Illinois 6-2; Illinois was a perennial leader in the Western Conference (the forerunner to today's Big Ten Conference) and lost just one other game that season to Western giant Chicago. The following week the Lexingtonians defeated Tennessee 17-0--a large margin considering Tennessee had held Central University (now Centre College) to a 0-0 tie and lost to North Carolina by only 3 points.

There was a lot of confusion about the teams going into the game. Several sources in North Carolina wrote that this would be a rematch to the 1903 meeting between A&M and Kentucky University but aggrandized the score as being 0-40. Fortunately, the confusion caused by the similar names between the two main Kentucky schools was on the way out, as Kentucky University had been renamed Transylvania in 1908; the University of Kentucky dropped the "State" part of the name by 1913. Similarly, at least one Kentucky paper misattributed North Carolina's narrow win over Tennesee to NC A&M (The Lexington Herald, October 19th, 1909, p. 6).

As part of the North Carolina State Fair, a large crowd was anticipated for the game; reports in Raleigh papers emphasized that the stadium's capacity would be expanded to 10,000 -- clearly a felicitously aggrandized claim, considering the fact that the typical capacity of the grand stands was roughly 1,000 rooters at the time (News and Observer, October 17th, 1909, p. 4). Despite those grandiose claims and heavy advertisement in local papers, a much smaller contingent actually witnessed the game; News and Observer wrote that 1,700 fans were out for the game, while The Evening Times of Raleigh estimated there to be 1,800 patrons at the game. Charlotte Daily Observer estimated that 2,000 fans were out for the game, while Greensboro Daily News wrote that up to 3,000 fans were at the game. The Washington Herald, on the other hand, had the most spectacular estimation, claiming that 5,000 fans were out for the game (The Washington Herald, October 22nd, 1909, p. 4). As such, the game was estimated to be the average of those numbers, 2,700.

Despite A&M outweighing Kentucky by 20 pounds, the Farmers were down a few players (The Raleigh Evening Times, October 20th, 1909, p. 2). The Farmers were expected to be without left guard Mott and left tackle Von Glahn; Von Glahn had "severely" injured his knee just two scrimmages prior to the game, while Mott's injury was never specified. Additionally, it was reported that halfback Robertson would be seeing limited playing time due to a slight knee injury sustained in the MAC game, forcing the Farmers to move Hartsell from left end to the backfield (News and Observer, October 19th, 1909, p. 7; Charlotte Daily Observer, October 22nd, 1909, p. 3). For her part, Kentucky would also be down three starters due to injuries, but had the same squad who pulled off the victory over Illinois, which helped give supporters of the White and Blue some solace (News and Observer, October 21st, 1909, p. 3).

When asked about their chances of winning, Coach Frank Thompson was mum, saying "If Kentucky beats [us], Kentucky has a good team" after saying he thought this was the best team A&M had ever had. Coach Greene spoke a bit more bluntly; after admitting that he had never seen the White and Blue play, he said "I don't think they will win from us." The A&M student body, on the other hand, was confident of a win (News and Observer, October 15th, 1909, p. 3).

Though scheduled for 4 PM, some reports write that the game actually kicked off 12 minutes later, while others don't mention a delay to the start. Just a half hour before the game started, the gridiron was dotted by a light drizzle. Though the management of the State Fair said the game would come off "rain or shine," the positive turn in the weather meant that more rooters could be in the stands to watch the game. The roughly 2,000 fans reportedly taxed the bleachers "to their utmost capacity" (Charlotte Daily Observer, October 22nd, 1909, p. 3).

The game was noted for the vastly different styles of play employed by the two teams. Kentucky was firmly in the Western style of play, which emphasized end runs and speed over heft. Kentucky used a style of this play where a runner (often Barbee) would run towards the line just until he was getting tackled, at which point the runner would make a forward pass to one of the ends . The Farmers, on the other hand, used a style of play which was more typical of the Southern style, emphasizing line plunges and weight, though they had elements of the northeastern style seen in trick plays with their speedier players, like Seifert (News and Observer, October 22nd, 1909, p. 3).

Kentucky started with the ball defending the south goal; either Shanklin (News and Observer) or Barbee (Lexington Leader) kicked off, sending the ball 45 yards to A&M's 10-yard line. Stevens caught the kick and returned the ball 10 yards. On this play, Long was injured but stayed in the game nonetheless. After a 2-1/2 yard pickup by Keasler and a 4 yard gain by Long, Stevens punted the ball away, sending it 25 yards, to roughly the 50-yard line. Barbee caught the punt, but the White and Blue's first drive ended after just two plays; after a 7 yard gain by Rhodes and a 5 yard penalty against A&M for Dunn being offside, Barbee dropped back to punt. Von Glahn managed to block the kick and secure the ball for the Farmers around midfield.

Upon getting the ball back, Hartsell ripped off an impressive 18-20 yard run, which was then followed by a 4-yard gain by Keasler. Seifert got the 6 yards required for a new set of downs on a forward pass from Stevens. After a gain of 4 yards by Keasler, the Aggies were assessed a 15 yard penalty for a failed forward pass, moving them back to roughly Kentucky's 35-yard line. Stevens punted the ball to Kentucky's 20-yard line, where Barbee caught it and returned it 5 yards. Here, long-tome A&M assistant coach Joel D. Whitaker wrote that he would have rather seen Stevens attempted a goal kick rather than the punt.

Upon getting the ball, the Kentucky boys punted, Shanklin booting the ball to Hartsell, who caught the kick at roughly the 43-yard line. Here, Johnston, Kentucky's quarterback, was injured. Long then advanced the ball 5 yards, but after Dunn was stuffed at the line without gain, Stevens punted, sending the ball 35-yards, to roughly Kentucky's 10-yard line; at least one source (Charlotte Daily Observer) wrote that this was an on-side kick. Kentucky's punt returner fumbled the ball, allowing Long to secure the ball on the White and Blue's 9-yard line. On the next play, Long ran through Kentucky's line for a "good gain," but A&M was penalized 5 yards for being offside. Starting from about the 15-yard line, the ball was passed to Hartsell, who dropped back 10 yards to make a drop kick field goal from 20-to-25 yards out. This made the score 3-0 in favor of the Farmers after 5 minutes of play.

Kentucky opted to kick off, with either Shanklin (N&O) or Barbee (Lexington Leader) sending the ball to A&M's 5-to-10-yard line; either Long (N&O) or Keasler (Evening Times) caught the kick and returned it 15 yards. After a run around right end by Stevens made no gain, the quarterback punted the ball away, sending it only to roughly the A&M 40 yard line. From there, a 25-yard run by Shanklin was followed up by another long run by Barbee, who made an impressive 15-yard dash to put the ball at A&M's 8-yard line. After a 3-to-5-yard gain by Rhodes, Barbee ran around the left end (where he made most of his gains) for a touchdown. Shanklin punted out to the 15-yard line, allowing Kentucky to attempt a kick out goal kick. Barbee's attempt was successful, making the score 6-3 in favor of Kentucky just a few minutes after the first touchdown was scored. This score was the only time throughout the game that Kentucky threatened A&M's goal.

After the touchdown by the Blue Grass boys, Stafford retired; he was replaced by Haynes. The Farmers kicked off to Kentucky, Stevens sending the ball to Barbee, who received the kick at his 15-yard line and advanced the ball about 25 yards. Here, Kentucky was penalized 15 yards for a foul forward pass. After dropping back to the 9-yard line, Shanklin punted the ball, sending the ball 40 yards to Stevens, who advanced the ball 5 yards to Kentucky's 45-yard line. After a 3-yard gain by Stevens, the Red and White fumbled the ball. The ball was recovered by Hartsell, but no gain was made, forcing the Aggies to punt; unfortunately, Stevens's kick also made no gain, giving Kentucky the ball at their own 40 yard line. On the next play, the Lexingtonians fumbled the ball themselves, but regained possession. Shanklin then punted, sending the ball 30 yards to A&M's 40.

Keasler went through Hendrickson for a 7-yard gain; Dunn ran the remaining distance to complete the first down. Identifying right tackle Hendrickson as a weak point on Kentucky's line, Long attacked the same spot for 4 yards, and was followed by Keasler for 10. Hartsell, not wanting to be out done, made 15 yards through Shanklin. A 5 yard gain by Long put the Aggies at Kentucky's 30-yard line. Here, Stevens attempted a forward pass to Haynes, however, the attempt failed to gain. Either Stevens (N&O) or Hartsell (Evening Times) tried to tie the score up with another field goal, but a White and Blue player broke through A&M's line and blocked the play.

Upon getting the ball, Kentucky immediately punted, Shanklin sending the ball 45 yards from their own 25 (the touchback location); Stevens returned the kick 15 yards, to midfield. On the very next play, however, the Farmers were penalized 15 yards after Keasler hurdled a player. After a gain of 2 yards by Seifert and 5 by Keasler, Stevens punted the ball; the Kentucky return man was downed in his tracks "as he caught the ball." With the ball back in White and Blue hands at roughly their own 35, Shanklin returned to the punting strategy, sending his kick 30 yards to Stevens, who returned the ball 2 yards before being tackled. After a 2-1/2 yard run by Keasler and a loss of 1 yard by Stevens, Stevens punted, sending the ball 35 yards to Johnston, who caught the kick on Kentucky's 5-yard line. Shanklin punted once again, delivering a 40-yard boot.

Here, there is evidently a lapse in the News and Observer's description of the game. After a few plays, a 5-yard run by Keasler and a run for no gain by Long put the ball somewhere between Kentucky's 15- and 5-yard line (both numbers from N&O). As Hartsell was preparing to try a third goal from field, Referee Donnelly penalized A&M for a delay of game, the result being an automatic loss of possession. A&M was understandably upset about the decision and, according to Greensboro Daily News, complained at length with Donnelly over the call. The delay was "clearly unintentional" (according to N&O), however justified "in the strictest lettering of the rules." Just as the half was ending, Shanklin punted the ball, delivering a huge 50-yard kick to A&M's 40-yard line. The first of two 25-minute halves ended with Kentucky leading the Farmers 6-3. During the 15-minute intermission, "Coaches Green [sic] and Thompson herded the Farmer team over near the grandstand, and most probably scolded, insulted and exhorted them in accordance with approved tradition." Over the halftime break, Campbell took the place of Earle.

To start the second half, Stevens kicked off to Barbee, who caught the ball at the 15-yard line before returning the kick 20 yards. After two runs for no gain, Shanklin used his punting-prone precedent to pull off a 22-yard run using a fake kick play, advancing the ball to midfield for the White and Blue. On the next play, Plummer was tackled by Seifert for a loss, however this was neutralized on the next play after A&M was again penalized 5 yards for being offside. Here, game descriptions vary greatly. N&O wrote that on the next play, Hartsell tackled Shanklin, who had just caught a forward pass from Barbee, for a 10-yard loss, forcing Shanklin to punt; The Evening Times, on the other hand, wrote that Kentucky completed a forward pass for a 10 yard gain but kicked to center field following a 6-yard loss on an attempted end run, where the ball was recovered by Stevens. Either way, A&M got the ball at roughly midfield.

Keasler started off the Red and White's next drive with a 7 yard run, but was slightly hurt. After a 6 yard run by Long to get the first down, "Bullet" made another gain, this time for 7 yards; unfortunately, the Aggies were instead penalized 5 yards for being offside. Stevens punted, his kick going out of bounds at Kentucky's 15-to-20-yard line. Kentucky immediately lost the ball on a failed onside kick attempt by Shanklin which was recovered by Hartsell and returned to roughly the Kentucky 20-yard line.

Keasler advanced the ball 5 yards, but was followed by a run for no gain by Long. Hartsell attempted his third (or second) goal from field (field goal), however Kentucky broke through the line and blocked the kick, recovering the ball on the 40-to-50-yard line. After a run by Shanklin failed to gain, Barbee connected with the him for a "pretty" forward pass for a about 10 yards. Barbee followed a 2-yard loss by Rhodes on a Long tackle with a 2-yard loss of his own on an attempt to run around left end. On third and 14, Shanklin punted; Hartsell caught the kick. The Lexingtonians were then penalized 15 yards for interfering with Hartsell's fair catch.

The aid of the penalty on Kentucky did little to help the Farmers' next drive: Keasler gained 1 yard, but Hartsell lost 5, forcing Stevens to punt. The ball landed around Kentucky's 35-yard line, where News and Observer alludes it was recovered by A&M but taken away unfairly--"Reason not announced." After 4 yards of gain each by Plummer and Shanklin, Kentucky punted the ball 40 yards to Hartsell, who caught the ball at his own 25 and returned it 40 yards.

After the teams exchanged punts, Hartsell recovered A&M's kick on Kentucky's 18-yard line. A 10-to-12-yard gain by Stevens put the ball around Kentucky's 8-yard line; unfortunately for Stevens, he could have scored both the touchdowns in the game had he not mistakenly run out of bounds at this point in time. From there, Keasler gained 3-to-5 yards. On the next play, Seifert fumbled a "bad forward pass" but fortunately the ball was recovered by either him (CDO) or Long (N&O) on the 5-yard line. Keasler carried the ball across the goal line in two carries; a goal kick by Stevens made the score 9-6 after 16 minutes of play in the second half.

After being scored, either Shanklin (N&O) or Barbee (Lexington Leader) kicked off. Hartsell caught the kick on A&M's 10-yard line and returned the ball 15 yards. On the next play Stevens completed "a beautiful forward pass" to Seifert, who advanced the ball 25-yards. A 4-1/2 yard run by Dunn brought the ball to midfield, but the Farmers were then charged for holding, resulting in a 15 yard penalty. Stevens punted the ball away to Kentucky, who fumbled the ball, returning possession to the Aggies. Keasler gained 2 yards and Hartsell failed to gain, forcing Stevens to punt again. The ball went out of bounds after 15 yards.

On the first play of Kentucky's next drive, Rhodes fumbled the ball, losing the White and Blue 5 yards. From there, Shanklin punted, sending the ball 25 yards. Hartsell caught his kick and returned it 5 yards. A pair of 2-1/2 yard gains by Keasler and Long on "cross work" resulted in a third and 5 for the Farmers. Stevens punted to Kentucky's 25-yard line, where the catcher was tackled before he could advance the ball. From there, Shanklin punted for Kentucky; Stevens caught his punt and returned the ball 42-to-55 yards for a touchdown in the process. For the goal kick, the Farmers attempted a kick out; unfortunately, Stevens's punt to Seifert was bad, being sent all the way to the 30-yard line. Luckily, Stevens made the kick successfully, making the score 15-6 after 21 minutes of play in the second half.

Stevens kicked off 27 yards to Kentucky; their return man fumbled the ball but a White and Blue player landed on it to keep Kentucky possession. On the next play, Johnston attempted to pass Shanklin the ball to punt, but in the process the ball got loose and the Lexingtonians lost 15 yards. With 25 yards to gain for a first down, Shanklin kicked the ball 30 yards to Keasler, who performed a fair catch.

After a 1-yard gain by Keasler, Long failed to gain, forcing Stevens to punt the ball away again. Bray tackled the Kentuckian before he could advance the ball. Shanklin responded in kind with a 25-yard kick back to A&M. The game ended with the ball in Red and White possession on roughly the 40 yard line. The entire affair took an hour and twenty minutes (News and Observer, October 22nd, 1909, p. 3; The Raleigh Evening Times, October 22nd, 1909, p. 2; Greensboro Daily News, October 22nd, 1909, p. 3; Charlotte Daily Observer, October 22nd, 1909, p. 3; Lexington Leader, October 22nd, 1909, p. 9.

The game was described as the "greatest victory in A. & M. College history," and to A&M rooters meant they were at least competitive with some of the strongest teams out west such as Fielding Yost's famous Michigan. Star players for the victorious Farmers were Keasler, whose playing was described as "almost indispensable" (News and Observer, October 22nd, 1909, p. 3). In addition to his excellent interference (blocking), his fearless play was heralded: throughout the game he displayed "a fierce, unflagging aggressiveness, as though he neither cared for life or limb" (Charlotte Daily Observer, October 22nd, 1909, p. 3). Stevens was also heralded for both his defensive play, game management, and running throughout, with his playing said to be one of the best games every played on the local gridiron. Floyd, Von Glahn, hartsell and Seifert were all lauded as well, while linemen Bray and Dunn received special honors from Charlotte Daily Observer. It was claimed that "The A. and M. team is easily the best in the history of the institution at this time of season" thanks to the knowledge of the game imparted on each man by Coaches Greene and Thompson (News and Observer, October 22nd, 1909, p. 3).

Though decried as the strongest team A&M had ever defeated, the stars of Kentucky were not as well-mentioned in the press: News and Observer handed out no laurels, while The Evening Times praised only the team, stating that "Kentucky was by no means weak" and "Their defensive formations were about the best that have ever been seen around these diggings in many moons" (The Raleigh Evening Times, October 22nd, 1909, p. 2). The Lexington Leader did write that Kentucky were among the best tackles they had ever faced, with the tackling of Barbee in particular lauded as "the best in the South" by the Farmers (Lexington Leader, October 25th, 1909 p. 6).

Despite the win for the Farmers, there were, of course, flaws in the Farmers' team: on top of the mounting number of injuries, the penalties were becoming an obvious problem. A&M racked up at least 8 penalties for 65 yards of penalties and a turnover as opposed to just 2 penalties for 30 yards by Kentucky. Additionally, Kentucky alleged that there were illegal players on the Farmers' team; after opining about the "long trip" and "change of climate" that beset them before the game (despite having all of Wednesday to run a "secret practice"), the White and Blue snidely chided "We are not saying what kind of a team they played against us" (The Kentuckian, Vol. V (1910), p. 233).

Regardless of charges levied against the Farmers, the victory certainly was a big one, and the student body responded in kind. A torchlight procession marched up and down all the main streets of Raleigh (Hillsborough and Fayetteville Streets, in particular) while singing college songs and "My Old Kentucky Home" (Charlotte Daily Observer, October 22nd, 1909, p. 3; Greensboro Daily News, October 22nd, 1909, p. 3). The brouhaha lasted well into the night.

Special stops were, of course, made at all of the local girls' schools, in particular Peace Institute (now William Peace University), where the boys sang an NC A&M-themed cover of the classic "Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown" which ballyhooed the Farmers as able to "Beat every team that comes in sight" before proclaiming the Aggies as "the best in the South." The girls, waiting out on their balconies, responded in kind with a cover of "I'm Afraid To Go Home In The Dark" which agreed that "They [A&M] ought to have the big head some." When the girls sang "We want some one [sic] to call us Dearie," "the horde promptly yelled, We will, we will" (News and Observer, October 22nd, 1909, p. 3). After some time "milling around in mounting excitement," Peace faculty ushered the girls back into their building (Beezley, p. 21).

Despite the loss, Kentucky had nothing to hang their heads about for the remainder of the season, going undefeated and nearly unscored upon the remainder of the season en route to a 9-1 record. The remainder of their games were blowouts, with the White and Blue taking down Rose Polytechnic of Indiana 43-0, Georgetown College (of Kentucky) 22-6, St. Mary's High School 29-0, inter-city rival Transylvania College (formerly Kentucky University) 77-0, and Central University (now Eastern Kentucky) 81-0.