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Finally, the most-anticipated game of the season for both teams had arrived: the third Thanksgiving Day bout between the Aggies of A&M and Virginia in just four years. Both teams were undefeated among Southern teams. The Farmers' third consecutive Thanksgiving Day game in Norfolk, it was widely agreed that the laurels of champion of the South Atlantic belonged to the winner of the game.

Both A&M and VPI were returning most of their best players, the most notable of which was the Orange and Maroon's newly-elected team captain, Emory R. "Hoss" Hodgson. Other returning players for the Blacksburg team included Hicks, Gibbs, former captain Luttrell, Norris, V. B. Hodgson, Davis, and Legge. And though it was noted later that "The team was slow in rounding into form," once the team found its groove, they were nearly unstoppable (The Bugle, Vol. XVI (1910), p. 169; The Wilmington Dispatch, September 20th, 1909, p. 5).

VPI opened her season on October 2nd with a 6-0 victory over a respectable Clemson team; according to The Bugle, the low score was explained by the fact that the men had only organized as a team a few weeks prior, and spent that time on individual training rather than team practice. A week and a half later, the Virginians went north to Princeton; they led 6-5 until, with 4 minutes of play left in the game, a 30-yard field goal earned Princeton the lead, giving VPI her only loss of the season. The remainder of VPI's schedule were essentially cakewalks, defeating Richmond 52-0, Washington & Lee in Lynchburg 34-6, North Carolina in Richmond 15-0, and a strong George Washington in DC 17-8. The strong Blacksburg team had November 20th off, like the Farmers, though this was similarly unintentional; the Orange and Maroon had a game against Maryville which seems to have been canceled.

Noted University of Virginia football assistant and advocate W. A. Lambeth (to whom UVA's stadium from 1913-1930 owed its name) described VPI's season as follows:

The Virginia Tech put forward an unusually strong and well-coached team. As individuals they were not speedy, but as a combination they were alive to the great advantage they possessed in the best kicker in the South. None of her opponents were able to gain sufficient ground against their line to neutralize [E. R.] Hodgson's wonderful booting. In the early season they scared Princeton and throughout the remainder of the schedule, every game of which they won with ease, they were never in danger of being overtaken. Their two stars were the two Hodgsons, one [V. B.] playing a plunging game at full-back, the other [E. R.] playing a much less creditable game at guard, but his kicking offset any weakness he may have possessed (Lambeth, Spalding's Official Football Guide, "South Atlantic Foot Ball", p. 55).

Following their near-defeat in Lexington at the hands of Washington & Lee, A&M directors got together to organize a series of team yells and shouts; VPI officials did the same in the weeks leading up to the game. A mass-meeting on November 10th led to the creation of several special yells and cheers, as well as "Confidence of victory by hard fighting." The meeting included speeches by News and Observer owner Josephus Daniels, Professor Wallace Riddick, city attorney, politician, and former A&M student Walker Clark, Jr. (to whom Clark Hall owes its name), long-time alumnus Charles Wyllis Gold (to whom Gold Hall owes its name), Coach Greene, Captain Bray, and Manager McLendon, as well as former senator Needham B. Broughton, who urged students to attend the game, saying "Every student should go [to Norfolk], even if he had to walk" (News and Observer, November 11th, 1909, p. 3; News and Observer, November 12th, 1909, p. 7).

A&M's coaches took advantage of the cancelation of their Wake Forest game, training vigorously--so vigorously that they were too busy to interview about the game or its outcome (News and Observer, November 21st, 1909, p. 11). Their team was finally reported to be fully "in the pink", with Seifert and Von Glahn both finally recovering from their long-injured knees (News and Observer, October 21st, 1909, p. 11).

Tragedy struck the Farmers in the days before the game: both Von Glahn and Seifert re-aggrevated their injuries in practices just days before the game. Additionally, halfback Harry Hartsell and captain Bray were both stricken with a serious illness and spent much of the week before the game in the infirmary. Despite these injuries, the Red and White boys remained resolute: "both left their beds in the hospital" owing to the fact that the Farmers had only two substitutes to spare in Norfolk* (Beezley, pp. 21-22; Red and White, Vol. XI No. 4 (December 1909), p. 236).

Despite the injuries to A&M's men, the scrub team was noted for its strength, and the replacements were touted as being strong throughout the season. Additionally, public enthusiasm was high. With North Carolina not playing a Thanksgiving Day game, all major football fans in the state turned towards Norfolk, including even a few UNC students (The (Wilmington) Morning Star, November 28th, 1909, p. 1). Raleigh papers added that there was never more enthusiasm for a game in the state than this one, explaining that "If all the circuses in the world were to congregate in North Carolina next Thursday, they would go broke and disgusted by sundown" (News and Observer, November 21st, 1909, p. 11).

The Farmers left for Norfolk just after midnight on November 23rd in order to arrive in Virginia a day in advance (The (Raleigh) Evening Times, November 23rd, 1909, p. 3). The city awaiting them was also gearing up for the game: Bleachers were added onto Norfolk Athletic Park so that the capacity was increased to 12,000, and a "record-breaking" attendance of over 10,000 was widely expected (The (Raleigh) Evening Times, November 24th, 1909, p. 8). Reports indicated that Virginians were offering two-to-one odds for a Virginia win, while A&M fans were taking those odds just as quickly as they were offered (The (Raleigh) Evening Times, November 25th, 1909, p. 2).

* This number comes from Beezley. Other reports (The Evening Times of Nov. 23 in particular) indicated that 20 men from the A&M squad went to Norfolk; assuming that one or two of those men were coaches, that should have left at least 7 substitutes were in attendance.

The weather for the day was reported to be perfect for football, as were the playing grounds, and "Practically the entire Thanksgiving celebration [in Norfolk] has been given over to the game" (The Asheville Gazette News, November 25th, 1909, p. 1). The Charlotte Evening Chronicle reported that there was "not a cloud in the sky" and that the cool Fall breeze was warded off by a pleasantly warm sun.

A&M started with the ball, Seifert kicking off to Billups, who returned the ball 8-10 yards, to the VPI 35-yard line. E. R. Hodgson's much-anticipated punting did not take long to be seen; according to The Virginia Tech, his 65-to-70-yard punt made a sigh come up from the crowd. The ball was caught somewhere around the A&M 5-15 yard line, from where they returned it 10 yards. Runs by Glenn, Dunn, and Hartsell netted A&M 10-yards each, but a fourth run for no gain and a fifth by Stevens for a loss of yardage forced the Farmers to punt. Unfortunately for the Aggies, Von Glahn's punt was not a good one; Luttrell performed a fair catch, though where on the field was not specified.

According to The Virginia Tech, "The [Virginia] Techs began to play ball just about now." After two runs for no gain, Emory punted again to A&M; this time, the ball went 60 yards. Long caught the punt and carried it for either no gain (The Virgina Tech) or 4 yards (News and Observer); the Aggies were then penalized 15 yards for hurdling. The ball was thrown to Von Glahn for another punt, but his punt either failed (News and Observer) or was blocked (The Virgina Tech). The loss of 9 yards put the Farmers way back on their own 13-yard line.

On the next play, it's not clear exactly what happened. N&O reported that Hartsell made 5 yards and that on the next play A&M was penalized for being offsides, where Referee Myers (incidentally, Wake Forest's coach) mistakenly brought the ball over half the distance to the A&M goal line, giving possession to VPI. The Virginia Tech, on the other hand, reported that A&M tried a short onside kick to Hicks, which Virginia recovered. Finally, The Charlotte Evening Chronicle wrote that A&M was assessed two offsides plays in this sequence, giving VPI the ball on A&M's 5-yard line. On the next play, Billups made a gain of several yards. Following a 5-yard penalty on A&M, Vivian B. "Bubbles" Hodgson attempted three consecutive runs on A&M's line; the final try was successful. His brother, Emory, made the goal kick, putting VPI up 6-0 after 12 minutes of play.

The Farmers complained that this touchdown was "handed to V. P. I. on a silver platter" on account of Myers' misinterpretation of the "half the distance" rule, claiming Myers instead placed the ball on their own 1-yard line. Regardless of Myers' application of the rules, the Aggies were down a touchdown about halfway through the first half.

Following the score, Seifert kicked off to the Gobblers' 30-yard line; predictably, Hodgson punted the ball back, sending it 60 yards. Taking advantage of their speed, Luttrell landed on the ball before A&M could recover it, giving the ball back to the Orange and Maroon on A&M's 20-yard line. Reports differ significantly on the following series: N&O wrote that after VPI gained 10 on a fake kick, the Farmer defense stiffened, forcing two losses. On their third down, however, VPI attempted a side kick, which brought the ball back to the 18-yard line. The Virginia Tech, on the other hand, wrote that Hughes started the drive by advancing the ball 8 yards; his efforts were then duplicated over a series of "several smashes" before one of the Hodgsons made "a beautiful forward pass" to Luttrell for a 20-yard gain--an impossibility, given that by their account of the game the play would have started around the A&M 4-yard line. Following a 3-yard gain by "Bubbles," Hicks recovered an onside kick. The next run resulted in an 8-yard gain for Billups. Likely, both of the above summaries are partially true, but it is hard to know where each diverges.

Here, the accounts of the game reunify. Emory "Hoss" Hodgson attempted a place kick goal, but his kick was blocked by A&M; the Farmers recovered the kick at their own 25. The Farmers immediately punted the ball away, sending the pigskin downfield to Billups, who caught the ball and ran it back 20 yards. On the next play the Gobblers attempted a short kick; the Farmers recovered the kick, and on the next play Long made 6 yards. Unfortunately on the following play Stevens was tackled for an equivalent loss on a tackle Hicks. On their third down, the Farmers fumbled the ball; VPI recovered.

The Gobblers did not find much success on their next few runs; a 2 run gain by Hughes and a run for no gain by "Bubbles" were both met with a "brick wall," leading to another kick by "Ole Hoss." A&M immediately punted the ball back to Luttrell. On the next play, V. B. Hodgson attempted a forward pass, but Stevens intercepted the throw. After a run by Hartsell for a loss, the Aggies lost the ball again, though how is not exactly clear.

A 6 yard run by "Berry" Hodgson put the Orange and Maroon about 30 yards from the A&M goal; from there, VPI ran their second scoring play (The Charlotte Evening Chronicle, November 26th, 1909, p. 2). "Hoss" dropped back for a kick but, in an act of deception, threw his headgear in the air to imitate the ball. The Red and White players were fooled by the trick, which allowed VPI to execute a double pass for the touchdown. Who that player was, though, is disputed: The Virginia Tech, probably the most reliable source, wrote it was Billups, while The Charlotte Evening Chronicle wrote that Luttrell made the long dash and News and Observer reported that Hughes made the run. After 30 total minutes of play in the first half a successful goal kick by E. R. Hodgson put the Techs up 12-0.

A&M kicked off to Massie; "Hoss" instantly punted the ball back 65 yards; Stevens returned the punt 20 yards. After two runs for just 5 yards of gain, the Red and White punted the ball 40 yards to VPI Billups caught the kick and returned it 45 yards, nixing the Aggies' kick. After a 6 yard gain by "Bubbles," Hughes lost 8. On the third down, "the ball goes over and things go their [A&M's] way." Stevens broke free on a 25-yard run on a fake kick; his run was followed up by two runs of 6 yards each by Von Glahn, eventually making 8 more yards. The success proves to be short-lived, however: after VPI's defense stiffened, A&M punted the ball away, sending it 25 yards. "Hoss" immediately doubled that distance, punting the ball 50 yards down the field. A 15-yard return by Stevens proved to be the final play of the half; time expired with the ball around midfield in A&M's possession.

The start of the second half was delayed by a scandalous distraction from the game in the stands--some papers reported that the event was discussed more on the return trip to Raleigh than the game itself; that same paper reprinted a clipping from The Virgininan-Pilot of Norfolk which wrote that the event "nearly caused a riot" in the A&M section of the stands. According to reports, a few students "who had imbibed unwisely," one from VPI and several from A&M, began fighting after the VPI fan entered the North Carolinian's stands and began bad-mouthing the Farmers. As a Norfolk police officer came in to arrest the rabble-rousers, he was struck in the face (apparently mistakenly) by another A&M fan.

The blow from the fan "blinded him as well as his judgment," leading the junior officer to arrest the Red and White rooter for his accident. The officer followed through with this plan despite repeated appeals from several of "the most representative citizens of North Carolina," one of whom was an unnamed "prominent member of the faculty" attennding the game "as the Director of Athletics." This man suggested to the arresting policemen that he would be responsible for the behavior of the fan's conduct if the boy was turned over to him instead. In response to the his suggestion, the policemen picked up the director and began to give him "a sound lecture" as they carried him away from the field to be locked up, only relenting after being stopped by the crowd.

This, among other serious allegations against the enforcement of the police in Norfolk during the game (which will be discussed later), delayed the start of the second half by several minutes. More importantly, though, it made several A&M rooters consider leaving Norfolk as their annual Thanksgiving Day location (News and Observer, November 27th, 1909, p. 1; News and Observer, November 26th, 1909, , p. 2). Before the start of the second half, Lassiter replaced Long and Haynes replaced Seifert.

The second half started with VPI kicking off to Stevens, who ran the kickoff back 20 yards. After a 2 yard gain by Long, the fullback punted the ball 30 yards away. Billups returned the ball 8 yards, but on the next play Hughes failed to gain. After VPI was penalized 5 yards, "Hoss" punted the ball away, delivering another 50-yard bomb. Stevens' excellent returning continued: his 25-yard return was followed by a run by Long for no gain. Hartsell saved the drive for A&M by making 15 yards on a fake play, but after two runs for just 6 yards of gain, the Aggies punted, sending the ball 30 yards away. Billups returned the ball 7 yards, and on the next play "Ole Hoss" punted the ball just 20 yards, the ball landing out of bounds.

After two runs for losses by A&M, the Farmers punted. Billups again returned the kick, but Hodgson again immediately punted the ball away; though a distance is not given, Stevens caught the punt but was tackled by Luttrell before he could advance it. The Mechanics again punted; Billups returned the ball 20 yards but was replaced before the next play by Legge. "Hoss" then punted the ball 55 yards to A&M. After a gain of 2 by Long and 6 by Lassiter, disaster befell the Farmers: Luttrell blocked a forward pass, giving the Orange and Maroon control of the ball around their own 35-yard line.

On the next play, the Gobblers made probably the most impressive play of the day: Hughes pulled off a brand-new play which was reported to be the creation of first-year VPI coach Branch Bocock. Reports differ on exactly what happened: either fullback Vivian Hodgson was "about to put the ball out right" when Hughes took it out of his hand in an early version of the draw play (Charlotte Evening Chronicle) or one of the Hodgsons faked a kick but made a delayed double pass to Hughes (News and Observer). Though I'm inclined to believe The Charlotte Evening News due to its specificity, the way the play happened makes little difference: Hughes "waltzed, side-stepped, slipped and dodged" between "every A. & M. man" on his way to a 70-to-75 yard touchdown, employing several stiff arms and bent knee blocks.

There was some contention regarding Hughes' touchdown: A&M claimed he stepped out of bounds somewhere around A&M's 35-yard line before crossing the end line. Despite extended pleas for reconsideration by the Aggies, the call was not overturned. "This decision was also awarded to V. P. I.," opined Red and White (referring back to the goal-line offsides penalty which gave VPI their first touchdown), "on account of the field judge's inability to see" (Red and White, Vol. XI No. 4 (December 1909), p. 237). Regardless, Emory Hodgson made his third successful goal kick of the day to put VPI up 18-0 after ten minutes of play in the second half.

After a bad kickoff and a VPI return punt, the Farmers finally looked like they were in contention for the game. The Virgina Tech explained the break in their defense by writing that the team was worn out "and perhaps overconfident of victory." The Farmers got two first downs--the first by two runs of 2 yards and one run for 6, and the second on a 10 yard dash from a combination of Dunn, Hartsell, and Stevens--before being forced to punt. The Farmers' defense stood stout and forced VPI to punt.

On the first play of their next drive, a double pass to Haynes made 15-20 yards. A 4 yard run by Lassiter set up a 15-yard run by Stevens and another powerful 18-yard run by Hartsell. Here, however, the Farmers' began to run low on luck: Stevens attempted a quarterback run, but was instead tackled for a loss of 10 by Hicks. A 7 yard run by Von Glahn and a 4 yard run by Lassiter were unable to recoup the distance.

Getting the ball on their own 14-yard line, the Gobblers made one forward pass to Hughes before "Hoss" again punted the ball, sending the pigskin 60 yards away. The Virginia Tech alludes to several additional punts and "beautiful returns" by Legge, while News and Observer does not describe any. Additionally, the following description from News and Observer matches the report of The Charlotte Evening Chronicle which claimed the Farmers drove the ball down the field four times before finally scoring.

Stevens returned VPI's 60-yard punt to his opponents' 25-yard line--a 49-yard return, meaning the A&M quarterback nearly erased the punt since the ball started on VPI's 14-yard line. A gain of 3 by Hartsell and 4 by Dunn put the Aggies at 3rd and 3 on VPI's 18-yard line. A risky double pass (one of which was forwards) by a group of unspecified players brought the ball to VPI's 3-5 yard line. On the team's fourth attempt, Dunn managed to break VPI's goal line to put the Farmers on the board for the first time all day. Sadly, Stevens missed the goal kick, leaving the score 18-5 in favor of the Orange and Maroon. Accounts differ on how long the score took, with The Virginia Tech writing the score was 15 minutes after the previous score (in other words, 25 minutes into the second half), while both The Charlotte Evening Chronicle and News and Observer claimed the game ended after this score (in other words, 35 minutes into the second half). Wilmington's Morning Star even went as far as claiming the final touchdown took place in the closing 10 seconds of the game (The (Wilmington) Morning Star, November 26th, 1909, p. 2).

While The Virginia Tech wrote of "the remaining minutes of play," they were not detailed in much specificity. The ball see-sawed back and forth repeatedly, neither team able to garner the energy to make another desperate push. The game drew to a close with neither team making significant gains and the score 18-5 in favor of VPI. According to News and Observer A&M fans rushed the field and carried their football team away from the field.

Aside from the scuffle in the stands during half time, the game was reported to have been "clean football throughout." Those feelings extended to the post-game as well: the two teams spent the night after the game "talking over every play, and applauding the work of the other" (The Virginia Tech, Vol. 7 No. 11 (December 1st, 1909), pp. 1-2, 6; News and Observer, November 26th, 1909, p. 2; The Charlotte Evening Chronicle, November 26th, 1909, p. 2). Nearly every paper to report on the game also mentioned that, despite the score, the game was intensely fought throughout, with hardly a dull moment of play.

Such can not be said, however, of the feelings of Raleigh football enthusiasts towards Norfolk policemen. The city's police force faced a great deal of criticism regarding their handling of the fight during half time (or, moreso, their treatment of the unnamed prominent faculty member), with several Raleigh citizens threatening to pull the game away from the tidewater city (News and Observer, November 26th, 1909, p. 2). Other reports indicated there was a potential suit for damages looming, though the case could not be confirmed.

There were other complaints about the police's management of the game. Another News and Observer article, which described their work at the game as "miserable," included a reprinted article from The Virgininan-Pilot which claimed that there had never been worse game crowd management in Norfolk history. Though fans had "seat coupons" to reserve seats in certain sections, the police refused to enforce them; this forced scores of misplaced fans to spill out of the bleachers and onto the field, near a special picket fence which had been erected to keep fans off the field; many of those fans obscured the views of any guests on the lower seats. Towards the end of the game, "several thousand" rooters crossed over the fence and began to crowd the sidelines (News and Observer, November 27th, 1909, p. 1).

Raleigh fans had a second major bone of the contention with the trip: the specially-arranged Seaboard Excursion cars organized for the trip were lacking several amenities. While the poor heating of the cars and the "overflowing" "negro" cars were certainly grounds for complaint, the most major issue was that the car of the entire A&M battalion was accidentally left in Norlina during the return trip. After about two hours, a second train came down the tracks and pulled the cadets back to Raleigh. The cadets jokingly suggested that next year they journey to Norfolk "via dog-cart, or perhaps by airship" (Red and White, Vol. XI No. 4 (December 1909), pp. 232-233).

While the Seaboard Rail Line and Norfolk police were certainly not the stars of the day, there were some obvious picks. For VPI, the obvious answer is Emory "Hoss" Hodgson, the punter--the Charlotte Daily Observer reported he alone defeated the Farmers (Charlotte Daily Observer, November 27th, 1909, p. 1). That sentiment was echoed in several other papers, while others noted that the Techs also earned their victory through more aggressive playing (The Charlotte Evening Chronicle) and clever trick plays (The Morning Star). News and Observer insisted that the Aggies were "looking for a man who can kickin the class with Hodgson, whom every one [sic] admits won today's game." Crazy enough, The Virginia Tech claimed Hodgson's punting was shorter than usual on account of injuries received early in the game, while The Charlotte Evening Chronicle noted that he punted just as well into the wind as with it.

As for other stars, both The Virginia Tech and Red and White were resolutely silent on the other team. In terms of football, Billups played "the game of the day" for VPI, while the efforts of V. B. Hodgson (who "played as he had never played before") were also praised. Space forbid the Gobblers from praising the remainder of the team, but the paper did note that each man deseved commendation for their work. For the Farmers, Von Glahn's work was praised, despite his injuries, as was the tackling of Dunn. Stevens was also well-lauded (The Virginia Tech, Vol. 7 No. 11 (December 1st, 1909), pp. 1-2; Red and White, Vol. XI No. 4 (December 1909), pp. 236-237).

The deservedness of the win was viewed similarly; The Virginians felt that there was "no fumbling" and "little luck" in the game, insisting that their win came from "fast, heady teamwork." They also greatly belabored the fact that the Farmers were an average of about 10 pounds heavier. Though The Charlotte Evening News agreed that "the best team won," the Farmers claimed "The lucky team won" and had some pretty damning statistics to back up their claim: the Farmers made 316 yards though the line against VPI, while the Gobblers netted only 108 on the Farmers (Red and White, Vol. XI No. 4 (December 1909), pp. 236-237).

Regardless of the loss, the Farmers were not cresfallen: they felt consolation in the fact that they lost to the Champion of the South, and looked forward to the day that their rivalry would draw 15-to-20,000 fans, writing the game would soon "be to the South what the Harvard-Yale game is to the North" (Red and White, Vol. XI No. 4 (December 1909), p. 197). The cadets of both schools spent the night after the game "parading the streets and enjoying the theatre" (News and Observer, November 26th, 1909, p. 2).

The Virginians did have solid logic behind their claim to Southern Champion, usurping the title from SIAA champion Sewanee with solid logic: the Gobblers lost to Princeton in a close game, the score being 6-8, while Sewanee was decimated 0-20 by the Tigers. VPI also argued that rival Virginia could not attempt to claim the championship, as the Cavaliers had "played not enough games with the higher ranking colleges of the South" (The Virginia Tech, Vol. 7 No 11 (December 1 1909), pp. 1, 3).