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Like usual, the Thanksgiving matchup between VPI and NC A&M was the biggest game of the season. Their third consecutive Thanksgiving Day matchup against Virginia Tech and the fourth in five years, both teams new that any attempt to stake a claim at regional dominance ran through their opponent. The Gobblers had the momentum in the series, having hammered A&M a harrowing 5-18 loss to the undisputed Champion of the South the previous season. The Thanksgiving series stood at an even 2-2 for each team, meaning winner of this years contest would gain the advantage. Several papers realized that each team "trained and planned all season" for this game; As the Virginian-Pilot put it, "To loose [sic] this gridiron battle after winning all of the others would be to turn wine into vinegar" ((Newport News) Daily Press, November 25th, 1910, pp. 1, 3; (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot, November 24th, 1910, p. 13)

The game did not have the same emphasis as the previous few years, as the Orange and Maroon had already lost a game this season, falling to Navy October 22nd 0-3. Otherwise, the Virginians had won all of their games by 10 or more points, and many by nearly 20 points. Their closest win was a 16-6 victory over Davidson; the goal by the North Carolinians was the only one scored on the Gobblers at Miles Field in 1910, and the first team to score at that location since 1908.

Virginia Tech had lost a few greats from their star-studded cast of 1909, including champion kicker E. R. Hodgson. Other major losses were Billups, the halfback; Luttrell, the speedy lineman; Hicks and Massie, two of the team's better blocking linemen; and former captain Norris. Despite these major losses, the team was widely expected to bounce back with an experienced corps of returning men, and such was the case given their 6-1 record heading into the game (The (Richmond) Times-Dispatch, September 18th, 1910, Sporting Section, p. 1). The team was, after all, under the tutelage of highly successful head coach Branch Bocock, who was completing the second and final year of his first stint at Blacksburg; knowing it was his last game at VPI for that tenure, Bocock was "especially anxious to win" what was described as "one of his hardest football games since being at the Virginia Polytechnic" (Staunton Dispatch and News, November 22nd, 1910, p. 1).

The game was so highly anticipated in North Carolina that some papers ran pre-game articles on the VPI-A&M game rather than post-game descriptions on the past Wake Forest game; if papers did run both, the VPI preview ran much longer. It was believed that the Farmers would be in better condition than the previous year, though the fact the Red and White had only played five games was listed as a slight hinderance. Additionally, the ailing captain, Harry Hartsell, was finally well, and "has been assured by his physician that he can play in the great game." It was widely believed that 400 A&M students would journey to Norfolk to see the game (Charlotte Daily Observer, November 20th, 1910, p. 9).

More than just the football team was in Norfolk for Thanksgiving: the A&M basketball team traveled to Norfolk and met the Newport News YMCA team the night before Thanksgiving. Not yet a Varsity sport, A&M's YMCA basketball team was taken down 46-15, though there were "plenty of [A&M] supporters in the crowd" to cheer them on nonetheless ((Newport News) Daily Press, November 24th, 1910, p. 2). The Farmers themselves probably did not make it to Norfolk for the game, as they spent the night in Elizabeth City. Though it had been widely expected that the Red and White would spend the night in Newport News and run their final practices at Casino Park (later known was Warwick Park, now part of Christopher Newport Park), A&M instead spent the night before the game in Elizabeth City. The reason? Newport News had no enclosed parks for the team to run a "secret practice" in ((Newport News) Daily Press, November 23rd, 1910, p. 2; (Newport News) Daily Press, November 24th, 1910, p. 4; The Raleigh Daily Times, November 23rd, 1910, p. 2).

As for the expected winner, no clear decision could be made. Odds were so tight that bettors wouldn't make a wager until the morning of the game so they could see the condition of the teams, and each team's rooter was confident in their own ability. Though early on A&M was said to be a slight dark horse, they did have the advantage of weight by a slight 6 pounds per man ((Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot, November 24th, 1910, p. 13). To add to the difficulty of predicting the game was the wrench of A&M's captain, Hartsell, returning to play. Long hampered by a lingering sickness, Hartsell had seen only limited action over the course of the year.

The day of the game, odds moved to 2-to-1 in favor of VPI. Both teams arrived in Norfolk early on the morning of the game, the A&M squad stationed out of the Hotel Fairfax, and the Virginians operating out of the Lorraine Hotel. The Farmers arrived in Norfolk around 11 AM, along with "the entire student body" and the band; all told, was estimated that at least 5,000 fans would visit the city. Though there was some slight rain in the morning, the weather for the 3 PM start time was predicted to be "fair and cool."

The attendance was massive, as estimated. Later reports said 400 VPI students were on the premises, while 300 A&M students showed up for the scuffle. Most papers, including Norfolk's own Virginian-Pilot, estimated that the attendance was 10,000 spectators who "packed the bleachers and crowded all other parts of Lafayette Field" ((Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot, November 25th, 1910, p. 1). The lowest attendance estimate came from Red and White; A&M's writeres* estimated that 8,500 spectators watched the game, while the largest estimate came from the Daily Press of Newport News, who estimated that 12,000 spectators crowded the field for the game. An average of each unique game summary's attendance estimate yields 10,100 spectators.

* It is very possible that A&M's summary of the game was a rote copy of News and Observer's game summary; unfortunately, however, copies of the paper containing the game appear to be not be extant.

The weather for the day was, as predicted, ideal. Virginia Tech took the field at 2:50 PM, and A&M not long thereafter. The rooters of both teams flanked the field, spilling over the grandstands and fencing of the multi-use baseball field, with the A&M contingent on the west bleachers and the VPI contingent on the east. The student bodies, led by rooters and their respective bands, filled the air with the sounds of rooting and yells, though most sources estimated that A&M had more fans on the premises than VPI. Pictures of the game show the capacity of the park was taxed to its maximum, as can be seen below.

VPI's Captain V. B. Hodgson won the toss, giving the Virginians their pick of how to start the game. Captain Hodgson chose to defend the eastern goal and kick off to A&M. The game began 10 minutes late, at 3:10 PM, when V. B. Hodgson kicked off to the Farmers; the ball went over Robertson's head, and then the goal line, resulting in a touchback. The Red and White carried the ball out to their 25 yard line to set the ball into play.

To start their first drive, A&M sent Captain Hartsell around right end for a 2-yard gain. On second down, Robertson lost 2 yards, and A&M's drive stopped as quickly as it started with a punt by Cool, which went 50 yards, to the Maroon and Orange 35-yard line. F. H. Legge caught the punt and returned it 5 yards, and on the subsequent run he lost just as many yards. A 3 yard run by Hughes proved to be too little, resulting in a punt by V. B. Hodgson.

Hodgson's kick went to the Red and White's 35-yard line, a 40 yard kick. A pair of runs by Cool and Von Eberstein split the distance for A&M to get the first 1st down of the game, moving the ball to their own 45. A second first down was made after another 5-yard end run by Robertson was paired with an 8-yard dash through line by Cool. A run of at least 3 yards by Stafford was followed up by a 3 yard run by Von Eberstein. On third down, Von Eberstein ran again for 4 yards and a first down. Cool then got another new set of downs on two consecutive runs, netting 7 on the first try and 3 on the second. A 9 yard run and a 2 yard dash by Stafford moved the ball to VPI's 15-yard line.

The first time any goal was threatened for the day, the drive nearly fizzled out before the score could be made. Von Eberstein used the first down to gain 2 yards, but on the following try Stafford was sacked for a 7-yard loss, putting the Farmers at third and fifteen from the 20-yard line. To make up the distance, Coach Green changed up his style for the first time that season and ran a tricky double-pass play, in stark contrast to the old-fashioned "straight" football the Farmers had played for most of the season. Out of a fake kick formation, Cool passed the ball to Stafford (likely a lateral), who then made a forward pass to Robertson, who was standing on the 15-yard line. Though he initially fumbled the ball, Robertson recovered the ball and ran across the goal line for a touchdown. Bray missed the goal kick, making the score 5-0 after 11 minutes of play.

North Carolinians were ecstatic about this touchdown, and with good reason: the Aggies had earned five consecutive first downs, and lost the ball only once after the start of the game. "It looked as if the Techs were outclassed," noted Virginian-Pilot, "and the A. and M. rooters noisily seconded by their band made the field echo with their shouts of joy." Though no one knew it at the time, this would be the only touchdown of the football game.

The Blacksburg boys chose to kick off a second time, Hodgson again sending the ball deep. This time, his kick bounced off the goal post, where it was scooped up by Hurtt and advanced 7 yards. Cool ran for 5 yards; this effort was followed by a 15-yard dash by Robertson, who earned another first down on a 10 yard run. Unfortunately for the Farmers, on the following play A&M was penalized 5 yards for being offsides, forcing Cool to punt the ball. F. H. Legge received the punt and returned it 10 yards. V. B. Hodgson started off strong for the Virginians with a 7-yard gain, but his effort was followed by an equivalent loss by F. H. Legge. The first quarter ended with the ball in VPI hands at their own 26-yard line.

Opening the second quarter after a three minute intermission and facing third and 10 deep on their own side of the field, VPI elected to kick, Captain Hodgson sending the ball about 40 yards. Unfortunately for the Farmers, A. N. Hodgson recovered the kick on an A&M fumble at the Red and White 50-yard line. After a 10 yard pickup on the legs of Captain Hodgson, F. H. Legge was tackled for a 3-yard loss by Hartsell. Facing a long second down, W. R. Legge caught a pass from the arm of his brother, F. H. Legge, and ran 30 yards, all the way to the Red and White 12-yard line. There, after two attempts to score failed, W. R. Legge dropped back to roughly the 30-yard line and kicked a field goal, netting VPI 3 points, making the score 5-3 part way through the second quarter, though no surviving account gives the time.

Robertson kicked off for A&M. A. N. Hodgson received the kick and advanced it 15 yards. Hughes and F. H. Legge then both ran for a pair of 6 yard gains, but the Maroon and Orange drive stalled after Legge and Hodgson (which was unspecified) repeated the feat, but this time for no gain. V. B. Hodgson punted; Robertson caught the kick and ran it back 10 yards. The drive started off strong on a "brilliant" 15-yard carry by Stafford around his right end, but the next two runs by Cool and Robertson failed to gain, forcing A&M to punt. Cool sent the ball to VPI's 20, but after two runs for little gain, Hodgson punted the ball to Stafford, who made a fair catch.

After failing to gain, A&M punted again; the ball went out of bounds at the Blacksburger's 29-yard line. VPI soon failed to gain themselves and punted the ball back, with their boot going out of bounds at A&M's 34-yard line. On the very next play, Stafford fumbled the ball and Pick recovered. V. B. Hodgson ran for a 10-yard gain, but the second of the game's four 15-minute halves ended before he could cross the goal line. According to The Virginia Tech, Hodgson was under the impression that there were two minutes remaining in the half: "Had he known that the time was so near up, [W. R.] Legge could have been called upon to attempt another field goal, and the result might have been different, but it is all over now and we were beaten fairly in a clean and hard fought game, and all we have to say is that we will be there ready for the fray next Thanksgiving."

After a 15-minute intermission, Bernier replaced F. H. Legge on VPI's lineup, and play resumed. Hodgson kicked off for the Techs; Von Eberstein returned the kick 10 yards before being stopped. On the next play, Robertson "made a zigzag sprint around right end" for a long, 30-yard gain--the longest Red and White run since their touchdown in the first quarter, and matching the longest run of the day. He followed that effort up with an 8 yard gain; not to be outdone, Von Eberstein ran for 15 yards. Stafford then matched Von Eberstein's run.

For reasons that wen unrecorded, A&M attempted an onside kick around this time; this failed, resulting in a turnover and a 20-yard gain by Bernier. However, the run was neutralized shortly thereafter on a 15-yard loss by Hughes. The remainder of the quarter went unrecorded; the ball ended at midfield, with "Nothing of importance" transpiring and neither team managing to string together a drive.

The last quarter received a similar level of attention, with all of the action going undescribed save a few last-minute plays by the Techs. Towards the end of the quarter, one of the Hodgsons recovered a blocked kick around VPI's 10-to-15-yard line and advanced it about 20 yards. After this, with just three minutes of play left, Bocock took out several of VPI's starters, replacing Breckenridge with Rogers, A. N. Hodgson with Holt, and Harris for Derby, "with the instructions for Hughes to use forward passes." With one drive starting at their own 25-yard line, the Maroon and Orange drove the ball nearly the entire length of the field on just two forward passes. The first, from V. B. Hodgson to Hughes, resulted in a 25-yard gain, while the second, from Bernier to W. R. Legge, gained 30. Those passes brought the ball to roughly A&M's 30-yard line, however time was called before further damage could be done. As Virginian-Pilot lamented, "With five more minutes to play they might have scored enough points to have won" ((Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot, November 25th, 1910, pp. 1, 3; Red and White, Vol. XII No. 4 (December 1910), pp. 218-221; The Virginia Tech, Vol. 8 No. 11 (November 30th, 1910), pp. 1-2, 6; (Newport News) Daily Press, November 25th, 1910, pp. 1, 3).

The Farmers were ecstatic over their victory, confident it gave them a claim to South Atlantic Champion. Though this matter was muddied a bit by their tie with Georgetown (resulting in the current status of co-champion). According to Daily Press, "the Carolinians swarmed the field and surrounded the victorious eleven, and a big demonstration followed" ((Newport News) Daily Press, November 25th, 1910, p. 3). Among other post-game shenanigans, "the band from A. and M. College is serenading the wearers of the orange and maroon at their headquarters" (Charlotte Daily Observer, November 25th, 1910, p. 3).

Notably, however, the demonstration was less rowdy than last year's events, which were marred by complaints against overzealous and rude policework in the stands during and after the game. The most obvious reason for this difference is the highly-disciplined police force on the grounds. After the 1909 game, "a crowd of young fellows tried to take charge of the town" following the festivities of the game, though it is likely that not all of them were students of VPI or A&M. To help maintain order, "one of the largest police squads that has ever been sent to a foot ball field" was station at Lafayette Field: a full 42-to-44 policement were stationed around the field and in the stands, and the patrol wagon was at the grounds on standby. A warning the day before against unruly behavior from Police Chief Kizer probably didn't hurt, either ((Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot, November 24th, 1910, p. 12).

Instead of the rowdy hooliganism of the previous year (and the past Christmas and Fourth of July), the post-game celebration was composed of "A good-natured, noisy, fun-seeking crowd" numbering into the thousands. The participants paraded up and down the main streets of Norfolk for several hours, during which time "Rowdies took a back seat," and of the 25 arrests, over half were released before midnight, by which time most of the hubbub had abated. In all, "no serious disorder" was reported ((Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot, November 25th, 1910, p. 4). Raleigh papers disagreed, writing diametrically:

"The streets last night were crowded with the enthusiastic supporters of both elevens, the Virginians refusing to lower their colors, and marched the streets singing and shouting the songs and yells of their alma mater, while the victorious Carolinians made the streets ring with their welkin shouts. It was a rush and crush until the late hours of the night. Thousands packed the streets, waving the colors of the rival institutions. The city guardians stood aside, while the throng took complete charge of the city. Songs of 'Carolina' and the A. & M. yells met every song and yell of the Virginians as the mob surged through the streets. It was a long time to be remembered in Norfolk, for it was one of the nosiest crowds ever assembled in the city."

Though minor, such a discrepancy is an interesting point of disagreement considering this game is otherwise on of the most coherent game descriptions through this point in A&M history (Raleigh Daily Times, November 25th, 1910, pp. 1, 6).

The game play was just as amiable, with no recorded disagreements, no injuries or dirty playing, and only two penalties, each team exacting a 5-yard penalty upon themselves for being offsides. The lack of chippy playing was inspecially impressive considering the two teams' rapidly budding rivalry. Though similar language was routinely used to describe most major games, the fray was called "the greatest football game ever played in Norfolk" due to the cleanliness of play and the mix of new and old football playstyles. Though the Farmers used fewer forward passes, they were more efficient with their passes that were completed, while outpacing the Techs 13-to-10 in first downs ((Newport News) Daily Press, November 25th, 1910, p. 1).

Almost all papers universally agreed that the Farmers outplayed the Virginians: "the Techs... lost to a better and great football machine in the most brilliant game of the year in Virginia" ((Newport News) Daily Press, November 25th, 1910, p. 1). Even though the game represented the Virginian's first loss to a Southern team in two years*, VPI writers were willing to admit they were "fairly beaten" though they did add a few concessions: they claimed were outweighed by a highly aggrandized 15 pounds per man, and added that "the leading sporting men of this section... [believed] that A. & M. on Thanksgiving Day played her best game, while V. P. I. played her worst," closing by noting that "It was a case of the best team being outplayed, but not one where the best team won." Notably, if any sporting authority did share such an opinion, it never made its way into print (The Virginia Tech, Vol. 8 No. 11 (November 30th, 1910), p. 4).

As alluded to earlier, most papers agreed that A&M "fairly and cleanly outplay[ed] the Virginia Techs" and that "they won because they played better football." Instrumental in this result was Portsmouth native Dave Robertson. Other A&M stars were Hartsell for his work on both offense and defense, Cool and Von Eberstein for their ground gaining skills, and Stafford for his running of the team. As for the Virginians, the best playing came on the shoulders of Hughes for his running (especially considering a widely under-reported lame ankle), as well as Bernier, W. R. Legge, and A. N. Hodgson ((Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot, November 25th, 1910, p. 1). The Virginia Tech listed similar players, praising the play of Robertson, Bray, and Hartsell for A&M, and Hughes, V. B. Hodgson, and Bernier for the Gobblers.

A&M's defense was widely heralded and described repeatedly as a "stone wall." In particular, the Aggies had an eye for sniffing out trick plays. Twice VPI tried the Carlisle hidden-ball trick (first debuted in 1903 against Harvard), and each time the Maroon and Orange runner was tackled for a 10-yard loss. Similarly, the Farmers snuffed out the Virginians' fake kicks, "which heretofore had been very successful." Additionally, the interference of Virginia Tech was described as "ragged" ((Newport News) Daily Press, November 25th, 1910, p. 3).

Back in Raleigh, celebrations briefly erupted on Thursday night, but the main celebration was postponed until Saturday night while a "monster celebration" was organized (Raleigh Daily Times, November 25th, 1910, p. 6). The celebration organized for their return was highly detailed: following a student meeting in Pullen Hall at 6:30 PM, the crowd was to move to the News and Observer's office at 7:40 PM, after which the group would move to City Hall, where "the cadets will give a serpentine dance on Fayetteville Street." Following a stop at the office of the Daily Times, the trek was rounded out with stops at Meredith and Peace, as well as the house of Chief Justice Clark. The whole night was scheduled to end by 9:50 PM (The Raleigh Daily Times, November 28th, 1910, p. 1).

The festivities did not exactly run as planned, though the plans were not far off. The torchlit procession left Pullen Hall for downtown around 7 PM, led by the A&M band. Behind the band were two decorated floats, one for both the Varsity and scrub football teams. Following the floats was "an immense football, about 10 feet long, with the inscription: 'A. & M., 5; V. P. I., 3. South Atlantic Champs,' written in large letters on the side"; the ball was so large it took six men to carry. Behind the floats and the massive football stretched the remainder of the student body, in single file according to class rank, with several faculty members in tow on automobiles. Everything said, the whole procession ran about a half a mile long.

Starting at about 7 PM, the boys ran to St. Mary's School, then to the house of prominent Raleighites Joseph G. Brown (a local banker and socialite) and Josephus Daniels (owner of the News and Observer). From there, the boys went to the headquarters of News and Observer, where the band played several songs and the boys stopped to make their yells. They then went up Martin Street until they reached Fayetteville Street and began their serpentine dance. A serpentine dance was a form of waltz done in the dark with streamers and strings popular around the turn of the century; the point was to create a jumbled, confused mess of people. The boys then went from the Capital Building to City Hall, where Mayor James S. Wynne before listening to a number of other citizens before moving to The Daily Times' office, where editor J. V. Simmes gave a lengthy speech, which was reprinted in his paper.

After Simme's speech, the boys wended their way to Meredith College and Peace Institute, where the boys and girls exchanged several songs, and probably many more kisses. After passing Chief Justice Clark, the procession happened to pass the house of former player (1905-1908) and temporary coach (1909) Frank M. Thompson, where they yelled "Frank" in praise of him. After hours of celebration, the parade returned to A&M's campus around 11 PM (The Raleigh Daily Times, November 29th, 1910, pp. 1, 7).

* Their loss to Navy evidently notwithstanding, their most recent Southern loss, on Thanksgiving in 1908, was also against A&M.