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The Farmers played their second straight home game against Tennessee on October 28th, 1911. Their second straight 4 PM game and their third in four games, the game was an exciting on for A&M fans. It afforded Red and White fans their first change to test their mettle against the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) since 1906, when the Aggies tied Clemson 0-0. The Red and White left Columbia embroiled in an eligibility dispute which prevented them from playing a game against Georgia. Notably, any SIAA team found to compete in a game that included ineligible players could risk becoming blacklisted or "tabooed" from playing other member institutions.

That the Farmers were playing Tennessee made sense: the Volunteers had been in hot water since the end of the 1910 season for an eligibility concern of their own, forcing their baseball and track teams (among others) to skip a season of league play. The issue arose, as The Volunteer rightly described it, over "the rankest technicality ever known in sporting circles." The issue seems to be that students in the school's arts and academics programs needed to present 14 "units" before entering the freshmen class, while engineering and agricultural students at UT needed just 12. Since "two or three" members of the football team were members of the agricultural and engineering schools, this created an eligibility issue which resulted in Tennessee's blacklisting from December 12th, 1910 until September 7th, 1911 (The (Knoxville) Daily Journal and Tribune, December 12th, 1910, p. 4; The Chattanooga News, September 7th, 1911, p. 10).

The removal of Tennessee from the SIAA hurt more than just their athletics for a year; it hurt them financially. After having over-spent in 1909, this series of factors combined to put the Knoxvillians over $2,000 (just under $54,000 in 2019) in debt. To help dig their way out of this hole, the students put on a circus and vaudeville show; this, plus a solid donation from the faculty and alumni helped make the school solvent again. Though the The Volunteer made no mention of this, it seems likely that the Tennesseans prioritized games that would make the school money, especially away-games with a good purse promised (The Volunteer, Vol. XVI (1912), p. 173).

Because of this and the fact that the Orange and White's eligibility was up in the air until just a few weeks before the start of the 1911 season, the Volunteers were forced to cobble together a schedule primarily composed of away games against stiff competition with a smattering of smaller, local teams at home. Additionally, the schedule included only two SIAA games: one against Georgia Tech early on in the season, and one against Kentucky State (now the University of Kentucky) on Thanksgiving. Tennessee opened their season with a 27-0 win over the Mooney School, a Murfreesboro, Tennessee-based boys school, but lost their next game at Georgia Tech 0-24. Their final game prior to the A&M game was a 22-5 win over Maryville.

The game was anticipated in Raleigh because Tennessee was not only the second-to-last home game of the season, but also the heaviest opposing team the Aggies would face at home. Another element of excitement was that stalwart A&M halfback Robertson would be out of the game with a sickness, forcing a change in the regular lineup. Hassel, a regular scrub player and former Warrenton High School was the likely replacement for Robertson, though Greene had at least six men who he felt were likely replacements. Finally, Harris, who had been injured in the game against Bucknell, was expected to return for the game, though the Friday before the game was the first day he had returned to practice since his injury (Greensboro Daily News, October 28th, 1911, p. 3).

Not all of the new men were starting because of injuries. Following the Bucknell game, Coach Greene "asked for new men, as some of the old men on the squad were unable to keep pace." This was a drawback of A&M's heavy, Southern style of football: they were easy to outrun. After a full week of scrimmages, the Aggies spent Friday on signal practice to make sure the new men meshed properly (The Raleigh Daily Times, October 27th, 1911, p. 3).

Tennessee's eleven arrived Friday night along with five backups (The Knoxville Sentinel, October 28th, 1911, p. 8). The Volunteers stayed in Raleigh until Sunday morning, as both teams had box seats to see Beverly of Graustark at the Raleigh Academy of Music. Notably, this was the Farmers' second time seeing the play: they had also watched the show after playing the U.S.S. Franklin team (News and Observer, October 28th, 1911, p. 6).

One final note of interest: the game description in News and Observer called Tennessee "warriors in white and gold," however I've found no evidence the team ever used those colors. If anyone has an explanation for this, aside from the possibility that UT's uniforms were simply faded, I would be interested to know.

Despite the anticipation for the game, attendance was low; only about 375 spectators showed up, primarily on account of bad weather. The rain began Friday night and continued from daybreak on Saturday until noon. Though the game did not kick off until 4 PM, the field had been soaked, the weather remained "cloudy and disagreeable" for the remainder of the day, and a cold wind permeated the afternoon.

Tennessee kicked off first, sending the ball out-of-bounds at the A&M 15-yard line, where it was caught by Harris. After two downs which failed to gain (a 3 yard run by Harris and a run for no gain by Anthony), Cool punted for the Farmers. Tennessee fumbled the punt but retained possession, bringing the ball to around midfield. Tennessee then failed to advance significantly, losing the ball on a forward pass which was broken up by "that streak of lightning named Phillips."

After a few moderately successful tries to go through the Volunteers' near-impenetrable line (including a 9-yard carry by Stafford and a run by Anthony for a few yards), the Aggies were faced with third down and twelve to go on Tennessee's 35-yard line. Improbably, "Tal" Stafford made a "perfect" forward pass to "Dutchy" Seifert for a gain of 20 yards, bringing the ball to within 15 yards of the Tennessee goal line. From there, accounts of the game from differ slightly, however the summary from News and Observer (from which Red and White's summary is probably based) seems to line up more logically. A 10 yard run by Stafford around left end set up first down and 5 to go for the Farmers. Cool then "took a constitutional" (a casual morning walk) across the goal line to make the touchdown; note that The Raleigh Daily Times wrote that his run was somehow 35 yards. Seifert missed the goal kick to put the Farmers up 5-0 after five-to-six minutes of play.

Tennessee elected to kick off again, with the ensuing drive starting precisely at A&M's 26-yard line. Though the remainder of the game's first 10-minute quarter was "filled with hair-raising plays," it was not recorded in any great detail. A 15-yard run by Anthony was eventually followed by a penalty of equal distance against the Red and White for hurdling. Additionally, Stafford ran for "a trifle over" 9 yards, and finally, one 15-yard run by Applewhite for the Orange and White shortly after an A&M punt.

The second quarter started with the ball in Tennessee hands somewhere between 30 and 34 yards from their goal line. After a 7 yard run on first down, Tennessee got at least 3 more yards on second down to reset the chains. After two runs for only 5 total yards and a 15-yard penalty for holding, Tennessee elected to punt. Unfortunately for Tennessee, the kick went "not nearly so well as the occaision demanded." Cool advanced the punt to somewhere between the UT 6- and 8-yard line. In just one attempt, Stafford crossed the goal line, and a successful goal kick by Seifert put the Red and White up 11-0.

The remainder of the second quarter was not widely described. Possibly on the next Tennessee punt, the Orange and White narrowly prevented Cool from making a touchdown after catching a punted ball at the 10 and running it all the way back to midfield. The Farmers' drive was eventually stopped, resulting in a turnover on downs, however the Red and White then held Tennessee, forcing the Volunteers to punt. Fortunately for A&M, Floyd broke through the line and blocked the punt, maintaining the team's good field position. The Farmers continued to gain ground steadily through a combination of forward passes and end runs, repeatedly making gains for 10 or even 15 yards, but eventually lost the ball on Tennessee's 15-yard line; the conversion failed after, facing third and 10, Stafford was tackled by "a wily Tennessean" before he could make the pass.

The game's intermession again featured yet another performance by the band and an assemblage of A&M rooters. This suggests strongly that the the college had officially incorporated a band show into the game's halftime by this point; the lack of similar descriptions before 1911 suggests that this was possibly the first year of the band's organization, however this has yet to be confirmed.

For the second game in a row, the same team who kicked off to start the game was also reported to have kicked off after halftime, however all accounts of the game agree that Tennessee punted and Cool caught the kick and returned it 15-25 yards. The Farmers the rapidly moved the ball down the field, all the way to roughly Tennessee's 30-yard line. Unfortunately, once they were within "striking distance," the Farmers either punted the ball over the Orange and White goal line (resulting in a touchback and giving Tennessee control of the ball at their own 25) or simply lost the ball, possibly as the result of a turnover on downs; accounts differ. Tennessee ran one play from scrimmage, however on second down the Volunteers elected to punt; the kick was blocked again by "Private" Floyd, who also recovered the kick, giving A&M posession of the ball at the Tennessee 17-yard line. The Aggies made short work of Tennessee, scoring on their first play from scrimmage, with Seifert reeling in "a difficult forward pass" and sprinting across the goal line. Seifert again missed the goal kick, leaving the score 16-0.

The remainder of the third quarter went largely undetailed. Hassel ran 14 yards at one point, who had subbed in for Anthony. "Tal" Stafford and "Dutch" Seifert connected on several forward passes. The Farmers eventually worked the ball down to the 1 yard line, but Tennessee's defense stiffened, preventing another score. Once back in control of the ball, Tennessee punted. After lots of open play, the quarter ended with the ball on Tennessee's 17-yard line. Floyd was also praised for his work in breaking up a Tennessee drop kick attempt which "may have resulted in a score" for the Orange and White.

The entirety of the final quarter was played in Tennessee's territory, but the Farmers were unable to make a touchdown. The main play of note was a 24-yard run by Cool, though Floyd's work as tackle was especially good in this period. The lineup was almost entirely rotated, with Page replacing Stafford (and returned a punt for 25 yards), Plyer replacing Hurtt, and Hassel having already replaced Anthony. The Orange and White broke up two passes during this period, but were unable to score, helping to keep the game a 16-0 shutout. The game ended after a Tennessee punt pushed the ball back to A&M's 35-yard line.

Despite the wetness and the a a large number of missing A&M players (Robertson and Spencer both sat out of the game), the game was still enjoyed by spectators. Even with a number of players out, this was perhaps the most prolific forward passing attack to date for the Aggies, with "Dutchy" alone hauling in six receptions. "Those who didn't go missed a considerable bit of fun," wrote News and Observer.

Stars of the day for the Farmers were Seifert, Floyd, Cool, Harris, and Stafford were especially hailed, but especially Seifert. In addition to his aforementioned pass catching ability, his blocking was lauded, as he "was everywhere it seemed at once." Red and White writers felt Floyd was snubbed by News and Observer's sportswriters, as he blocked several punts; his defensive blocking was also praised. Cool was praised for his fast running: reportedly, "nearly every time he made the required gain." Plyler was praised for his veteran work despite his rookie status, while Dunny, Sykes, and Floyd were specifically praised for their blocking, and Phillips for his tackling.

Tennessee's stars were generally agreed to be Fonde, Applewhite, and Branch. In general, it was agreed that "The Tennesseans are pretty fast," but that they "had neither the weight nor the training that A. and M. exhibited." Red and White praised their line work, but their heavy line worked to their detriment, making it easy for A&M's faster players to run loose around their ends. Otherwise, local papers were decidedly moot on the Volunteers (Red and White, Vol. 13 No. 2 (October 1911), pp. 152-156; The Raleigh Times, October 30th, 1911, p. 3; News and Observer, October 29th, 1911, p. 11).

Tennessee had a rough end to their season, tying Central University and Tennessee Medical College in two scoreless games, losing handily (11-36) to Virginia Tech, and getting shut out 0-12 to Kentucky State (now University of Kentucky). Their final win of the season was against Southwestern Presbyterian (now Rhodes College), downing the Memphis boys 22-to-nothing for a final record of 3-4-2.