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NC State began their 1912 campaign the same way they started the 1911 season: with a home game against the sailors of the U.S.S. Franklin, out of Norfolk, Virginia. This was the Red and White's third game against the Jackies, who were helmed this year by coach Harold "Pep" Grafton, a graduate of Fairmount College (now Wichita State); this was his first (and as best I can find, only) coaching stop, though he had previously been an athlete of some renown for the Wheatshockers, pitching and starting as a lineman -- his role was more directly with the Y.M.C.A., which seems to have been responsible for the organization of the team (Parnassus, 1912, pp. 80, 83-84; Virginian-Pilot, September 5th, 1912, p. 2).

As in the previous seasons, the naval game was the source of a major celebration, with sailors visiting the Worth Bagley memorial before parading into town. Unlike the previous season, the Cadets in Raleigh did not accompany their opponents in the route; their course work precluded them. A large contingent of sailors came down: their home base in St. Helena Naval Station was described as "nearly depleted of men" while anywhere between 300 and 500 of the midshipmen, as well as their band and football team, journeyed southward for the trip (Virginian-Pilot, October 6th, 1912, p. 18; Our Navy, Vol. VI No. 7 (November 1912), p. 27).

The game was highly anticipated as a way to discover the strength of the local Raleigh boys, who returned a number of good starters. Notably, "Private" Floyd, a star from last years' team, did not return, but helped 4th year coach Eddie Greene get the boys in shape as an assistant coach. Team captain Cool was also notably absent, suffering from a "bad bruise." Cadets from A&M practiced their yells and cheers boisterously in preparation for their first game of the season (News and Observer, September 29th, 1912, p. 13; News and Observer, October 4th, 1912, p. 3; News and Observer, October 5th, 1912, p. 3; Red and White, Vol. 14 No. 2 (November 1914), p. 93).

The game began at 3:30 PM. Narratives of the game are generally sparse, with Red and White often being the only source of information on plays; in other cases, the reports differ. For example, the student paper reported that A&M kicked off to the Sailors, taking the ball almost all the way down to Franklin's 20-yard line, where it was lost on a fumble. Accounts in the News and Observer and Charlotte Observer wrote that the Middies received the opening kick-off, with the latter noting Lienert received the kick-off but was unable to advance. Accounts harmonize from there, agreeing that the Franklinites were unable to do much with the ball, punting back to the Farmers; Page received the punt and advanced it 25 yards before being stopped.

Here, most reports of the game note only that the ball went back and forth for the remainder of the first quarter, with the ball ending in midfield. Red and White, the only source which describes the rest of the first quarter, notes that the damage of a 20-yard holding penalty was minimized by a successful 20-yard forward pass by Phillips, with Jaynes achieving the first down with two 5-yard rushes through the center of the line and claiming the ball was on Franklin's 10-yard line at the end of the period. The second quarter is reportedly began with another 20-yard holding penalty, but this was quickly ammended: Champion received a forward pass for a touchdown, notching the game's first points; Hurtt followed this up with a successful try for point, putting the Farmers up 7-to-nothing.

After being scored upon, the Sailors kicked off; Page once again received the kick and returned it about 30 yards. A 10 yard gain by Spencer was followed by a 25-yard scamper by Page around left end. At this juncture, Osborne came in to replace Hargrove, who was hurt on the previous play, and gained 10 yards on fresh legs. Unfortunately, not long later Franklin intercepted one of the Red and White's forward passes. Franklin was unable to advance the ball and punted; through an undescribed series of gains, the half ended with the ball at the Virginians' 30-yard line. As a spectacle of half-time, the Aggies matched their gift of a goat in 1911 by this time donating a pig.

The Aggies kicked off to start the second half, stopping the Franklin returner before he could gain any ground. Through a series of forward passes, they brought the ball "near" the A&M goal line, but eventually lost the ball; whether it was by fumble or a turnover on downs is unclear. Osborne began the Farmers' next major offensive push, starting things off with a 10 yard run, which he soon followed with a 45-yard run. After a series of runs by Spencer, Page, and Osborne, the ball sat on the Sailors' 3-yard line on third down. Anthony carried the ball over for the score, and Hurtt closed out the drive with a successful goal kick, puting NC A&M up 14-0. None of the remainder of the 3rd quarter was described in any account of the game.

Franklin kicked off again, with Page receiving the kick and advancing it 15 yards. The Red and White eventually fumbled the ball; after a 4-yard gain on a forward pass, the Sailors punted. This time, Osborne received the kick, toting the pigskin 10 yards before being downed. Not long later, the Midshipmen intercepted another A&M pass, but gave the ball back on a pass of their own; it was not stated if this was due to an interception or an incompletion, which at the time yielded a turnover.

Back in possession of the ball, the Aggies got down to business. The start of play begins with an 18-yard pass from Page to Phillips; eventually, Osborne carried the ball over the goal line from 8-15 yards out for the game's third and final touchdown, catching a "difficult" pass from Page. Hurtt finished a perfect day kicking with his third point, giving the home team a 21-0 win. The News and Observer states the remainder of the period saw the ball carom from one team to another down the field; time was called with the Red and White threatening to score oncemore.

Accolades for gameplay went largely to new players, including Osborne, a small but gritty freshman, and Champion, though it was noted the Farmers rotated in several men, "partly because some of the new men were hurt," but also "to give the men a chance." Of the veterans, Page earned praise for his quarterbacking, as did Anthony. The only player praised post-game from the Franklin was "Glockson" (in News and Observer); it is not immediately clear who this was meant to be. Otherwise, the Sailors' propensity for working the forward pass was praised, with a few papers noting that their 7 completions were "the only way the Franklin team could make any appreciable gains." Referencing the halftime gifting of a pig, one Red and White writer quipped "The sailors got our pig, but the farmers kept the bacon at home just the same" (Red and White, Vol. 14 No. 2 (November 1912), pp. 87, 93-95; News and Observer, October 6th, 1912, p. 15; Charlotte Observer, October 6th, 1912, p. 9; The Morning Star, October 6th, 1912, p. 2; Charlotte News, October 6th, 1912, p. 20).

Despite starting their season with a loss, the Sailors went on to have a rather successful year, winning the six remaining games on their schedule. The remainder of their games were against local military teams, including 7-6 and 5-0 victories over the Norfolk Light Artillery Blues, a 20-0 defeat of the U.S.S. Louisiana, and a 59-0 shellacking of the U.S.S. Fanning. Other wins included a 26-0 win against Maury High School in a "practice game," and a 14-7 victory over the Sewanee Club of Portsmouth. Because of their record over local teams, a Thanksgiving Day game against the Tidewater Athletic Association was organized to determine a local champion; the sailors blitzed the athletics 47-0.