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The Farmers entered their seventh game of the season with a somewhat disappointing 4-2 record, winning several of their less notable games, but losing emphatically to any of the stiffer competition they had come against. Though the Farmers held a 3-0-1 record in the series and had won the 1911 meeting by a 15-3 score, the Generals were widely favored: sports bettors of the day favored the Virginians by all accounts, with margins ranging from 3:1 to 5:4 (but generally closer to 3:2). Sports analysts felt a win over the Washington & Lee would be "a particular bright spot in a rather unsuccesful season" for the Aggies.

To be fair to the prognosticators, the Lexington boys had run roughshod over nearly every team of note in the South while accumulating a 7-1 record (2-1 in the SAIAA). After defeating the Virginia Medical College at home to an identical score as the Raleigh boys on September 28th, they took down Western Maryland (now McDaniel College) 30-13. Their only loss of the season was to Georgetown (0-20). Coach James A. Reilly's squad turned things around with a win against St. John's of Maryland (24-14), and then two foes the Aggies had likewise faced: Wake Forest (20-0) and Davidson (54-0) -- comparative scores were not in the Red and White's favor. The two remaining victories on the White and Blue's list of wins were neutral site wins over two of their bigger rivals: a 20-6 win over Virginia Tech in Roanoke (which allowed a round-about claim toward state supremacy; and a 31-0 vanquishing of North Carolina in Greensboro. The latter win afforded W&L an opportunity to claim champion of both North Carolina and Virginia.

There were, however, a handful of W&L injuries sustained in their game over North Carolina, including an ankle injuries to "Kelly" Francis and Barker, as well as undescribed injuries to Miles and Terry. For the Aggies, Cool was said to still be injured, but expected to play in spots. On the other hand, "Private" Floyd, who had helped coach the team earlier in the season, made the surprising decision to suit back up for one last game in an effort to close out the season on a high note. The Red and White spent the day before the game running a secret practice in Elizabeth City, and coach Greene was said to have made numerous shifts to the line-up, including moving McHenry from the line to the backfield.

The game was held in a neutral site for the second time in three years, this time at Norfolk -- the duo's first meeting in that city. While the series was to become a staple of the Mermaid City, with 5 total meetings, it was their only battle at Lafayette Field, a local baseball park which was demolished the following Spring. The park was put in fine form nonetheless, with a new set of bleachers being built and gates added just for the contest. It was the Aggies' 8th game in Norfolk, including a string of five consecutive Thanksgiving Day games versus Virginian teams dating back to 1907. Kickoff was selected for 2:30pm (Virginian-Pilot, November 23rd, 1912, p. 2; Virginian-Pilot, November 28th, 1912, p. 7; Daily Press, November 28th, 1912, p. 5; Wilmington Morning Star, November 28th, 1912, p. 5; Ring-Tum Phi, November 26th, 1912, p. 2).

Unfortunately, the game was not widely described: a wintery mix of snow and rain turned the field into a bitter quagmire and drove away spectators, leaving snow in the shady corners of the venue and expansive puddles throughout the remainder, stuccoing the ball and players alike with a thick coating of mud, even after park representatives went after the pools with brooms and mops; conditions were poor enough there were discussions of delaying action until later in the afternoon, or even canceling it outright. A "brisk" northwest wind whipped through the ballgrounds, tempering the near-freezing temperature and driving away the aptly-named fairweather fans -- a crowd of about 1,500-2,000 (said to be "the smallest crowd that has ever witnessed a Thanksgiving Day game in Norfolk") was on hand to see the White and Blue earn the laurels of Champion of Virginia and North Carolina.

The "Down Homers" (NC A&M) won the toss and elected to take the defend the west goal. Quickly, the Generals were forced to punt. The Red and White had seen some success on a 12-yard run by Jeffrey, but likewise were stymied -- plus a 5-yard loss for being offsides. After about 10 minutes of play, Jeffrey attempted a punt from his own 30-35 yard line, but the kick was blocked. Hieatt jumped on the ball and carried it across the goal line, reportedly jogging the final 20 yards with ease. "Fats" Miller made the goal kick to put the Blue and White up 7-0 early in the first period. Hurrt's play was remembered as "The only thing bordering on a play that would rouse the chilled-to-the-bone spectators." This was Hieatt's only score of the season.

Not long later, the Red and White made their only score of the day. Hurrts elected to kick off for the Farmers, with the Aggies electing to kick off after being scored upon, a tactic of the day. Rafferty returned the punt 10 yards; this was followed by a successful first down pick-up on the legs of Buehring and Rafferty, but ultimately stalled and punted. The Farmers returned fire, and with the ball on their own 20-25-yard line (or, according to one report, 35-yard line), the Virginians attempted to run the "Shevlin" or "Minnesota Shift." Miller fumbled the ball, which rolled 10 yards in the wrong direction, where it was picked up by Sykes. On the very next play, Jeffrey skirted around one of the Generals' ends (reports disagree on whether it was right or left) for the Aggies' only touchdown of the day near the end of the quarter. Hurtts' point-after kick failed, leaving the score 7-6 in favor of the White and Blue with a bit more more than three 15-minute quarters remaining. Most spectators agreed that, had it not been for this fumble, the Red and White wouldn't have scored.

Washington and Lee's second score came early on in the second quarter, starting the period with the ball in General hands at A&M's 25-yard line. Miller gained 8 yards on a cross-tackle play, and Buehring finished the down on a trick play where Reilly's players faked a kick. After two more runs for only 4 yards, W&L was penalized 15 yards for roughing, pushing the ball back to what was universally reported to be the 35 yard line; either this number is high, or the Generals lost some yardage, as the ball should have been at worst at the 25 based on the plays described. Regardless of distance, Miller decided on 4th and long that his best course of action was a field goal. With Rafferty on the hold, the captain's kick sailed true, putting the Lexington boys up 10-6.

After this came the most contentious play of the game. The Aggies kicked off, with Miller taking receiving duties and returning the ball 5 yards. After this, a punting battle ensued, with Washington & Lee's punter Peebles generally besting Jeffrey in the field position battle. On the fifth such exchange, Peebles' kick fell slightly past the hands of Jeffrey, who "touched the ball just enough to help it cross his goal line." Before he could retreat back across the goal line, "he was down" -- whether by enemy hands or his own stumbling is unclear. This was ruled a safety, giving two points to the Generals to make a 12-6 lead.

This score held through the remainder of the (presumably short) half. After intermission, however, the referees changed their ruling, deciding it was instead a touchback for the Famrers; hence "presumably short" -- if there had been any plays subsequent to the contentious play, this almost certainly would have required a replay of said plays, right? Regardless, the 2 points were wiped away, reverting the score to 10-6.

The White and Blue received the kickoff to open the third quarter. Miles surprisingly took to the air, passing 25 yards (to Hieatt) on what was the first reported forward pass of the day; it was one of just three completed forward passes on the day, the Generals going 2-of-6, and the Aggies completing only one for a short gain. Hieatt was downed at A&M's 25-yard line; there, Miller tried a second field goal kick, but this time missed wide, ceding possession to the Aggies at their own 20-yard line on a touchback. Each team fumbled, with each resulting in a turnover. Eventually, Donahue entered the game for the Generals, replacing Peebles, and made 7 yards on his first run. He also took over kicking duty, and on his ensuing kick, Osborne fumbled, giving the Lexingtonians the ball oncemore near the Aggies' 25-yard line. After several runs aggregating a dozen yards, Miller lumbered another 12-15 to put the ball at the 1-yard line. Buehring scored on the next play, giving his team a 16-6 lead. The point-after-goal was undescribed (besides a terse "No goal"), but failed.

The final period went virtually undescribed, reportedly "much like the others." Coach Reilly swapped in nearly an entire squad of substitutes with about two minutes remaining, hoping perhaps that the fresh energy could help secure the game -- or at worst, banking that there was not enough time for them to blow it. His suppositions proved accurate, and the game closed without a score.

The wetness of the field naturally dampened the game, but analysts of the day agreed that the Generals had the better team and would have won regardless. Particularly, Peebles was noted for his advantage in punting compared to first Jeffrey and later Osborne, as was Rafferty's quick thinking -- he was noted to have often booted the ball on second down. The Generals ran a "guard tackle" shift play the Aggies were "seldom" able to stop. Both teams were said to be stout tacklers, though this was partially attributed to the slowness of the field. During the course of the game, yardage was at a premium: Washington and Lee made only 7 first downs during the whole game (and 4 of those coming in their 3rd quarter scoring drive), while the Farmers notched only 5. Specific praise was given to Jeffrey,for his running and punt returning, and McHenry for his line bucking. No player specifically touted Washington & Lee players.

Despite the loss, A&M fans were said to be generally jubilant over the closeness of the score, anticipating a much larger loss pre-game based on comparative scores. Washington and Lee fans were likewise pleased to tally their first victory in the series: as reported in the school paper, Ring-Tum Phi: "When the news was flashed over the country that the 'Terrible Techs' had finally been subdued, that the Carolina 'Tar Heels' [sic] had been overwhelmingly defeated and the A. and M. 'Farmers' beaten for the first time W. and L. alumni rubbed their eyes in pleasurable surprise and began wondering what had happened." The paper went on to laud the coaching of Reilly, though the services of 1911 W&L captain assistant coach Clovis Moomaw and scrub team coach Eddie Davis were also noted (Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 29th, 1912, pp. 7, 12; News and Observer, November 29th, 1912, pp. 1, 2; Virginian-Pilot, November 29th, 1912, pp. 1, 8; Washington Daily News, November 29th, 1912, p. 1; Ring-Tum Phi, December 10th, 1912, p. 4).