# 1908 VPI football team

The 1908 VPI football team represented Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute in the 1908 college football season. The team was led by their head coach R. M. Brown and finished with a record of five wins and four losses (5–4).

## Rules

"With the modernized plays that are being brought into the game," noted one writer, "football is, in its present state, the national game in the fall the same as baseball in the summer.". Rules for the forward pass, which had been legalized only two years earlier, were modified, and passing was still a risky play. "If the ball on the forward pass is touched and then freed, and is touched by another player on the passer's side, it will be given to the opponents at the point where the ball was illegally touched," and it was noted that the rule change was to stop the practice of a passer throwing the ball high "with the hopes that some one of his teammates would get the ball in the general scramble that followed,". In addition, halftime was extended from ten minutes to fifteen
The rules for American football in 1908 were significantly different from whose of a century later, as many of the present rules (100 yard field, four downs to gain ten yards, 6-point touchdown and the 3-point field goal) were not adopted until 1912. The rules in 1908 were:
* Field 110 yards in length
* Kickoff made from midfield
* Three downs to gain ten yards
* Touchdown worth 5 points
* Field goal worth 4 points
* Forward pass legal, but subject to penalties

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| October 3 | | Hampden–Sydney | Gibboney FieldBlacksburg, VA | W 50–0 | |
| October 10 | | at Clemson | Bowman FieldCalhoun, SC | W 6–0 | |
| October 17 | 3:00 p.m. | at Princeton | University FieldPrinceton, NJ | L 4–10 | 3,000 |
| October 24 | 3:30 p.m. | vs. VMI | Roanoke, VA (rivalry) | W 10–0 | |
| October 31 | | vs. Washington and Lee | Lynchburg, VA | W 15–4 | 5,000 |
| November 7 | 3:30 p.m. | vs. North Carolina | Broad Street ParkRichmond, VA | W 10–0 | 2,000 |
| November 14 | 4:45 p.m. | George Washington | Gibboney FieldBlacksburg, VA | L 0–6 | |
| November 21 | | at Navy | Worden FieldAnnapolis, MD | L 4–15 | |
| November 26 | 3:00 p.m. | vs. North Carolina A&M | Lafayette FieldNorfolk, VA | L 5–6 | 5,000 |
| All times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Before the season

The 1907 VPI football team compiled a 7–2 record and were led by Bob Williams in his only season as head coach.

## Game summaries
### Hampden–Sydney

VPI's first game of the season was a victory over Hampden–Sydney at Gibboney Field.

### Clemson

| | 1 | 2 | Total |
| • VPI | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Clemson | 0 | 0 | 0 |
After their victory over Hampden–Sydney, VPI played Clemson Agricultural College at Bowman Field in Calhoun, South Carolina.
The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), H. Jones (left tackle), Campbell (left guard), Gibbs (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), J. Jones (right tackle), Hicks (right end), Connolly (quarterback), Luttrell (left halfback), Billups (right halfback), V. Hodgson (fullback).
The starting lineup for Clemson was: T. E. Horton (left end), F. V. Gilmer (left tackle), Frank Fleming (left guard), J. T. Cochran (center), Onan Hydrick (right guard), William Odom (right tackle), Walter White (right end), Stricker Coles (quarterback), R. D. McFadden (left halfback), C. F. Lokey (right halfback), Charles Robbs (fullback).

### Princeton

| | 1 | 2 | Total |
| VPI | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| • Princeton | 0 | 10 | 10 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), H. Jones (left tackle), Walker (left guard), Gibbs (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), J. Jones (right tackle), Hicks (right end), Connolly (quarterback), Luttrell (left halfback), Billups (right halfback), V. Hodgson (fullback).
The starting lineup for Princeton was: Harry G. Buckingham (left end), Rudolph Siegling (left tackle), P. E. Waller (left guard), N. R. Cass (center), D. M. MacFayden (right guard), F. C. Bamman (right tackle), T. H. Welch (right end), R. E. Bard (quarterback), F. B. Read (left halfback), C. S. Coxe (right halfback), V. S. Merle-Smith (fullback). The substitutes were: Frank Bergin, H. W. Bishop, A. B. Clark, Logan Cunningham, Fred Dawson, E. C. Feigenspann, H. E. Gill, P. M. King, T. N. Pfeiffer, W. R. Sparks, Frederick Tibbott, J. Waller and F. M. Whaley.

### VMI

| | 1 | 2 | Total |
| VMI | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • VPI | 10 | 0 | 10 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), H. Jones (left tackle), Walker (left guard), Gibbs (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), J. Jones (right tackle), Hicks (right end), Connolly (quarterback), Luttrell (left halfback), Billups (right halfback), V. Hodgson (fullback).
The starting lineup for VMI was: William Poague (left end), George Alexander (left tackle), John Minton (left guard), Harry Dashiell (center), Richard Clemmer (right guard), H. Pattison (right tackle), Henry Poague (right end), Donald McMillen (quarterback), G. Cook Ferebee (left halfback), Porter (right halfback), George MacLean (fullback). The substitutes were: R. DeVant, Paul English, Herbert Kinsolving and Thomas Scott.

### Washington and Lee

| | 1 | 2 | Total |
| W&L | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| • VPI | 15 | 0 | 15 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), H. Jones (left tackle), Walker (left guard), Gibbs (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), J. Jones (right tackle), Hicks (right end), A. Hodgson (quarterback), Luttrell (left halfback), Billups (right halfback), V. Hodgson (fullback). The substitutes were: Connolly and Gravely.
The starting lineup for Washington and Lee was: Carey (left end), Cleon Osbourn (left tackle), Richard Morales (left guard), William Pipes (center), Julian Pelter (right guard), Guyte McCord (right tackle), Henry Smartt (right end), W. H. Feuerstein (quarterback), John Izard (left halfback), W. C. Armentrout (right halfback), Edwin Alderson (fullback).

### North Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | Total |
| UNC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • VPI | 0 | 10 | 10 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), H. Jones (left tackle), Walker (left guard), Gibbs (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), J. Jones (right tackle), Hicks (right end), Connolly (quarterback), Luttrell (left halfback), Billups (right halfback), V. Hodgson (fullback). The substitutes were: Davis.
The starting lineup for North Carolina was: James Wiggins (left end), Cecil Garrett (left tackle), George Rodgers (left guard), Archie Deans (center), Robert Howell (right guard), Eston Norwood (right tackle), John Manning (right end), John Tillett (quarterback), Colin Ruffin (left halfback), William Thomas (right halfback), Louis Belden (fullback). The substitutes were: William Lester and Daniel Williams.

### Navy

| | 1 | 2 | Total |
| VPI | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| • Navy | 11 | 4 | 15 |
The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), H. Jones (left tackle), Walker (left guard), Gibbs (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), Smith (right tackle), Hicks (right end), Connolly (quarterback), Luttrell (left halfback), Davis (right halfback), V. Hodgson (fullback). The substitutes were: J. Jones.
The starting lineup for Navy was: Raymond Jones (left end), Percy Northcroft (left tackle), George Meyer (left guard), Charles Brand (center), Percy Wright (right guard), Frank Leighton (right tackle), Davis (right end), Ed Lange (quarterback), John Dalton (left halfback), Henry Clay (right halfback), W. A. Richardson (fullback). The substitutes were: Anderson, Lee Carey, Calvin Cobb, Dixon, Robert Elmer, Grafton, Hibbard, T. Starr King, Elmer Niles, Frederick Reinicke, Ingram C. Sowell and Stewart.

### North Carolina A&M

The starting lineup for VPI was: Huffard (left end), H. Jones (left tackle), Walker (left guard), Gibbs (center), H. Hodgson (right guard), Smith (right tackle), Hicks (right end), Connolly (quarterback), Luttrell (left halfback), Billups (right halfback), V. Hodgson (fullback). The substitutes were: Davis, Jones, Legge and Norris.
The starting lineup for North Carolina A&M was: Harry Hartsell (left end), J. L. Von Glahn (left tackle), James Dunn (left guard), John Bray (center), E. C. Gattis (right guard), J. B. Ross (right tackle), James Sadler (right end), Samuel Stephens (quarterback), J. W. Sexton (left halfback), Frank Thompson (right halfback), J. S. Stroud (fullback). The substitutes were: Joseph Davidson, D. B. Floyd, William Johnson, Harry Mott, David Seifert, S. A. Spencer, Joseph Whitehurst and Wilson.

## Players

The following players were members of the 1908 football team according to the roster published in the 1909 edition of The Bugle, the Virginia Tech yearbook.

## Coaching and training staff

* Head coach: R. M. Brown
* Manager: H. H. Hutchinson
* Assistant manager: F. C. Stoneburner