Swarthmore at Virginia

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  Evening star, Washington, D.C., October 15, 1911, page 60

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  IS FIERCE Virginia Gives Swarthmore Close Game, Score 9 to 8. ARGUMENT OVER DECISION Virginia Claims That It Should Have Had a Touchdown and the Game. Special Dispatch to The Star. CHARLOTTESNfLLE. Va. October a. Two hours after the termination of one of the fiercest gridiron battles ever waged OH Lambeth Field, decision. previously rendered. upheld in secret session giving Swarthmore a victory over Vir- ginia by margin of a single point, score . 10 5. The play around which the argument hinged was the one that caused thrills and rounds OF cheers that echoed and re-echoed over the historic athletic campus which were suddenly transformed into bitter gloom ny unexpected decision which came in the final stage OF the game with the score standing . to 6 in the visitors favor. Virginia had scored in the opening half by outplaying the visitors in every department., other scores having been aTerted by sheer turns of fortune. Then in the second half SwartLmo.e, with memories of ability shown q week back in a game with one OF the foremost teams in the country, rallied and com pletely demoraliZed the home team. :. score registered in the first period of the second half was closely followed by remarkable field goal. the result OF the efforts OF Melick, Swarth- more’s star back, who turned the same trick in the game against Lafayette last week The Orange and Blue came forth with another burst OF speed, and by almost superhuman effort brought the ball TO within striking distance of Its Opponents’ goal line. After futile attempts at line plt,ngiEe, Capt. Bowen dropped back for a short kick. wood, Vi”ginias p.ucky center. was equal to the occasion. and oefore the spectators realized what had happened. was struggling with Mckissock. Swarthmore’s star quarterback. for possession of the pigsliin. At the time the referee and field judge were quite a distance away, while Umpire Donnelly had worked his way TO position where he could see the play. In the eyes of Don nelly, who expressed himself during a conference that followed the decision handed down by Referee Gass, who ruled the play a safety on the basis OF what the field Judge had tod him, Virginia had scored touchdown. Donneliy refused to reconsider mis- decision TO the very end. bu; his say was not accepted. Referee Gass vas naturally compelled to accept the decision o: the field judge, although il was contrary to that OF DIR. Lambeth, Virginia’s noted foot ball All thority who happened to be on the side lines and on direct line with the play. DIR. I.ambeth’s evidence was upheld by a Continued on Third Page

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  The Washington herald, District of Columbia, October 15, 1911, page 34

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  DOUBTFUL DECISION DEFEATS VIRGINIA Swarthmore Gets Game by 9to 8 Score. Special to The Washington Herald. Charlottesville, Va, Oct IA conference of more than two hours duration, in which a particular play. over which there was a diversity of opinion, was finally decided, was required before the student body of the University of Virginia was made aware of the fact that their favorites had been bested by a margin Of one point in one Of the most exciting gridron struggles ever fought on Lambeth Field. Swarthmore, the team that threw a scare into the camp Of Lafayette College just a week back, was the victor by to s. but only after a trial that will cling everlastingly to its memory. In the opinion of DR.. Lambeth, Virginia’s noted football authority, and many others who were in proximity of the play around which the argument hinged, welI-earned victory was snatched from the representatives Of Old Virginia through an unintentionaI error on the part Of the field judge. 1t was in the last period Of play, with the score 9 TO in favor OF Swarthmore that Wood. Virginia’s pIucky center dashed down the field under a punt in time to figure in q struggle for possession of the pig skin with McKissock, of the opposing team. Field Judge Brumbaugh, an old Lehigh football player, whose decision was accepted by Referee Gass. claimed the ball was first in the possession of the visiting player; that a struggle ensued, Continuing until the ball passed over the goal line. The Virginia player having furnish ed the impetus, he claimed that the play should only be scored as a safety. On the other hand, Umpire Donnelly, who vas on a direct line with the play, COM mitted himself in a short conference that followed the decision. upholding the claim of DR.. Lambeth and many others, that Virginia had scored a touchdown. Wood having crossed the goal line with the pig skin in his possession, with the opposing player Clinging to his body. 1t was a decidedly unfortunate turn for the South erners who had longed for a victory over their new and reputed rivals, and who had partially realized their purpose, in that they outplayed them during the greater part of the game. Virginia’s only score came in the first

Public-domain newspapers from the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America, found through the American Stories dataset (Dell and Harvard, CC BY 4.0). The text is the machine reading of the page, mistakes and all.

Virginia leads 2–⁠1 in three meetings, counting the two since this game.