1908 Tennessee Volunteers football team

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1908 Tennessee Volunteers football
ConferenceSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Record7–2 (3–2 SIAA)
Head coach
CaptainWalker Leach
Home stadiumWaite Field
Seasons
← 1907
1909 →
1908 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
LSU + 2 0 0 10 0 0
Auburn + 4 1 0 6 1 0
Vanderbilt 3 0 1 7 2 1
Tennessee 3 2 0 7 2 0
Georgia Tech 4 3 0 6 3 0
Georgia 2 2 1 5 2 1
Alabama 1 1 1 6 1 1
Sewanee 1 1 1 4 1 3
Mississippi A&M 1 3 0 3 4 0
Ole Miss 0 2 0 3 5 0
Mercer 0 3 0 3 4 0
Clemson 0 4 0 1 6 0
Nashville        
  • + – Conference co-champions

The 1908 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1908 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association football season. The season was the second of head coach George Levene's three-year tenure.[1]

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
October 3North Carolina*W 12–0[2]
October 10Maryville (TN)*
  • Waite Field
  • Knoxville, TN
W 39–5[3]
October 17Kentucky State College*
W 7–0[4]
October 24Georgia
W 10–0[5]
October 31at Georgia TechW 6–52,000[6]
November 7at
Dudley Field
  • Nashville, TN (rivalry)
  • L 9–16[7]
    November 14Clemson
    • Waite Field
    • Knoxville, TN
    W 6–5[8]
    November 21Chattanooga*
    • Waite Field
    • Knoxville, TN
    W 35–6[9]
    November 26at AlabamaL 0–44,000[10]
    • *Non-conference game

    Game summaries

    North Carolina

    Fullback Clarence McCollum returned a fumble 75 yards against North Carolina.[11]

    Maryville

    In the second week of play, the Vols beat Maryville 39–5.

    Kentucky State

    Tennessee celebrated the victory over Kentucky State 7–0, as they were outweighed 10 pounds to the man. A 40-yard run by Leach set up an offtackle run by Peery.[12]

    Georgia

    Leach scored all of Tennessee's points in the 10–0 victory over Georgia with a 30-yard fumble return for a touchdown and a 40-yard field goal.[13]

    Georgia Tech

    Tennessee defeated John Heisman's Georgia Tech team 6–5, "in a game in which they clearly outplayed the Yellow Jackets". Tech scored first thanks to three consecutive completed forward passes. Perry scored Tennessee's touchdown. He scored another just after the referee blew the whistle to end the contest.[14]

    At Vanderbilt

    Ray Morrison saved a touchdown in 1908.

    1908 was a down year for Vanderbilt with a wealth of sophomores; guided shrewdly by McGugin to its success.[15] Vanderbilt won the match between the two schools 16 to 9.

    Walker Leach made a 41-yard field goal to put the Vols up 4 to 0. "This seemed to arouse the local team" and Vanderbilt drove down the field for a touchdown. On a fake kick, Leach circled Vanderbilt's left end for 60 yards. Ray Morrison stopped him short of the goal.[16]

    Clemson

    Tennessee also edged Clemson 6–5.

    Chattanooga

    The Vols beat Chattanooga 39–5.

    Alabama

    Alabama surprised with the 4 to 0 victory over Tennessee to close the season.[17]

    Postseason

    Walker Leach and Nathan Dougherty were selected All-Southern. Vanderbilt coach Dan McGugin noted "All things considered, Leach was perhaps the best football player of the year in Dixie."[18]

    References

    1. .
    2. Newspapers.com
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    8. Newspapers.com
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    10. Newspapers.com
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    11. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    12. ^ Woodruff 1928, p. 215
    13. ^ Woodruff 1928, p. 217
    14. ^ Woodruff 1928, p. 220
    15. ^ Edwin Pope (1956). Football's Greatest Coaches. pp. 340, 342.
    16. ^ "Vanderbilt Athletics". Vanderbilt University Quarterly. 9: 28–35. 1909.
    17. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 2, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    18. ^ Spalding's Football Guide. Shawnee Mission, Kansas, NCAA Publishing Service. 1909. p. 75.

    Additional sources

    • Woodruff, Fuzzy (1928). A History of Southern Football 1890–1928. Vol. 1.