1908 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

On October 3rd Pitt opened the 1908 football season at Exposition Park against the Mount Union College Purple Raiders of Alliance, Ohio. Twelve hundred fans turned out to cheer on the new edition of University of Pittsburgh football. Both teams were healthy and anxious to play. Mount Union started strong. They recovered a Pitt fumble on the Pitt fifteen yard line. They were able to move the ball five yards closer and Purple Raider fullback O'Brien was successful on a field goal. Pitt protested that the ball should have been theirs on downs. The referee agreed with Pitt and their offense went to work. An onside kick moved the ball across midfield. On second down Quince Banbury raced forty yards around left end for the first score. Jack Lindsay was successful on the goal after. Minutes later Banbury recovered an onside kick and scored his second touchdown. Lindsay missed the point after. The Pitt offense regained possession and Banbury ran forty-eight yards for his third touchdown of the half. Lindsay's kick was blocked. The Mount Union offense moved the ball to the Pitt five yard line and O'Brien connected on a field goal. That one counted and the halftime score was 16-4. Quince Banbury and Joe Campbell scored second half touchdowns to make the score 26-4. Coach Moorehead made wholesale substitutions and the Pitt offense had the ball on Mount Union's three yard line as time expired. Mount Union finished the season with a 7-3-1 record.[1]

On a rainy October 10th the Bethany Bisons visited Exposition Park to take on Pitt. The Bisons fumbled on their first possession and Pitt recovered. The Pitt offense moved the ball to the six yard line but lost the ball on downs. Bethany punted and Pitt returned the ball to the Bison eighteen yard line. Five plays later Quince Banbury plunged into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. Center Jack Turner kicked the goal after. The Pitt offense was again efficient on their next possession and scored easily to make the score 12-0 at the break. Coach Moorehead made numerous substitutions at halftime. Pitt end Homer Roe caught the second half kickoff on his twenty yard line and raced untouched ninety yards into the end zone. Turner was unsuccessful on the goal kick. The Bethany offense was then able to move into Pitt territory but missed a field goal. The Pitt offense asserted their dominance for the remainder of the game as John Mackrell scored two touchdowns to make the final score 27-0.[2]

On October 17th the Pioneers of Marietta College gave the Pitt eleven another scare as they held the home team to a 7-0 score. The Pitt lineup was missing center John Turner (ankle injury), Captain Quince Banbury (torn ligament in leg), and tackle Frank Van Doren (shoulder separation). They were lucky to come away with a victory. End Jack Lindsay was nursing sore ribs but was able to play. The Marietta offense preferred to have the ball in Pitt's hands so they punted often. Pitt scored on their third possession with Quaily, Ent and Campbell doing the ball carrying. The goal kick after was unsuccessful. Two possessions later Pitt quarterback Barrett punted to Pioneer quarterback Horne. Horne fumbled the ball into the end zone and recovered but was tackled in the end zone for a safety. During Pittsburgh's next possession, Barrett was tackled and knocked out of the game. Bill Budd replaced him for the rest of the game. The halftime score was 7-0. The second half produced no scoring. Coach Moorehead made multiple substitutions. The Pitt offense reached the Marietta three yard line and fumbled. The Pioneers offense could not sustain a drive. Both defenses were the stars of the game. Marietta finished the season with a 6-2 record.[20]

On October 24th the University of Pittsburgh football team played their first “hard” opponent of the season in front of three thousand fans at Exposition Park. The Bucknell Bisons from Lewisburg, Pa. were considered a step above the three previous opponents. Pitt was healthier with Frank Van Doren at tackle, Fritz Barrett at quarterback and Quince Banbury at halfback. Coach Moorehead replaced Joe Campbell at fullback with “Tex” Richards. On Pitt's first offensive down of the game Banbury raced forty-five yards for a touchdown but Pitt was called for holding and the ball brought back. On Pitt's next possession they fumbled on Bucknell's twenty yard line. They proceed to fumble again on their next four possessions. The Bucknell offense was ineffective and either punted or fumbled right back. Late in the half Bucknell punted and Pitt had the ball in Bucknell territory. An onside kick gained twenty-eight yards and then “Tex” Richards carried the pigskin into the end zone for the first touchdown. Homer Roe missed the goal after. Coach Moorehead was not pleased with the first half effort. Pitt scored on their first possession of the second half. Banbury gained fifty-five yards on two carries and Ent plunged over the goal line from the two for the second touchdown. Sam Elliott missed the point after. Pitt 10 - Bucknell 0. After a missed field goal by Roe, Captain Banbury scampered thirty yards for a touchdown and Elliott made the point after for a 16-0 lead. Bucknell's McAllister kicked off to “Tex” Richards on the five yard line and he proceeded to traverse the one hundred and five yards unimpeded to score the final touchdown of the day. Elliott was again successful on the goal kick after making the final tally 22-0. Bucknell finished the season with a 2-5-2 record.[21]

The University of Pittsburgh football team traveled west to St. Louis for their only road game of the 1908 season. A Pitt contingent of fifty plus boarded the Pennsylvania Railroad car on Thursday evening October 29th and arrived in St. Louis on Friday morning. Twenty-five hundred fans assembled at Sportsman's Park on Saturday to see the undefeated Billikins take on the undefeated University of Pittsburgh squad. The crowd size was less than expected because it cost $1.00 for admission. Pitt was healthy except for Jack Turner at center. Frank Acker, the starting quarterback of St. Louis, was injured and replaced by Cornet in the starting lineup. The game was a defensive struggle with two sensational offensive plays by the Pitt team determining the outcome. Late in the first half Pitt got possession of the ball on the St. Louis forty-three yard line. On first down Tex Richards broke free of the line of scrimmage and raced into the end zone for the game's first score. Sam Elliott was successful on the point after and Pitt led 6-0 at halftime. On the first possession of the second half St. Louis was backed up on their eight yard line attempting to punt. The center snap went over punter Schumacher's head and into the end zone where he recovered for a safety and two more points for Pitt. Two possessions later Pitt had the ball on their own forty-six yard line. Fritz Barrett connected on a forward pass to Homer Roe for a sixty-four yard touchdown. The point after was not successful. The final score was 13-0. This was the Billikins first home loss in three years. The Billikins finished the season with a 6-2-1 record.[22]

The third chapter of the city series with Carnegie Tech took place on election day, Tuesday November 3rd at Exposition Park. In spite of the western trip and only one day of practice, the Pitt team dominated the Tartans. Captain Banbury (halfback), Jack Turner (center) and John Shuman (tackle) were all out of the lineup due to injuries, but the Pitt offense scored sixteen points in the first half. Halfback Charles Quaily scored on Pitt's opening possession. After a Pitt touchdown by Homer Roe was called back due to a penalty, Tex Richards added two more touchdowns and Roe was good on one point after. Tech played better defense in the second half but Richards was able to add another touchdown and Roe was good on the goal kick after to make the final score 22-0. The Pitt offense gained four hundred and fifty-four yards. Tech gained six yards in the first half and one yard in the second. Carnegie Tech finished the season with a 3-7 record.[6]

On November 7th the tenth edition of the “Backyard Brawl” was staged at Exposition Park in front of three thousand noisy rooters. John Shuman was back in the lineup at guard for Pitt, but halfback Banbury, center Turner and halfback Quaily were not available for action. West Virginia was healthy. Pitt kicked off and the Mountaineers' halfback Young ran the ball out to the seventeen yard line. On first down Young fumbled. Pitt end Jack Lindsay picked up the loose ball and raced into the end zone for a touchdown thirty seconds into the game. Sam Elliott missed the point after. For the remainder of the first half and two thirds of the second half the teams played good football but could not score. Late in the game Pitt fumbled and the Mountaineers recovered on Pitt's twenty-three yard line. WVa backs Nebinger and Diffendal carried the ball to the nine. On second down Pitt end Homer Roe intercepted quarterback Pearcy's throw on the seven and raced one hundred and three yards for the touchdown. Roe was successful on the goal after and Pitt led 11-0. On the next kickoff Tex Richards outdid his teammate and ran one hundred and seven yards for another score but the referee called tripping and placed the ball back on the Pitt eleven yard line. Pitt had the ball on their forty-two yard line as time was called. West Virginia finished the season with a 5-3 record.[23]

On November 14th the marquee game of the season against the Carlisle Indians got snowed upon. Three inches of snow covered the field of play. Small American flags were used as yardage markers to assist the players and officials. Seven thousand fans ignored the cold and came to cheer for their team. The strong Carlisle team sported a 6-1-1 record. Their only loss was to Harvard the previous week. Coach Moorehead had Turner at center and Banbury at halfback in the starting lineup. The first half was a defensive struggle with no scoring. Carlisle was deep in Pitt territory at the seventeen yard line when quarterback Kelly tried a forward pass. Pitt end Jack Lindsay intercepted and raced sixty-five yards to the Carlisle twenty-eight. Pitt would get no closer and Carlisle's Jim Thorpe punted out of danger. On Carlisle's first possession of the second half they were able to penetrate the Pitt defense. Jim Thorpe's onside kick was recovered by Carlisle center Barrel on the Pitt eighteen yard line. Four plays later Carlisle end Little Old Man plunged into the end zone for the game's only touchdown. Jim Thorpe tacked on the point after and the final score read 6-0 in favor of Carlisle. The Pitt offense thought they had a chance to tie the score when Ent recovered Barrett's onside kick on the two yard line. Referee Whiting ruled the ball had gone out of bounds and gave possession to the Indians. The other two officials disagreed to no avail. Carlisle finished the season with a 10-2-1 record.[24]

On November 22nd ex-assistant Pitt coach Frank “Doc” Rugh brought his Gettysburg football team to foggy Exposition Park to square off against the Pitt eleven. The fifteen hundred faithful rooters could barely see the action. Since State College had scouts at the game, Pitt played basic football. Center Jack Turner and halfback Tex Richards were not able to play. On Pitt's second possession their offense moved the ball to the Gettysburg twenty yard line. Joe Campbell's fifty yard scamper was the highlight of the drive, but Pitt could not capitalize and turned the ball over on downs. Pitt's defense held and they regained possession at midfield. Fritz Barrett threw an interception and Pitt was back on defense. They regained possession at their own fifty-three yard line. Three plays later the offense had the ball on the Gettysburg fourteen yard line. Captain Banbury took the ball to the five and Joe Campbell scored on the next play. Sam Elliott converted the point after and Pitt led 6-0. Pitt had the ball on the Gettysburg twelve yard line as time ran out in the first half. Gettysburg's offense managed to penetrate the Pitt defense in the second half. Two end runs and a successful onside kick moved the ball to the Pitt ten yard line. There Gettysburg's luck ran out as Fritz Barrett recovered an onside kick. On first down Quince Banbury raced fifty yards and the remainder of the game was played between the forty yard markers. Gettysburg finished the season with a 6-2 record.[25]

On Thanksgiving Day Mother Nature blessed Pittsburgh with summer-like weather. Nine thousand fans took advantage and came to Exposition Park to witness the annual Pitt versus State College football game. The good news for Pitt fans was that they did not give up a touchdown. The bad news was that they still lost the game 12-6. Pitt had three problem areas the entire 1908 season. They fumbled too often; Critical players were injured; Their kicking game was suspect at best. In this game Pitt was not able to overcome these shortcomings and pull out the victory. Halfback/kicker Vorhis was the star for State College as he was good on three field goals. The Pitt defense was awesome as they kept the Staties out of the end zone. The first half ended 4-0. Coach Moorehead made three lineup changes. Joe Campbell moved from tackle to halfback replacing the injured Tex Richards. Bill Bailey replaced Campbell at tackle and Bill Budd replaced Fritz Barrett at quarterback. The offense functioned better but Vorhis kicked two more field goals to extend the lead to 12-0. Finally, Pitt drove the ball seventy-two yards with Joe Campbell going the final two yards for the score. Sam Elliott kicked the point after. The remainder of the game Pitt tried to tie but could not sustain another drive. Penn State finished the season with a 5-5 record.[26]

This game belonged to the Presidents. They came to play and play they did. The Presidents' defense held the Pitt offense to five first downs. The Pitt defense did not play poorly, but their offensive fumbling put the defense in constant jeopardy. The Presidents' touchdown came in the first half. After a fake field goal gained eight yards to the Pitt seven, on second down Marshall plunged into the end zone from the four. Duffey was successful on the point after. The second half the Presidents' spent in Pitt territory and Duffey was successful on two field goals to make the final tally 14-0. The Presidents finished the season with a 10-2-1 record.[11]