1908 Auburn Tigers football team

1908 SIAA football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
LSU +	3	–	0	–	0			10	–	0	–	0
Auburn +	5	–	1	–	0			6	–	1	–	0
Vanderbilt	3	–	0	–	1			7	–	2	–	1
Tennessee	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
Georgia Tech	5	–	3	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Georgia	3	–	2	–	1			5	–	2	–	1
Alabama	1	–	1	–	1			6	–	1	–	1
Sewanee	1	–	1	–	1			4	–	1	–	3
Ole Miss	1	–	2	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Mississippi A&M	1	–	3	–	0			3	–	4	–	0
Clemson	1	–	4	–	0			1	–	6	–	0
Texas A&M	0	–	1	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Dahlonega	0	–	1	–	0			0	–	1	–	0
Memphis U. School	0	–	1	–	0			0	–	1	–	0
Mercer	0	–	3	–	0			3	–	4	–	0
Gordon	0	–	3	–	0			0	–	3	–	0
Nashville			–							–
+ – Conference co-champions

The 1908 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1908 college football season. The team went 6–1, outscoring opponents 158–10. Auburn featured a strong defense that held all opponents scoreless except the 10–2 loss to LSU. This team was the first during the second term of coach Mike Donahue at Auburn.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 3	Howard	West End Park • Birmingham, AL	W 18–0
October 10	Gordon College*	Drill Field • Auburn, AL	W 42–0
October 17	at Mercer	Macon, GA	W 23–0
October 24	Sewanee	West End Park • Birmingham, AL	W 6–0
October 31	LSU	Drill Field • Auburn, AL	L 2–10
November 7	at Georgia Tech	Ponce de Leon Park • Atlanta, GA	W 44–0
November 14	Georgia	Montgomery Baseball Park • Montgomery, AL	W 23–0
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game.

Game notes

Howard College

1 2 Total • Auburn 18 0 18 Howard 0 0 0 Location: Birmingham, Alabama Game start: afternoon Game weather: 70°, Clear Referee: Frank Jones

In a game of a 20- and 15-minute halves, Auburn scored three touchdowns in the first half to put away Howard College at West End Park in Birmingham. Despite being outweighed by Howard, Auburn had success running against the Bulldogs' tackles in the first half. The second half saw no score on either side with Auburn held in check by the punting of Bennie, Howard's left tackle. Both teams were reported to show a lack of preparation, with Auburn's talent making the difference in the game.

Gordon College

1 2 Total Gordon 0 0 0 • Auburn 30 12 42 Location: Auburn, Alabama Game start: afternoon Game weather: 63°, Cloudy

In a game where the Tigers were not forced to punt, Auburn easily defeated the high school team from Gordon College in quick game at the Auburn athletic field. Auburn took the opening kickoff and drove for its first touchdown in the first two minutes, followed by four more touchdowns before the end of the half through the rushing of Lew Hardage and D. Herron. Auburn's scrubs scored two more touchdowns in the second half to finish out the game.

Mercer University

1 2 Total • Auburn 6 17 23 Mercer 0 0 0 Location: Macon, Georgia Game weather: 80°, Partly cloudy

Auburn was held to a single score in the first half, but wore down Mercer's line in the second half, scoring three touchdowns behind the running of Lew Hardage. Mercer's Poole returned an Auburn interception 70 yards before being dragged down short of the goal line by Auburn halfback W. W. Wynne, which was the only threat to score the Baptists had all game.

Sewanee

1 2 Total Sewanee 0 0 0 • Auburn 0 6 6 Location: Birmingham, Alabama Game start: 12:00 pm Game attendance: 3,000 Game weather: 65°, Cloudy Referee: Bradley Walker

Sewanee held the ball for most of the first half, exploiting Auburn's tackles—brought in against the inside run—with runs around end. Sewanee was unable to score, however, with Auburn's George Sparkman recovering a Sewanee fumble on the Auburn two yard line. Auburn began to move the ball consistently on the visitors late in the first half, ending the period in Sewanee territory. In the second half, changes in Auburn's defense stymied Sewanee's end runs and field position gradually shifted in Auburn's favor. With seven minutes left in the game, Auburn's Lew Hardage returned a Sewanee punt 45 yards for the game's only touchdown. It was dubbed by one source "Auburn's Greatest Victory In Many Years"

Louisiana State

1 2 Total • LSU 5 5 10 Auburn 2 0 2 Location: Auburn, Alabama Game start: 3:45 pm Game weather: 70°, Fair Referee: Halegan

Undefeated LSU met undefeated Auburn for the top spot in the SIAA at the Auburn athletic field. Auburn fumbled to LSU on its opening drive, and after an unsuccessful series of downs by each team, LSU launched a 51-yard scoring drive capped by a 40 yard touchdown pass from Doc Fenton to Mike Lally to bring the score to 5–0 in LSU's favor. Later in the half, Auburn's T. C. Locke blocked an LSU punt which was recovered by LSU's Fenton behind his own goal for a safety. After a short LSU drive in the second half, the teams traded free kicks on goal, none of which were successful, before Fenton returned an Auburn kick 35 yards to the Auburn 40 yard line. LSU drove to the Auburn 25, where Lally scored a touchdown around left end. LSU missed their second PAT of the game to leave the score at 10–2 in the visitor's favor. The remainder of the game was made up of short drives, kicks, and several penalties, including an ejection of LSU's captain Gandy for unnecessary roughness.

Georgia Tech

1 2 Total • Auburn 23 21 44 Ga. Tech 0 0 0 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Referee: Butler (North Carolina)

Auburn ran up a 44–0 score on coach John Heisman's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in their annual rivalry contest. Lew Hardage and George Penton made two touchdowns each, including a 108-yard kick return by Hardage. Walker Reynolds and George Sparkman had one each. Reynolds' was a 35-yard run and Sparkman's a 65-yard run. Reynolds contributed six extra points.

Georgia

1 2 Total Georgia 0 0 0 • Auburn 6 17 23 Location: Montgomery, Alabama Game weather: Very hot Referee: Butler (North Carolina)

As expected – "there is nothing to this game but Auburn," Auburn handled the Georgia Bulldogs easily in their annual rivalry game. After seven minutes had elapsed, end Walker Reynolds ran for an 80-yard touchdown using the stiff arm "amidst the wildest enthusiasm." The Bulldogs held the Tigers the rest of the first half.

Postseason

Southern champions

Amidst fears of many players being ineligible under SIAA rules most sportswriters did not include LSU for consideration as conference champions. Auburn and Vanderbilt were among those listed as alternative Southern champions.

Awards and honors

Captain and quarterback and Tom McLure was selected All-Southern by Vanderbilt coach Dan McGugin and Georgia Tech coach John Heisman. McGugin describes his play: "McClure was not particularly fast, but a spirited leader, an excellent general and a sure tackler." Lew Hardage was selected All-Southern by McGugin; and J. G. Davis was selected All-Southern by Heisman.

Players

Line

Starters

• Burton Gray Allen, guard
• Big Chief Bonner, tackle
• James Grover Davis, center
• Harry Esslinger, tackle
• T. C. Locke, guard
• Walker Reynolds, end
• George B. Sparkman, Jr., end

Subs

• James Jefferson Beaver, center
• Homer Cogdell, guard
• James Gillis Gauntt, guard
• William Augustus Harman, end
• Armstrong Hill, end
• Sheep Lamb, tackle
• James Walter Motley, guard
• J. D. Spigener, guard
• William Swart, end

Backfield

Starters

• Lew Hardage, halfback
• Tom McLure, quarterback
• George Penton, fullback
• Walter Woolf Wynne, halfback

Subs

• John E. Davis, fullback
• Benjamin Edward Harris, halfback
• Daniel Herren, halfback

Unlisted subs

• C. E. Gaum
• L. H. Hubbard
• A. H. Skinner

Coaching staff

• Head coach: Mike Donahue
• Assistant coaches: James Dwyer, Dan Wilkinson
• Manager: Thomas Bragg