The Michiganensian for 1897 reported on the group appearing for try-outs as follows: "Never before had the Athletic field been so teeming with aspirants for foot-ball honors.

[5] On October 10, 1896, Michigan defeated a Grand Rapids team by a 44–0 at Regents Field in Ann Arbor.

The Grand Rapids team was made up of high school men with the exception of McPhearson, who was the coach and played left end.

At the 11-and-a-half minute mark, Villa scored Michigan's third touchdown, and William Caley kicked the goal.

[6] On Thursday, October 15, 1896, Michigan defeated the Chicago Physicians and Surgeons by a 28–0 score at Regents Field in Ann Arbor.

Ferbert scored the second touchdown on a 20-yard run, Steele again kicked the goal, and Michigan led, 12–0, at halftime.

[7] On October 17, 1896, Michigan defeated the team from Lake Forest College by a 66–0 at Regents Field in Ann Arbor.

Michigan scored 13 touchdowns in the game: three by Gustave Ferbert, three by Edwin H. Gordon, three by Frederick W. Henninger, two by Frank Villa, and one each by Charles Juttner and Norwood Ayres.

[8] On October 24, 1896, Michigan defeated Purdue by a 16–0 score before a crowd of 2,000 at Stuart Field in West Lafayette, Indiana.

[9] When the Michigan football team arrived at the Ann Arbor railway station on Sunday afternoon following the Purdue game, the players were cheered by a large crowd.

"[13] The same report noted: "The team play of the University of Michigan was excellent and the interference as good as has ever been seen in this city.

[16] Right end Loomis Hutchinson of Michigan scored in the first half, but he was ruled offside and the touchdown was disallowed.

[19] The World of New York reported that the game was seen by 1,000 persons and added: "Michigan put a substitute team against Oberlin to-day and won by making two touchdowns in the first half.

The game featured "few trick plays," as both teams relied on "straight, hard football.

"[23] Chicago's scoring came on a blocked punt resulting in a safety and a drop kicked field goal (worth five points under the rules at the time) by Clarence Herschberger from the 45–yard line.

Michigan had played strong and consistent foot ball throughout her schedule – Chicago had been erratic and unsteady.

But this one game, Chicago won by good generalship, by the most advantageous use of her greatest resource – a magnificent player in a telling place.

"[24][27] Adding to the novelty, as daylight turned to darkness, the field inside the Coliseum was lit with electric lighting.

[24][27] Noting that the game was played in the same building "in which five months ago W. J. Bryan was nominated for the presidency," the press proclaimed the experiment in indoor football to be a success:"One thing at least was settled by the game, and that is, that indoor football is literally and figuratively speaking a howling success.

The men had no trouble in catching punts, and football was played on its merits, without the handicaps of a wet field or a strong wind.

Toward the end of the second half it got very dark, and the spectators were treated to a novelty in the shape of football by electric light.

While the other fields about Chicago were sloppy and the players were floundering about in the seas of mud, the athletes in the Coliseum played on dry surface and secure from the elements.

None of the punts touched the beams overhead and spectators and players were captivated with the comfortable conditions under which the game was played.

Darkness came on at 4:00 and the players were scarcely distinguishable for a time, but electric lights soon rendered each play distinct.

He wrote: "There are many interesting things in coaching, but there are also some drawbacks and disagreeable features, so that I was glad to be through with it, and able to give myself wholly to the study of medicine.