[2] Oregon Agricultural College football supporters turned to 23-year old Tommy Code, former quarterback for the University of California, as the team's coach for the 1896 season.
[5] Fundraising in support of the 1896 OAC football team began in October with the staging of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera The Mikado.
This initial affair was deemed a "practice game," in preparation for the actual league event to be held in Corvallis the following week.
[10] This was followed by a controversial ejection of Barnett for alleged "slugging" by Oregon coach Frick, who was acting as umpire in the friendly game.
[11] Officiating was used as an excuse for the defeat, with the Corvallis Times noting "the boys claim that the umpire used them unjustly on several occasions.
[3] The OAC squad practiced for their game against Oregon under the tutelage of professors Fulton and Brady Burnett, as coach Tommy Code had been sent home to California as an "unnecessary expense" just ahead of the season.
The big play for OAC came when substitute fullback Brady Barnett dropped back to punt but faked the kick, instead running around end to score from midfield.
[4] Further violence marred the game when OAC substitute Kelsay took umbrage to a reversal of a call by referee Otto Burckhardt of the Multnomah Athletic Club.
[4] This perspective was not shared by Oregon coach J. G. Frick, who wrote for the Eugene press that while the OAC team were "in the main gentlemanly fellows and played fair ball," Aggie player Kelsay, who was "simply registered at the OAC because of his ability as a bruiser," engaged in an "assault" that was "entirely unprovoked" and which constituted "the most cowardly and outrageous proceeding ever seen on a football field.
"[13] As the game drew towards its conclusion OAC managed to work the ball down to the Oregon 10 yard line, but time expired before they were able to generate points from their favorable field position, with the score of 8–4 therefore going final.
[4] According to the Oregon State University sports information department, the Aggies answered the challenge of the Fort Vancouver Orions football club and played a game, won by OAC by a score of 18–0.