The team began its season with four consecutive victories, including close calls against Case (3–0) and Marquette (6–5) and dominating performances against Ohio State (33–6) and Syracuse (44–0).

Following the game, a Detroit newspaper described Notre Dame's predominantly Irish-American lineup as a group of "Fighting Irishmen", giving birth to the team's nickname.

Both of Michigan's halfbacks, Dave Allerdice and Joe Magidsohn, were chosen by Camp as second-team All-Americans and also received first-team honors on Walter Eckersall's All-Western team in the Chicago Daily Tribune.

In the Chicago Daily Tribune, Walter Eckersall wrote: "The old reliable, Allerdice, was called into commission, and he delivered the necessary boot to register enough points to win for his team.

"[15] Despite the disappointing performance of the offense, the defense played a strong game, allowing only three first downs, one on a long forward pass, one on an end run, and one on an on-side kick.

"[16] The Detroit Free Press noted that the lack of healthy substitutes forced Michigan to play a conservative game so as to avoid further injuries.

Michigan halfback "Doc" Freeney allowed a long punt to roll past him, tried to pick up the ball at the two-yard line, and fumbled.

[26] Ring Lardner, covering the game for the Chicago Daily Tribune, wrote: "As has been the case frequently during the last three seasons, it was Allerdice's good right toe that gave the Wolverines the victory.

"[25] Ring Lardner reported that Michigan's coach "evidently had instructed Allerdice to play a kicking game", and the team "appeared loathe to try its offense.

In the Detroit Free Press, E. A. Batchelor wrote: "Playing real Michigan football for the first time in lo, these many years, the Yost machine today literally ground the Syracuse eleven to bits and distributed the fragments over the surface of Ferry field.

The most spectacular play of the day was made by him when, receiving a punt on the Michigan 35-yard line, he ran all the way for a touchdown, dodging Syracuse tacklers who attempted to stop him.

"[33] The Chicago Daily Tribune praised the work of Albert Benbrook on defense: "The Morgan Park giant tore big holes in the Syracuse line and went down under punts with remarkable speed.

Wasmund's decision to call for the field goal was widely criticized as a "blunder", "silly", and "an atrocious error of judgment" that cost Michigan the game.

[36][38][39] The New York Times wrote: "The Notre Dame half backs [Miller and Ryan] showed some of the most brilliant running that was ever seen on Ferry Field.

"[37] The Chicago Daily Tribune added: "The Michigan team, so brilliant last week, showed not a semblance of the football that was to win again the championship of the west, while Notre Dame was all but impervious to its best attempts, offensive and defensive.

E. A. Batchelor, a sportswriter for the Detroit Free Press, submitted a report with the headline: "'Shorty' Longman's Fighting Irishmen Humble the Wolverines to Tune of 11 to 3.

Before the game, Coach Yost refused to predict the outcome but said that "he had confidence in his team to give Pennsylvania the hardest fight since the series started.

Accompanied by the ship's band, the sailors marched onto the field before the game started, "each man carrying a maize and blue pennant, heads up and chest out.

"[48] The unit's color bearer presented team captain Dave Allerdice with a silken flag (pictured at right) that was hung in Michigan's trophy room.

[47] Smith ended up playing so well at the position against Penn and Minnesota that he was selected by Walter Eckersall as the first-team center on his All-Western team.

The Chicago Daily Tribune wrote: "Bewildered and dazed by a style of football they never had before encountered the Red and Blue warriors were playthings in the hands of the sturdy westerners in the first ten minutes of the game when the Wolverines tallied all their points.

"[52] The Tribune singled out Magidsohn for particular attention:"Michigan's remarkable offense was built about a half back who earned a place in football's hall of fame by his work today.

"[53] The New York Times credited the play of Allerdice, Magidsohn, Wasmund and Benbrook, and wrote: "The Western men were physically superior in weight and in other respects to the Eastern players, and in teamwork they moved with a precision that showed careful preparation and good generalship.

University of Minnesota President Cyrus Northrop spoke to the crowd and confidently predicted that the Gophers would realize their fondest dreams the next day by humbling a team coached by Fielding H.

"[60] In addition to the marching band show, halftime saw a flurry of betting, with Minnesota fans "demanding even money" and several thousand dollars being wagered on the outcome.

Eckersall described the game-winning interception: "As the oval was sailing through the air, he judged his distance, leaped perfectly, and grabbed the ball on the dead run.

According to Eckersall, "Allerdice elected to place kick and sent the oval straight and true as a bullet over the cross bar between the uprights for Michigan's final score.

"[59]With respect to Benbrook, the Alumnus wrote: "He was all over the field, seemingly at the same time, he brought down runners who thought they were safely clear of opponents, he broke through the opposing line to get a man behind, he tore great gashes in the Gopher defense through which Magidsohn and Allerdice and Freeney and Greene hurled themselves for big gains and he never failed to help push or pull when every bit of help was needed.

The complicated shift plays of both elevens were executed with marvelous precision and plainly showed the heights of football perfection to which these teams had attained.

The Michigan players receiving first-team honors from Eckersall were Benbrook, Allerdice, Magidsohn (who he called "a demon on the offense"), and center Andrew W. Smith.