1897 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1897 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1897 college football season . The team , with former Michigan halfback , Gustave Ferbert , as head coach , compiled a record of 6 – 1 – 1 and outscored opponents by a combined score of 168 to 31 . The team suffered its first setback with a scoreless tie against Ohio Wesleyan in the second game of the season . The season also featured the first game between Michigan and Ohio State , with Michigan winning the game by a score of 34 to 0 . Michigan won its first two Western Conference games against Purdue ( 34 – 4 ) Minnesota ( 14 – 0 ) , but lost the final game of the season to Amos Alonzo Stagg ' s Chicago Maroons by a score of 21 to 12 Schedule . Season summary . Low expectations . After losing the final game of the 1896 season due to the kicking of the University of Chicago ' s Clarence Herschberger , the Michigan football team began practice early in 1897 , gathering in late August . The team announced that , as a direct result of the 1896 loss to Chicago , a " radical change " was being made in the method of play . Michigan promised to produce an improved kicking game , with more hard work being dedicated to kicking than any other part the game . The expectations for the 1897 team were low . Michigan had lost most of the players from the 1895 championship team . One eastern newspaper described the talent level in Ann Arbor as follows : " The University of Michigan football team of ' 97 , as compared with Michigan teams of tho past few years , is decidedly weak and uncertain . It is not as good by any means as the eleven of last fall . It is not in the same class with the champion eleven of ' 95 . What it lacks is first , weight , second , experience , and third , ' ginger . ' There are other lacks as well , but those three are most noticeable . " Adding to the difficulties , Michigan ' s team captain , J . B . Wombacher , contracted typhoid fever and was unable to report to the university in September . Wombacher had played every game at center for Michigan in 1896 . Shortly before his illness , " The World " of New York had published a football preview feature in which Wombacher had been touted as the key to Michigan ' s success : " The man who will captain the Unlversity of Michigan eleven is a big , strapping fellow , who was forced into the game by his classmates because of his size and ability to get over the ground . His name is John B . Wombacher , and he hails from Peoria , Ill . He plays centre rush and is something terrific . " Wombacher was unable to play in 1897 , remaining at his parents ' home in Peoria to recuperate from the illness . Halfback , James R . Hogg , was elected to replace Wombacher as the 1897 team captain . Another key Michigan player was injured before the season began . In late September 1897 , Michigan end , Clayton Teetzel , fell during a practice session and " bit off half of his tongue , " and was compelled " to live on milk for a week . " Michigan 24 , Michigan State Normal 0 . Michigan opened its 1897 season with a game against Michigan State Normal School ( now known as Eastern Michigan University ) from Ypsilanti . The game was played at Regents Field in Ann Arbor , and the Wolverines won by a score of 24 to 0 . Michigan 0 , Ohio Wesleyan 0 . Michigan played Ohio Wesleyan to a scoreless tie on October 9 , 1897 at Regents Field in Ann Arbor . A newspaper account of the game stated : " Neither side scored today in the game between the Michigan and Ohio Wesleyan universities . The Michigan team was composed mostly of substitutes and the visitors had big line men . The only hard work was done in the last four minutes , when the Michigans nearly secured a touchdown . " Michigan 34 , Ohio State 0 . The 1897 marked the first game in the Michigan - Ohio State rivalry . The two teams met for the first time in Ann Arbor on October 16 , 1897 . Michigan won the game by a score of 34 to 0 . A newspaper account of the game reported that Michigan ' s scoring was made in the first twenty minutes , " after which the play assumed the form of a practice game , " as players were substituted and kicking and defense were the feature for the rest of the game . According to the report , the " Ohio players made no impression on the university of Michigan line , " as Michigan ' s varsity " showed up in fine form during the first half , the play being fast and the work steady . " Michigan 16 , Oberlin 6 . Michigan played the football team from Oberlin College on October 23 , 1897 , at Regents Field in Ann Arbor . Oberlin scored a touchdown in the first two minutes of play after the Wolverines fumbled the kickoff . Michigan responded with 16 points to win the game by a score of 16 to 6 . One newspaper account credited the win to the famous " Michigan brace " : " [ T ] he famous ' Mlchigan brace ' took place a series of brilliant runs being made in the last fifteen minutes of play netting 16 points . " Michigan 34 , Purdue 4 . Michigan opened its Western Conference schedule in Ann Arbor on November 7 , 1897 with a game against the Purdue Boilermakers . Michigan won the game by a score of 34 to 4 . Michigan 14 , Minnesota 0 . Michigan played Minnesota on November 13 , 1897 , at the Detroit Athletic Club ' s field in Detroit . The game was played in good weather in front of an " immense crowd " that included approximately 1 , 500 students who traveled from Ann Arbor for the game . Although some of Michigan ' s " best men " were unavailable to play , Michigan won the game by a score of 14 to 0 . Minnesota ' s fullback and punter , Loomis , suffered a broken ankle early in the first half . The game was largely a kicking contest , with each team punting the ball back and forth . One newspaper account reported that , due to the frequency of the punts , the ball was " in the air nearly half the time . " Michigan scored its first touchdown on a drive that started on Minnesota ' s 45 - yard line and consisted of a series of " hard line plays and end skirts . " Michigan ' s right halfback , James Hogg , missed on the kick for goal after touchdown . The Wolverines added another touchdown in the first half on two end runs by Clayton Teetzell and John Bennett . In the second half , Minnesota threatened to score twice , but the Michigan defense " braced up and held it . " Michigan added a third touchdown in the second half with Hogg kicking the goal after touchdown . After the game , the Mlnnesota players opined that Michigan was " not in the same class " with Wisconsin , which had defeated Minnesota the previous week by a score of 39 to 0 . Michigan 32 , Wittenberg 0 . Michigan returned to its home field in Ann Arbor to play the football team from Wittenberg College on November 20 , 1897 . Michigan won by a score of 32 to 0 . One newspaper account described the game as follows : " The game was characterized by lack of team work on both sides and fumbling . Hodgman for Michigan kicked two goals from the field . Captain Hogg and Stuart , halfback , did not play for Michigan . Wittenberg was weaker than expected . " Chicago 21 , Michigan 12 . Michigan closed the 1897 season with its traditional Thanksgiving Day game in Chicago against the Chicago Maroons . The game was played in front of a crowd of 12 , 000 spectators at the Chicago Coliseum . Chicago scored first on a 35 - yard run by Gardner . Chicago ' s fullback , Clarence Herschberger , kicked the goal after touchdown to give the Maroons a 6 to 0 lead . Herschberger next added a drop kick field goal from the 17 - yard line to increase Chicago ' s lead to 11 to 0 at the end of the first half . In the second half , Clayton Teetzel , playing at left end , scored a touchdown for Michigan on a 15 - yard run through Chicago ' s left tackle and end . Teetzel added the goal after touchdown to make the score 11 to 6 . Herschberger added two more field goals to increase Chicago ' s lead to 22 to 6 . Michigan ' s scored a second touchdown when Michigan ' s fullback , Frederick Hannan , kicked the ball for Michigan from its own 25 - yard line . The ball touched a Chicago player , and Michigan tackle , William F . Baker , grabbed the ball and ran 55 yards for a touchdown . Teetzel kicked the goal from touchdown resulting in a final score of 21 to 12 . Although Michigan scored two touchdowns to Chicago ' s one touchdown , field goals were worth five points in 1897 , and Herschberger ' s three field goals were worth 15 points .