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    • Michigan football is no match for Oregon in 38-17 loss
    Michigan

    Michigan football is no match for Oregon in 38-17 loss

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

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    For the second year in a row, the largest crowd in America had the chance to watch the No. 1 team in the country play in southeast Michigan.

    The disappointing difference wasn’t great this time with 110,576 spectators in Ann Arbor, the team in maize and blue; it was the nail. The post-Halloween matchup seemed like a bad ploy for Michigan football, certainly not a fun one as it was dominated by a 38-17 loss to No. 1 Oregon.

    Saturday was difficult from the start for Michigan (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) against an Oregon offense that couldn’t be stopped. The Ducks took four of five possessions in the first half for touchdowns and accumulated 470 total yards on the day. In the end, Oregon had seven plays of 20 yards or more, while Dillon Gabriel continued his climb up the Heisman rankings by completing 22 of 34 passes for 294 yards and a touchdown to go, along with 23 rushing yards and a score on the ground .

    Michigan’s offense remained largely neutral. There was one possession in the first half that traveled more than 30 yards. Davis Warren, named the starter for the remainder of the season by head coach Sherrone Moore, couldn’t play enough on his own.

    His first completion went to Tyler Morris, but he failed to connect of more than 10 yards in the first 25 minutes. He finished the day completing 13 of 23 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns, with Colston Loveland his favorite target with seven catches and a career-high 112 yards.

    TRENDING: “You just don’t understand the rule”: Michigan easily loses challenge to Oregon

    For the second straight week, U-M’s rushing offense was a disappointment. Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards combined to rush 18 times for 68 yards, and the team tallied 105 rushing yards on 28 attempts (3.8 yards per run).

    UM must now lick its wounds as it continues its march into a brutal November stretch that continues next week against unbeaten Indiana (9-0, 6-0). The matchup could be the Wolverines’ third game against a top-10 team this year.

    Michigan dominated Oregon in the first half

    After a UM three-pointer to start, the Ducks wasted little time in gaining their first possession of the game after 12 plays and 63 yards, which ended when Dillon Gabriel hit Evan Stewart in the corner of the end zone for a two-yard score.

    While Oregon took a 7-0 lead after the extra point, replay appeared to clearly show the ball hit the ground, which should have been ruled an incomplete. For some reason it hasn’t been checked.

    Oregon appeared poised to get the ball back after forcing its second three-pointer on as many possessions when Michigan’s Joe Taylor forced an Oregon fumble on the punt and CJ Charleston fell on it at the Ducks’ 28.

    Michigan made the most of it when Warren rolled right on third-and-goal five plays later and extended the play long enough to find Morris in the end zone for a seven-yard score.

    Oregon responded with a six-play, 75-yard drive that included three plays of 12 yards or more before Noah Whittington scored from one yard out.

    Tommy Doman’s fourth punt of the day put Oregon at its own 6, but Gabriel and Co. shredded UM’s defense on a 10-play, 94-yard touchdown drive. Three different plays went for 12 yards or more on the possession, including a deep shot to Treason Holden for a lead of 38 as Aamir Hall anticipated a quick pass on third-and-1.

    Jordan James, who finished the day with 21 carries for 110 yards, went into the end zone on the next snap for a 21-7 lead.

    Finally, UM managed a pass play of more than seven yards. Warren found Loveland on a corner route for the 18, then a reverse flea flicker from Warren brought Loveland to the 36 after he broke a tackle and rumbled down the right sideline.

    UM had to settle for a field goal after Warren couldn’t find Morris on third-and-11 before the Ducks responded with a demoralizing seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that ended when Gabriel ran 22 yards up the middle the defense remained untouched for a point.

    Oregon had a 304-111 yard advantage at halftime, resulting in more first downs (15-5), more tackles for loss (5-0) and a better third-down rate (5-for-6 vs. 1- for) included -6) and more games (38 to 26).

    RECRUITMENT: Michigan is stepping up its pursuit of LSU 5-star quarterback Bryce Underwood

    The comeback is clearly neglected

    Michigan didn’t go down without a fight.

    UM forced a three-pointer early in the second half and then the offense finally started to take hold. Early in the drive, Warren threw his best ball of the day just over the linebacker, who quickly hit Loveland for a 34 pass. A few plays later, he found Morris on a screen pass to gather 13 and get close to the red zone, before the line launched a blitz and he hit Loveland to set up first for a 20-point lead and score the goal.

    Three plays later, Warren extended the play by rolling left and finding Payton O’Leary in traffic for the touchdown to make it 28-17 with 7:09 left in the third.

    Michigan’s defense forced a punt at midfield on the next drive, but Trey Pierce lined up over the middle at the snap of the punt on fourth-and-4, moving the bats for a first down for the Ducks.

    Instead, it became a 15-play, 67-yard drive, and although the Wolverines forced a field goal, Oregon took more than six minutes to make the score 31-17 with 35 seconds left in the third.

    Michigan went three-and-out on its next possession when Warren Loveland appeared to find a diving catch near the left sideline, but the ball came out as it touched the ground and the ball was ruled incomplete. Moore elected to challenge the play, but the decision was upheld and it cost UM the second timeout.

    Michigan forced a punt and took one last gasp. Warren led the offense on an 11-play, 70-yard drive, but on fourth-and-5 at the Oregon 10 UM, he tried to get tricky. The offensive coordinator called a reverse to Semaj Morgan, who threw it back to the other side of the field for Orji, but the ball sailed wide past the quarterback, who was defended in the end zone for a turnover on downs.

    Oregon responded with an 11-play, 90-yard touchdown drive that lasted 6:59 seconds with 25 seconds left to tie the score rather than falter.

    Make “Hail, Yes!” your favorite Michigan Wolverines podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify).

    Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @RealTonyGarcia.

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    Caradoc Wyn
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