Story and Photos by Aaron J. Thornton
The Michigan Wolverines entered Saturday’s game with hopes of an upset victory on their minds. Their opponent, the No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks, traveled over 2,200 miles from their campus in Eugene, Oregon to play in the Big House where they had not played since 2007. Seventeen years ago, the Ducks won in Ann Arbor for their second consecutive win in the series between the two teams dating back to 1948.
This year’s matchup features the Ducks seeking to stay undefeated against the defending National Champion Wolverines. Michigan, having a very different team from just ten months earlier when they captured the national title, were underdogs in the game with Oregon favored by over 14 points to win.
In front of over 110,000 fans, most of them in maize and blue but a good amount in Oregon colors as well, Michigan took the opening kick and started with the ball first in the game. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, they kept the ball for only about 85 seconds total on the initial drive as they would go three and out on their first series. In contrast, Oregon’s first drive was dominant, moving the ball easily downfield and going 84 yards for the games first points. Michigan went three and out again after a fumble by Davis Warren on 3rd and six (that he was lucky enough to recover) and the fans could already sense it was going to be a long day for the home team. However, Michigan got a second dose of good luck when Oregon’s Ryan Pellum fumbled the punt return at the Ducks 26 yards line giving the Wolverines the ball back with excellent field position. Michigan would take advantage and tie the game up when Warren connected on a seven-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Morris late in the first quarter.
After the touchdown, Michigan fans thought just maybe an upset of the No. 1 ranked team in the land was possible. However, after a slower first quarter, Oregon’s offense ignited and scored 21 points in the second quarter giving up just a field goal to Michigan and at halftime it was 28-10 in favor of the Ducks.
Going into the second half, Michigan needed to find a way to stop the high-powered offense of Oregon. The defensive unit stepped up to the task and even though they didn’t completely stop Oregon Quarterback Dillon Gabriel and the Ducks, they slowed them down to just a field goal in the third and a single touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Wolverines scored a touchdown of their own in the third quarter but could not muster any other points in the second half of the game. Behind that big second quarter for the Ducks, they would win the game 38-17 and keep their perfect record intact.
The season for Michigan has been pretty rocky and in turmoil, especially from the quarterback position. But despite the loss to Oregon, Quarterback Warren had a solid performance compared to his previous starts which can certainly be a positive outcome. Warren threw the ball 23 times in the game, completing 13 of those passes for 165 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. His go-to guy was Receiver Colston Loveland who had 112 receiving yards in the game and has consistently been the best offensive player for the Wolverines this season. For a team that really has been more rush focused, Michigan got 52 rushing yards from Donovan Edwards and 39 rushing yards from backup Quarterback Alex Orji in the game. Orji, who averaged 6.5 yards per carry and had a game long 26-yard run, gave the team and fans a scare in the fourth quarter when he ran toward the end zone, looked to catch a pass, and ended up running into a CBS camera on a crane just out of bounds. Fortunately, he was okay after hitting the camera hard and falling to the ground.
Oregon’s performance further solidifies as to why they are the nation’s best team. Even after losing their star Receiver, Tez Johnson, early in the game to injury, the Ducks were in control throughout and never looked unhinged playing in the Big House. Stepping up in the absence of Johnson, Receiver Traeshon Holden caught six passes for a game high 149 reception yards. Quarterback Gabriel showed patience and poise, scrambling out of danger and throwing for almost 300 yards (294 to be exact) for a touchdown and zero interceptions. And Running Back Jordan James rushed for 118 yards on the ground leading all rushers in the game. A complete balanced attack on the offense with solid play on defense as well for the Ducks in a must win game to stay at the top in their first season within the Big Ten Conference.
Michigan (5-4) travels next week to take on another unbeaten team on the road, the No. 13 ranked Indiana Hoosiers (9-0). Oregon (9-0) returns home to host the Maryland Terrapins (4-4) at home in Eugene.
Final Score: Oregon 38 – Michigan 17
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