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The Michigan Wolverines fall to the No. 1 Oregon Ducks and could struggle to qualify for the bowl

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The Michigan Wolverines fall to the No. 1 Oregon Ducks and could struggle to qualify for the bowl

Ann Arbor – Oregon, the top-ranked team in the country, was too much of everything for Michigan, being undermanned on defense, inconsistent on offense and overall overmatched.

The Ducks, two-touchdown favorites, defeated Michigan 38-17 on Saturday at Michigan Stadium. Oregon is 9-0, 6-0 Big Ten and Michigan is 5-4, 3-3 and will play undefeated Indiana next weekend. The defending national champion Wolverines have three regular season games remaining to secure a win and qualify for the bowl.

“The next three games, especially against the top teams (Indiana and Ohio State) that we have to play, it's going to be more about how do we want to be remembered?” Edge rusher Derrick Moore said of the Wolverines' motivation for the next three games. “How do we want to finish together? A lot of guys won’t be here next year, so the question becomes: How do we want to finish the season?”

Michigan played against the Ducks and their potent offense without starting cornerbacks Will Johnson and Jyaire Hill, both of whom were sidelined with injuries. Johnson has missed the last two games and most of the Illinois game, and this was the first time Hill did not play. The Ducks entered the game ranked 11thTh total offense (467.1 yards) and totaled 470 yards, including 294 passes.

The Ducks didn't miss a beat without leading receiver Tez Johnson, who was injured after an 11-yard reception on the third play. He entered the game ranked second in the Big Ten in receiving yards and touchdowns. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel was 22 of 34 for 294 yards and a touchdown, and he also ran for one. Traeshon Holden led the team with six catches for 149 yards, Jordan James managed 117 yards and a touchdown and Noah Whittington scored two rushing touchdowns.

Michigan quarterback Davis Warren was 13 of 23 for 165 yards and two touchdowns against Peyton O'Leary and Tyler Morris. Tight end Colston Loveland had seven catches for 112 yards, Morris had 38 yards on three catches and the touchdown and Michigan had 105 rushing yards, with Donovan Edwards leading the backs with 10 carries for 52 yards.

The Wolverines had 270 yards, were 4 of 12 on third down – including 1 of 6 in the first half – and although Warren wasn't sacked, the Ducks had seven tackles for loss for 19 yards.

Oregon led 28-10 at halftime and Michigan scored on four of its first five possessions. The Wolverines' only touchdown came on a punt return fumble and Morris scored on a 7-yard pass from Warren five plays later. The inefficiency on third down was key, but Michigan was on third-and-long in all of those situations, including a 3rd-and-11 and a 3rd-and-16.

“It falls to me as a quarterback that I need to be better on third downs,” Warren said. “You have to be able to convert. Third place means the money went down and we talked about it all week and didn't take advantage of those opportunities when we had them. So it's up to me to get better.

BOX SCORE: Oregon 38, Michigan 17

The Wolverines opened the game with a three-and-out, then Oregon efficiently drove 63 yards down the field in 12 plays and Gabriel connected with Evan Stewart for a 2-yard touchdown reception with solid coverage from Aamir Hall. Play stood, but on the television replay it appeared the ball slipped through Stewart's hands and fell to the turf. Referee Ron Snodgrass told a pool reporter after the game that the score play, like all others, was reviewed and resolved through replay. Michigan coach Sherrone Moore suggested discussing the call with the Big Ten.

Michigan's defense held Oregon to a three-pointer early in the second half, and Michigan cut the lead to 28-17 on its first possession. Big passes from Warren to Loveland of 34 and 20 yards and a key third-down conversion on a 12-yard pass to Morris took the Wolverines deep into Oregon territory, and Peyton O'Leary caught a 6-yard pass in the end zone.

With some momentum after that score, the Wolverines' defense appeared to head to the sideline for a breather after Makari Paige intercepted a pass on third down. But on the punt, Michigan's Trey Pierce was penalized for an illegal formation that gave the Ducks a first down. A 26-yard field goal would give them a 31-17 lead.

“Just a different formation that we had to adapt to so we could execute better on the field,” Moore said.

Late in the fourth quarter, Michigan reached Oregon's 15-yard line trailing by two touchdowns, but there was a questionable play-calling sequence from offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell. Warren threw incomplete, then backup quarterback Alex Orji came in and ran for 3 yards and Kale Mullings gained 3 yards on third-and-7. On fourth-and-5 at the 10, Orji threw to Semaj Morgan, who threw incomplete to Orji in the end zone. Orji hit a television camera at the end of the piece but was not injured.

“They did a good job defending it,” Moore said. “I think they had zone pressure and the end fell into the quarterback. Plays are called and there is no regret in calling the play caller or something like that. We have to execute. It was fourth and three (actually five) and that was the play that was called.”

Oregon put the finishing touches on the game with an 11-play, 90-yard run in nearly seven minutes, while James Jordan scored on a 2-yard run with 25 seconds left.

“From that perspective, I’m just proud of the way the guys fought,” Warren said. “We came out of halftime knowing we had our backs to the ball a little bit. We had a real, heartfelt conversation at halftime that said, ‘Hey, we gotta go.’ This is a chance for us and we need to stop a defense and then we can get going.”

But the early deficit made it a challenge for a team that wasn't performing well. Michigan was outscored 112-84 in the second half.

“You felt that momentum,” Moore said of Michigan in the second half, “but we had to do it.”

The Wolverines have three games left in the regular season to find a way to take that step forward.

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