In their inaugural Big Ten season, the top-ranked Oregon Ducks have elbowed their way to a seat at the head of the conference table, knocking off perennial championship programs in their pursuit of a national championship. Oregon’s latest victim? The reigning national champion, Michigan Wolverines. The score? 38-17, Ducks. The message? The Ducks are the B1G’s new Mayor McCheese after slowly grinding Michigan into hamburger. Mr. FishDuck took time from his fun studying NFL point spreads this week, and more NFL betting research review his reactions with me.
Michigan (5-4, 3-3), riding the momentum of a win over Michigan State, came in hoping to reclaim some pride against the Ducks. But Oregon, now 9-0 on the season and 6-0 in Big Ten play, was not interested in playing doormat for the struggling Wolverines.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel put on yet another Heisman-worthy display, completing 22 of 34 passes for 294 yards, tossing one touchdown and adding a 23-yard dash to the end zone that left Michigan’s defense trying to tackle a ghost. Gabriel, who is now just one touchdown shy of tying Case Keenum for the most career touchdowns, helped put the Ducks up 28-10 by halftime, effectively turning the second half into a two-quarter victory lap.
This is the third straight conference game the Ducks have led their opponents by at least two touchdowns at halftime.
Derrick Harmon closes in. (Photo by Eric Becker)
Michigan’s offense, on the other hand, did their best to hang around late in the third quarter, but their best just wasn’t much to write home about. Quarterback Davis Warren managed a respectable 12 of 21 for 165 yards and two touchdowns — one to Tyler Morris and the other to Peyton O’Leary — but the Wolverines never got close enough to make it a game. Oregon’s defense blitzed hard and often, seemingly unafraid of the Wolverines’ frail passing attack and daring Warren to beat its talented defensive backs.
The Ducks’ offense was relentless, even after the team’s leading receiver and punt returner Tez Johnson was sidelined by an apparent shoulder injury in the first quarter. Next man up? Traeshon Holden, who snagged six catches for a career-high 149 yards, nearly doubling his previous personal best. And don’t forget Justius Lowe, Oregon’s latest up-and-comer who had six catches for 45 yards, a respectable follow-up to last week’s breakout performance of two catches for 51 yards and a touchdown against the Illini.
Evan Stewart had Oregon’s first touchdown of the game, a controversial catch that was ruled a score even though replay from a different angle showed the ball clearly touching the ground before he had control. After the game, the refs defended the call, saying the score was confirmed after review. Why argue?
Faced with Oregon’s unforgiving pace and efficiency, Wolverines offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell decided that the best way to crack Oregon’s defense was a bizarre bag of tricks that included a double-reverse pass in the fourth quarter. The result? A fourth-down ball flung out of bounds by Semaj Morgan. Michigan tight end Colston Loveland, one of the best in the country, proved difficult at times for the Oregon secondary to stop, finishing with seven catches for a career-high 112 yards.
Jordan James had another game over 100 yards. (Photo by Eric Becker)
Michigan’s defense under Wink Martindale was not much better, giving up 472 yards of total offense to the Ducks. Even their attempt to force Oregon into a punt was thwarted when Trey Pierce’s illegal formation penalty handed Oregon a first down. The Ducks gladly took the freebie and kicked a field goal, stretching their lead to a nice, comfortable 31-17.
Let’s not forget Jordan James, who gave Michigan a taste of old-fashioned ground-and-pound football, racking up 117 yards and a touchdown. Oregon’s offense had the Big House crowd of 110,576 sitting in silence by the fourth quarter. Noah Whittington added 36 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to compliment James in Oregon’s backfield.
“Warriors control the atmosphere, not the spectators,” Lanning said after the game.
The Ducks were certainly in control. After stopping the Wolverines’ offense midway through the fourth quarter, Gabriel led the Ducks slowly down the field, eating clock like Pac Man and running the ball between the tackles of a tired Michigan defensive front boasting the talented interior duo of Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. The Ducks capped the long drive with one final backbreaking touchdown to cover the 14.5-point spread and put the Wolverines to bed.
Oregon will host Maryland next week, where it’s a safe bet the Ducks will keep their seat at the head of the B1G table. Bon appetit!
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Jordan is a lifelong Duck fan currently living in San Diego. Jordan graduated from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, after serving a prestigious fellowship with the Washington State House of Representatives. Upon graduation, he worked as an English language teaching assistant for the Spanish Ministry of Education’s Ambassadorial Program in Monforte de Lemos, Spain. Jordan has worked as a journalist, writer, and editor in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and California, covering a wide range of topics, including sports, local politics, and crime. He is VERY excited to be writing about his beloved Oregon Ducks.