ANN ARBOR, Mich. — No. 1 Oregon took care of business in its trip to the Big House, knocking off Michigan 38-17 on Saturday.
Sixth-year quarterback Dillon Gabriel put together a solid performance, spreading the ball around to seven different receivers. The Ducks (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) remain unbeaten in their debut season in their new conference and are now 31-5 under third-year coach Dan Lanning. The Wolverines (5-4, 3-3) have now lost three of their last four.
Here are our initial takeaways:
Ducks in the driver’s seat
The No. 1-ranked Ducks certainty weren’t awestruck by facing the reigning national champions on the road.
Oregon moved to 9-0 and remains in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff rankings, which will be unveiled for the first time Tuesday evening. Gabriel led the way with 294 passing yards and a touchdown on 22 of 34 passing and added a 23-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to make it an 18-point game.
The road ahead still features some tricky matchups for college football’s top-ranked team. Outside of hosting Maryland next weekend in Eugene, Oregon still must take a trip to Wisconsin which precedes its storied rivalry showdown with Washington. The Huskies lost to Michigan in last year’s national title game, lost most of its coaching staff and haven’t found the transition to the Big Ten as seamless as Oregon. But rivalry matchups can prove to be treacherous for one team playing for everything and another embracing its role as a theoretical spoiler.
So far, Oregon has aced every test in Year 1 in the new conference, and its big win over Ohio State looks to be as good of a resume win as anyone in the country as we enter the stretch run. — Kamrani
Win comes with costly injury
Oregon’s inaugural visit to The Big House as members of the Big Ten proved costly early. Senior wide receiver Tez Johnson suffered an injury to his right shoulder/collarbone area early in the first quarter against the Wolverines and missed the remainder of the game. A year after a breakout season as Bo Nix’s go-to target, Johnson established himself as Dillon Gabriel’s primary receiver in 2024 right away.
The shifty 5-foot-10 wideout led the Ducks in all major statistical receiving categories entering Saturday’s matchup at Michigan. Johnson has 63 receptions for 638 yards and eight touchdown receptions. The Troy transfer burst onto the scene in Eugene in 2023 hauling in a career-high 1,182 yards on 86 receptions and a team-high 10 touchdowns.
Johnson was on track to break Oregon’s program record for receptions in a single season — his 86 catches a year ago — prior to the injury against the Wolverines. His absence was felt right away on special teams. Doubling as Oregon’s dynamic punt returner, Johnson’s replacement, Ryan Pellum, fumbled the ensuing punt return, allowing Michigan to score its first touchdown of the afternoon. — Kamrani
Michigan’s defense is wearing down
Expectations were high for a Michigan defense that returned playmakers like Will Johnson and Mason Graham from last season’s national championship run. With injuries and schematic issues adding up, Michigan’s defense wasn’t up to the challenge of upsetting the No. 1 team in the country.
Michigan played without both of its usual starters at cornerback, as Johnson and Jyaire Hill both missed the game with injuries. Oregon was able to take advantage by hitting some big plays through the air, including a 38-yard gain when Traeshon Holden ran by cornerback Aamir Hall. Gabriel also ran for a 23-yard touchdown as the Ducks piled up 304 yards in the first half. Michigan played better in the second half, aided by another third-quarter lull from Oregon, but the Ducks iced the game with a long touchdown drive that ended with Jordan James plunging into the end zone with 25 seconds on the clock.
Wink Martindale is one of the highest-paid defensive coordinators in college football and was hired to help the Wolverines win games like this one. Playing without Johnson for the past two games has been a challenge, but Michigan still has the pieces to perform better on defense. The offense, though still far from dynamic, gave Michigan a chance to hang around thanks to two touchdown passes from Davis Warren. But the Wolverines aren’t equipped to win a shootout and needed more help from the defense. — Meek
Warren’s two TDs not enough
For once, quarterback wasn’t Michigan’s biggest problem. Davis Warren finished 12 for 21 passing for 164 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t commit a turnover for the second game in a row. Both of his touchdown passes came on the move as he found Tyler Morris for a 7-yard score in the first quarter and hit Peyton O’Leary in traffic for a 6-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Alex Orji added 39 yards on the ground as Michigan continued the quarterback rotation it has employed since Warren regained the starting job last week against Michigan State. The Wolverines had a first down at Oregon’s 15-yard line with a chance to pull within a touchdown in the fourth quarter but committed a turnover on downs when wide receiver Semaj Morgan tried a throwback pass to Orji that sailed incomplete. — Meek
Photo of Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images
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