Michigan Wolverines football vs. Oregon Ducks

November 2, 2024 Vaseline blog 0

Michigan Wolverines football vs. Oregon Ducks

Angelique S. Chengelis, Connor Earegood, John Niyo, and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News predict the outcome of Saturday’s Michigan-Oregon game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor (3:30 p.m., CBS/950).

▶ Angelique S. Chengelis: Oregon is as complete a team as they come and will be trouble for Michigan, which is incomplete in so many areas. The Wolverines are coming off a confidence-building win over Michigan State and have adopted the approach of wrecking seasons for the ranked teams they’ll face, starting with the No. 1 Ducks. If Michigan is going to have a chance to wreck anything for Oregon, the Wolverines will need a game like last week’s in which they had no turnovers, no penalties and didn’t allow a sack of Davis Warren, who will be starting for a second straight game and fifth time this season. They could also use cornerback Will Johnson back in the starting lineup. Sure, it’s tough heading across the country to play but not much is slowing the Ducks and quarterback Dillon Gabriel these days. Pick: Oregon, 31-14

▶ Connor Earegood: The defending national champions versus the team that’s probably going to win the next one. The passing of the torch won’t be very fun for the Wolverines. They lost this game six months ago when they couldn’t find a quarterback in the transfer portal, which has led to Davis Warren taking the reins again. The Ducks, meanwhile, signed Dillon Gabriel to round out a crop of already talented returners. Gabriel is a probable Heisman Trophy finalist who has already thrown for 2,371 yards this season. Even if you ignore the difference-makers on offense, Oregon sports the 10th-best defense in the country, giving up 15.6 points per game. Michigan’s own defense might be without its best individual player in cornerback Will Johnson, who will only make for a tougher outing. The Ducks are legit, and I don’t think the Wolverines are pulling off this big of an upset. Pick: Oregon, 34-9

▶ John Niyo: Davis Warren won the starting quarterback job back, but his reward is the nation’s No. 1-ranked team and a defensive front that could overcome Michigan’s leaky pass protection. Unless the Wolverines can find a way to mix in some QB runs or hit a few play-action shots downfield, the Ducks should be able to replicate MSU’s success in limiting Kalel Mullings and the run game. An upset is possible, but it’ll probably require forcing a few turnovers. And Michigan will have to show up with a third-down plan that makes sense against one of the nation’s most efficient offenses. That didn’t happen against Texas earlier this season. It wasn’t evident last week against Michigan State, either. Pick: Oregon, 28-17

▶ Bob Wojnowski: If this has a familiar queasy vibe for Michigan fans, understandable. No. 1 Oregon is every bit as dynamic as Texas, which rolled 31-12 in the Big House. UM’s quarterback situation gained some semblance of clarity, with Davis Warren playing soundly and Alex Orji popping big runs against Michigan State. But the Wolverines have nowhere near Oregon’s volume of skill players. From the QB (Dillon Gabriel) to the star receiver (Tez Johnson) to the shifty runner (Jordan James), the Ducks can score any which way. If Sherrone Moore at least settled down UM’s quarterback crisis, coordinator Wink Martindale needs to crank up his defense. That means planting defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant in the middle and letting Josaiah Stewart loose on the pass rush. It’s not impossible, but it’ll take a bunch of sacks and turnovers for UM to have a shot. Pick: Oregon, 30-15