Michigan can't keep up with No. 1 Oregon, losing 38-17

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

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 plays undefeated Indiana next Saturday. The defending national champion Wolverines have three regular season games remaining to secure a win and qualify for the bowl.

Oregon put the finishing touches on the game with a 90-yard, 11-play scoring drive in nearly seven minutes, while James Jordan scored on a 2-yard run with 25 seconds left. Jordan finished the game with 117 yards on 23 carries.

Michigan played 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 11th^Th total offense (467.1 yards) and had 470 yards.

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 as the team leader and ranked second in the Big Ten in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel was 22 of 34 for 294 yards and a touchdown. Traeshon Holden led his team with six catches for 149 yards.

Michigan quarterback Davis Warren was 12 of 21 for 164 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 Donovan Edwards was the leading rusher with 10 carries for 52 yards.

Trailing 28-10, Michigan cut the lead to 11 on its first possession of the second half. Big passes from Warren to Loveland of 34 and 20 yards and a key third-down conversion on a 12-yard Pass to Tyler Morris took the Wolverines deep into Oregon territory. Peyton O'Leary caught a 6-yard pass in the end zone to make it 28:17.

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

Late in the fourth quarter, Michigan reached Oregon's 10-yard line in a drive that included a 19-yard pass to Morris on third-and-12, a 16-yard run by Donovan Edwards, and a 26-yard run by backup quarterback Alex Orji. But there was a questionable play-calling sequence and on fourth-and-5 from the 10, Orji threw to Semaj Morgan, who threw Orji incomplete in the end zone. Orji hit a television camera at the end of the piece but did not appear to be injured.

Oregon scored touchdowns on four of its five possessions in the first half and built a 28-10 halftime lead. The Wolverines scored a touchdown after a special teams turnover to tie the score at 7-7 in the first quarter, but Oregon outscored Michigan 21-3 in the second quarter and outscored the Wolverines 202-77.

BOX SCORE: Oregon 38, Michigan 17

The Ducks had 304 yards in the first half with five passing plays of 15 yards or more, including receptions of 38 and 44 yards in the second quarter. Gabriel entered the game ranked No. 1 nationally with six passes of 50 yards or more, ranked ninth with 16 passes of 30 yards and 10th with eight passes of 40 yards

They also had three runs of 10 yards or more, including a 23-yarder. Oregon also had five tackles for loss for 13 yards.

Michigan gained 111 yards in the first half and was 1 of 6 on third down. The Wolverines couldn't convert on third-and-long – with three incompletions, a fumble (which Michigan recovered) and an eight-yard completion on the 3rd^approx and 13.

Oregon took a 21-7 lead with two rushing touchdowns from Whittington, the first from one yard out and the second from a 6-yard run that culminated in a 94-yard drive. The Ducks scored with 35 seconds left when Gabriel ran 23 yards for a touchdown, his sixth rushing score of the season. It appeared Oregon might have scored early in the drive after a fantastic catch by Evan Stewart in the end zone, but an ineligible player downfield negated the score.

The Wolverines had made a three-pointer for the second straight game to open the game when Tommy Doman's 50-yard punt was deflected by Oregon's Ryan Pellum after a tackle by Joe Taylor. CJ Charleston recovered for the Wolverines at the Ducks' 28-yard line. Pellum filled in for Tez Johnson, who was injured early in the game.

Michigan converted the turnover and tied the score at 7-7 when Warren hit Tyler Morris for a 7-yard touchdown pass.

The game started with Michigan up 3-0, and then Oregon took a 7-0 lead with an efficient 12-play drive with four first downs with 6:26 left in the game. Evan Stewart scored on a 2-yard pass from Gabriel, but replays showed the referees appeared to have missed an incomplete pass – the ball appeared to go through Stewart's hands and hit the turf, but bounced into his hands.

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@chengelis

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