Dan Lanning believes both Michigan quarterbacks are capable of beating teams

Last year’s top-ranked team takes on the current No. 1 team in the nation this Saturday when Oregon hosts the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines. Two teams have that have had completely different seasons so far regarding the quarterback position.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been consistent and one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation. While the Wolverines have started three different signal callers this season: Davis Warren, Alex Orji, and the recently retired Jack Tuttle.

Warren had his most solid performance of the season last weekend in a win over Michigan State, a game where Orji was also the team’s leading rusher. As Oregon head coach Dan Lanning reflected on Warren’s performance and the challenge of preparing for two quarterbacks.

“It’s different based on who’s in the game,” Lanning said. “They’re both capable and they can win in different ways. But I think he (Warren) played well in the last game and I think getting in a rhythm and finding some consistency is probably important for them. But they both can beat you in different ways.”

After throwing at least one interception in each of his previous three starts this season, Warren took care of the ball and completed 68.4% of his passes for 123 yards and a touchdown against the Spartans. A game where Orji did not attempt any passes but ran the ball six times for 64 yards and a score on the ground.

“They can throw the ball, obviously they do a great job of establishing the run game and that’s something that 10 (Orji) will bring in a little bit more as he comes in. But he’s also proven to have the ability to pass. So you have to prepare for a little bit more when you have to go against a team like this,” Lanning explained.

Michigan’s quarterback situation has been far from ideal this season, but has also presented a unique challenge for opponents in their preparation. A task that the Ducks will face head-on as they look to remain undefeated this season.

“We’ve had some longer weeks at times when we play Friday games, this is not one of those situations,” Lanning said. “So it’s a matter of you making sure that you can be sound and simple for your guys, but also creating some complicated you know looks for the opponent.”

The Ducks and Wolverines square off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in a game airing on CBS and streaming on Fubo.