Report Card: Grading Michigan football in a 38-17 loss to Oregon
Shorthanded Michigan battled in the second half but couldn’t make the plays needed to come back against No. 1 Oregon. There were a couple of bright spots, but they were few and far between. We grade the Wolverines in all facets here:
RELATED: Oregon 38, Michigan 17: Notes, quotes, and observations — no silver linings
Michigan rushing offense: C-
The Wolverines had three big plays in the running game, a 26-yarder from quarterback Alex Orji and 16- and 18-yarders from Donovan Edwards. Other than that, it was tough sledding. For the second game in a row, Michigan senior Kalel Mullings did next to nothing, carrying 8 times for 16 yards. U-M managed 105 yards on 28 carries.
“There are a couple things on some run-through ‘backers we’ve got to fix up front,” coach Sherrone Moore said. “Initially, I thought we were moving them off the ball really well, but it was really the run-through stuff that got us. It’s something we’ve got to fix.”
Passing offense: C+
Michigan quarterback Davis Warren managed the game well and did a good job getting rid of the ball when there was nothing there rather than throwing into trouble. He had two impressive touchdown passes in the red zone, to Peyton O’Leary and Tyler Morris, and he threw some strikes to tight end Colston Loveland. The Michigan junior finished with 112 yards on 7 receptions.
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Why they went away from the pass down the stretch is a bit of a mystery.
Michigan rushing defense: D
Oregon running back Jordan James ran for 117 yards on 23 carries, averaging 5.1 yards a pop. Only 10 of his carries went for 4 yards or more, but there were some bigger runs in there. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel added a 23-yard touchdown run, part of a 176-yard, 4-touchdown day for the Ducks.
Passing defense: D
We knew this was going to be a tough day with starting Michigan corners Will Johnson and Jyaire Hill out. Zeke Berry and Aamir Hll played hard in their absence. They and others were victimized, though, for 294 yards and a score from the Ducks’ prolific passing offense. The Ducks had six explosive passing plays, including gains of 38, 44, and 47 yards.
Michigan special teams: B
Punter Tommy Doman had his best game in a while, averaging 45.6 yards per punt and dropping two inside the 20. Return man Joe Taylor ran back a kick 29 yards, the punt team forced a fumble that set up a touchdown, and kicker Dominic Zvada made his only field goal, from 38 yards out. However, a critical penalty for lining up over the snapper cost the Wolverines three points and momentum.
