No. 1 Oregon Ducks outrun Michigan on the road and overcome major injuries

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The No. 1 Oregon Ducks entered the Big House and put together another masterful performance Saturday, defeating the Michigan Wolverines 38-17 despite an early injury to their top playmaker and a late injury to an offensive lineman.

Oregon was under pressure in the backfield from a formidable Michigan front seven, but Heisman contender Dillon Gabriel stayed calm and had just enough time to distribute the ball. And against a largely limited Michigan offense, Oregon's defense put on a complete performance.

Oregon's defense set the tone on the first play of the afternoon when former Michigan State defensive lineman Derrick Harmon penetrated the Wolverines' backfield and tackled running back Donovan Edwards for a loss.

The Wolverines hit a three-pointer and set up a clinical first offensive attack for the Ducks.

Oregon completed a balanced first drive with a two-yard touchdown catch by Evan Stewart in the corner of the end zone, but an injury to top wideout Tez Johnson became apparent early in the game. After an 11-yard catch, Johnson appeared to injure his left shoulder when he hit the ground.

Johnson went to the Oregon locker room and later returned to the sideline in street clothes and what appeared to be a sling over his shoulder. He was out for the rest of the day.

Oregon felt Johnson's absence quite suddenly. Without returning punts, freshman Ryan Pellum stepped in, but lost a fumble on his first return. The Ducks went with Evan Stewart on punt returns for the rest of the game.

Michigan worked with a short field and eventually tied the game at 7-7 on a 7-yard pass from Davis Warren to Tyler Morris.

The Ducks' defense continued to stifle Michigan's limited offense and gave the Oregon offense numerous opportunities to step up.

Oregon scored two touchdowns early in the second quarter, both on the ground by Noah Whittington, to take a 21-7 lead. These results were achieved by big players from Traeshon Holden, Terrance Ferguson and Kenyon Sadiq, all of whom made huge strides in Johnson's absence.

Michigan managed a 38-yard field goal late in the half, but that gave Oregon nearly two minutes to work with. Gabriel delivered, leading his team downfield before completing a 23-yard touchdown run to give the Ducks a 28-10 halftime lead.

The highlight of the game – and perhaps the season – for Oregon was a play in the final second quarter that didn't count. Stewart scored a one-handed touchdown that was rejected due to an ineligible receiver downfield.

Michigan trailed heavily at halftime, but came out with a lead in the third quarter and stopped the Ducks before scoring on its first drive.

Warren found weaknesses in Oregon's secondary, particularly in the middle of the field, and marched Michigan deep into Ducks territory. He capped the game with a 6-yard touchdown strike to Peyton O'Leary in the crowd, cutting the deficit to 28-17.

Oregon took six minutes, 33 seconds on its next drive and went 67 yards in 15 plays, capped by a 26-yard field goal by Atticus Sappington, making the score 31-17.

The drive gave the Ducks their sixth straight game – all in Big Ten play – without a touchdown in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth, Oregon suffered another potentially significant injury when offensive tackle Marcus Harper II went down in pain but was able to leave the field under his own power. He entered the medical tent and did not return.

The next play was blown up on Harper's side for the Ducks when Gabriel's powerful pass to Whittington failed incomplete – much to the delight of the majority of the 110,576 spectators at Michigan Stadium, the largest crowd Oregon has ever played in front of.

Michigan pounded the ball on the ground and made plays when it had to go through the air on the ensuing drive, highlighted by a 26-yard run by quarterback Alex Orji that had its offensive lineman throw it forward at the end of the play .

However, the Wolverines were unable to capitalize on the drive and turned the ball over on downs at the Oregon 10-yard line with 7:24 left. Oregon went all out with a final drive that included big plays from Holden through the air and James on the ground.

To add insult to injury, James scored on a 2-yard score, ending the game with a final score of 38-17.

Peak performance: Jabbar Muhammad (6 tackles, 3 solo, pass breakup).

Main contributors: Dillon Gabriel (22 of 34, 294 yards, TD; 3 rush, 23 yards, rush TD); Traeshon Holden (6 receptions, 149 yards); Jordan James (23 rush, 117 yards, TD); Kobe Savage (7 tackles, 3 solo); Bryce Boettcher (6 tackles, 4 solo, 1.5 for loss)

Key game: Dillon Gabriel scores a 23-yard touchdown to give Oregon a 28-10 lead in the second quarter.

It was over when: Michigan turned the ball over with 7:24 left in the fourth quarter.

Next game: No. 1 Oregon (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) vs. Maryland (4-4, 1-4)

• When: Saturday November 9th
• Time: 4:00 p.m. PT
• Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene
• TV channels: Big Ten Network
• Electricity: Watch this game live for FREE with Fubo (free trial) or with DirecTV Stream (free trial).
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— Ryan Clarke covers that Oregon Ducks and Big Ten. Listen to this Ducks Confidential Podcast or subscribe Ducks Roundup Newsletter.