For everyone still complaining about the scheduling of Appalachian State, or teams like Eastern Michigan and Toledo (next year), this game is what you want. A Pac-10 tea, comes to the Big House to give Michigan a stern test just one week after the Wolverines suffered a mortifying defeat to the Mountaineers. Will Michigan bounce back? Or will the Ducks be too much? We’ll break it down the matchups for you here:
Michigan running offense vs. Oregon running defense:
It’s a shame we even have to waste the space and ink to break this one down. Last week, Michigan running back Mike Hart carried the ball 23 times for 188 yards – all while battling an injury to his thigh. Oregon, on the other hand, allowed 315 yards on the ground . at home . to Houston.
The Ducks struggled to stop Houston’s Anthony Alridge in the backfield, and he compiled 205 yards. As the Oregonian pointed out, it’s probably not a good sign when your free safety – in this case, Matt Harper – records 15 tackles.
This might as well be Michigan run offense vs. thin air.
Edge: Michigan
Michigan passing offense vs. Oregon passing defense:
Chad Henne. Mario Manningham. Adrian Arrington.
On paper, few teams have the ability to stop the Wolverines potent passing attack. But on Saturday, we discovered one of them: Michigan.
On a number of plays, Manningham beat his receiver by multiple steps on a deep route. Fourth-year starter Henne over- or underthrew the ball on each of them.
Worse, Henne made a number of (high school) freshman mistakes. Throwing across his body, he tossed a crucial interception as Michigan drove in the fourth quarter. He also took a delay of game, instead of calling a timeout, with about two minutes remaining in the game.
And Oregon’s pass defense proved passable last weekend, forcing two interceptions.
Still, if Henne regains his control, it shouldn’t be an issue.
Edge: Michigan
Oregon run offense vs. Michigan run defense:
Oregon runs a very similar offensive scheme to Appalachian State, which should worry Wolverine fans.
Quarterback Dennis Dixon rushed for 141 yards – including an 80-yard touchdown – against Houston last week. He’s the leader of the rushing attack, but the Ducks ran for 339 yards against the Cougars, so Dixon isn’t the only threat. Running backs Jeremiah Johnson and Jonathan Stewart combined for 137 yards and two touchdowns as well.
But the news isn’t all bad – Michigan made some key adjustments against Appalachian State in the second half and appeared to improve significantly. The problem is, Oregon has much better athletes than the Mountaineers, and that starts with Dixon. Expect tons of quarterback draws and tons of seven, eight- and nine-yard gains.
Edge: Oregon
Oregon passing offense vs. Michigan pass defense:
The similarities continue here.
Oregon doesn’t appear to throw any more than Mountaineers did – Dixon attempted just 15 passes against Houston. But he completed nine of those and two were for touchdowns.
Michigan struggled some in coverage last week, giving too much of a cushion to the Mountaineer receivers and allowing them to turn short passes into long gains via missed tackles and bad angles. But with the key substitutions of cornerback Donovan Warren for Johnny Sears and safety Brandent Englemon for Stevie Brown, the coverage and tackling should improve, as it did in the second half on Saturday.
Edge: Push
Special Teams:
Both teams had questions about their special teams heading into the season. Probably just one is happy with the answers.
Michigan fans need no reminders of the Wolverines’ problems this weekend. Dropped returns, missed blocking assignments and even forgetting to go onto the field were all problems that plagued Michigan. The ultimate proof: the game’s final play.
But Oregon impressed with its special teams. It blocked a punt and made both of its field goals – can’t ask for much more.
Edge: Oregon
Intangibles:
Pretty easy to figure this one out.
Michigan is coming off the biggest upset in college football history and wants to prove itself.
Oregon is probably wary of that, but probably also confidant the Wolverines aren’t as good as they were expected to be before the season. The crowd might not be enthused after last week, and the Big House’s slight home-field advantage should be pretty negligible. But, the team will want to come back strong after last week and prove it’s still a contender. After all, there’s no motivation like humiliation.
Edge: Michigan
Prediction: Michigan 31,
Oregon 27