EUGENE, Ore. - What happened to the Michigan running game?

What happened to the second-ranked rushing attack in the nation that had been good for more than 300 yards per game?

It took three giant steps backwards.

After completely dominating their first three opponents on the ground, the Wolverines hit a wall against Oregon. The Wolverines finished with minus-3 yards on the ground. Chris Perry, who had been the nation's leading rusher with 183 yards per game, was held to just 26 yards on 11 carries. His longest run, which came in the first quarter, was for five yards.

"Oregon did a great job against the running game," Lloyd Carr said. "They mixed their coverages really well, but we didn't get the movement like we needed to get. But we knew coming in that they had a big, strong defensive front."

Michigan's offensive line seemed overwhelmed for the first time all season. Oregon's front seven seemed to beat them to many key spots, closing the gaps that Perry was used to running through. The offensive line succeeded in protecting Navarre, but was unable to handle Oregon's run defense, which often consisted of more than eight men in the box because the Ducks brought the safety up.

The Wolverines didn't get much of a chance to establish the running game early on, as Oregon ran 24 offensive plays before Michigan's offense even got its hands on the ball. By the time the half rolled around, the Wolverines were already down 21-6 and hadn't done anything to establish their ground game.

After Perry rushed nine times for 18 yards in the first half, the offense decided to go to the air. Perry rushed just twice in the entire second half.

"Our coaches thought it was best to get away from the running game, and you can't argue with them," Perry said. "I wasn't producing for the team.

"We knew they were going to be loaded up in the box. They usually had, eight, nine, 10 guys in there. They had a great defensive scheme."

Breaston back on offense: Michigan punt returner Steve Breaston reappeared on the offense against Oregon, and immediately made his presence felt. The sophomore finished with six catches for 106 yards and his first two career touchdown receptions. Both his touchdowns, and most of his catches, came in the fourth quarter when the Wolverines were attempting to make a comeback.

"Steve has been banged up a little bit the past two weeks, but he had a good week of practice, and I think he'll be a much bigger part of our offense as we go forward," Carr said.

Breaston had four catches against Central Michigan, but was limited to returning punts in the two following games. Although he didn't get an opportunity to make an impact on special teams against Oregon, several of his clutch receptions down the stretch kept the Wolverines in the game until the end.

Minnesota game update: Michigan Athletic Director Bill Martin said he would be discussing the start of Michigan's game at Minnesota, scheduled for Oct. 11, with other Big Ten officials in the near future.

If the Minnesota Twins make the playoffs (they're 5 1/2 games ahead), there will be a scheduling conflict with a Twins divisional playoff game on FOX.

Martin said one option is to discuss an agreement with FOX that would allow the Wolverines to play early Saturday morning, in time for the baseball game to be played at its scheduled time.