The Oregon Ducks have one of the most explosive offenses in the country, but they also have one of the best edge rushers in all of college football. Here are the players to watch for when Michigan takes on Oregon this Saturday:
After winning an important contest over Michigan State that many considered a given back in August, the Michigan Wolverines now have to face the No. 1 Oregon Ducks .
At the start of the season, this game was circled as one that could determine if Michigan would make the College Football Playoff. Now, that seems long gone, but an upset over the top team in the country would certainly spark some enthusiasm in the fan base and with recruits.
Despite a shaky start to the season, these Ducks have turned into one of the best teams in the country. Dan Lanning has built an impressive program in a short stint so far, and there are several standout that have made this season possible. These are the guys that could cause some problems in the Big House on Saturday.
QB Dillon Gabriel
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is the obvious one. He has been arguably the best quarterback in the country and has his name at the forefront of the Heisman conversation.
Gabriel has 17,236 career passing yards, 1,157 rushing yards, 172 total touchdowns and just 31 interceptions. He’s now within 2,000 yards of breaking Case Keenum’s NCAA career record of 19,217 passing yards. If Oregon makes a deep run in the College Football Playoff, he should have a shot at taking the crown.
Lanning has a superpower of taking these veteran quarterbacks and making them some of the most efficient in the country. Last season, Bo Nix completed 77.4 percent of his passes, and Gabriel is nearly matching that with a 76.2 percent completion rate this year.
The Michigan secondary has struggled mightily against accurate passers, and Will Johnson’s injury status remains up in the air. If he can’t play, Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry and Aamir Hall will lead a cornerback room that has left a lot to be desired. They’ll need to play much better if they want any chance of slowing down Gabriel and this offense on Saturday,
WR Tez Johnson
Tez Johnson has been one of the best in college football at his position. He’s produced at an elite level with 63 receptions for 638 yards and eight touchdowns, good for second in the Big Ten in each of those categories. To put that into perspective, if you take out Colston Loveland’s production, Michigan has 73 total receptions for 633 yards and four scores.
At 5-foot-10, Johnson isn’t an imposing threat that will catch many 50-50 balls. However, he’s lethal with the ball in his hands and is quick with his decision-making. He can easily take over a game if a defense doesn’t reign him in.
Tez Johnson is ridiculous after the catch
— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 26, 2024
Johnson is on a five-game scoring streak, so the Wolverines need to get creative to slow him down. He accounts for one-third of Gabriel’s completions, so stopping him will give the Wolverines the opportunity to slow this offense down significantly.
Edge Matayo Uiagaleilei
A brand name in college football, Uiagaleilei is the younger brother of former top-prospect and current Florida State quarterback DJ Uiagaleilei.
He has become one of the best pass rushers in the conference. He’s fourth in the Big Ten with 5.5 sacks and sixth with 7.5 tackles for loss. He’s stepped up in a big way with Jordan Burch missing the last three games.
Burch had five sacks in the Duck’s first five games and returned to practice this week. He is questionable for Saturday’s game. With Burch in the lineup, the Ducks’ pass rush will become even more aggressive and difficult to handle for the Wolverines.
But even if Burch doesn’t play, Uiagaleilei has put the Big Ten on notice as one of the premier edge rushers. The Michigan offensive line has to do their job to keep Davis Warren upright and provide him ample time to find open receivers. If not, things could get ugly quickly for the Wolverines.