Three keys to a Michigan football win over the Oregon Ducks

Trent Knoop | Oct 30, 2024

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Michigan is going to welcome the top-ranked Oregon Ducks into the Big House on Saturday for the first time in 2007. The Wolverines are 3-2 all-time against Oregon, but haven't beaten the Ducks since 1973. Oregon holds a two-game win streak over the maize and blue.

If Michigan could somehow find a way to win this game on Saturday, you could call it a program-changing win under first-year head coach Sherrone Moore. Here are three keys for the Wolverines to try and pull off the upset.

1. Pull out all the stops

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Look, going three-and-out and trying to play defense isn't going to win this game against the No. 1 ranked team in the country. This isn't the Michigan teams of the past when the Wolverines could run the ball 32-straight times and rely on the defense to make stops.

This is 2024 and an average Michigan team.

But it's also a game that Michigan could find a way to win. For starters, it's at home and the Wolverine crowd has been great during the big games this year. It was loud against Texas -- until the Longhorns pulled away -- and it was great against both USC and Michigan State last weekend.

The Wolverines need to feed off the energy in the stadium -- it's going to be there. We saw Kirk Campbell get creative against MSU last weekend and it needs to be in full force on Saturday. Obviously, being able to run the football will be nice, but using Davis Warren and Alex Orji is going to be needed.

Throwing in a couple of trick plays and trusting in Warren to make plays through the air will be good starting points to sustain drives and move the chains against Oregon.

2. Make Oregon pay when it makes a mistake

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The Ducks average making a mistake a game -- Oregon has eight turnovers this year -- and Michigan will likely need the ball to bounce its way once or twice to win this game. Whether that is a Dillon Gabriel interception or the Wolverines' defense forcing a fumble -- it's going to be needed.

We saw Josaiah Stewart force a fumble last week. It's not known if Will Johnson will be back yet, but if he is, Michigan could use a patented Johnson interception. Regardless of who is on the field, if the Wolverines could force Oregon to make a mistake(s), Michigan has to make the Ducks pay.

That means sustaining a drive off of the turnover and putting up points off of it. Michigan actually needs to score touchdowns in order to win this game, but we can start with just scoring points against this Oregon defense.

3. Get off the field on third downs

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

You can't get into a shootout against a high-flying offense like Oregon. The Ducks enjoy those type of games and flourish in them. The Wolverines aren't built to score 30-plus points and Michigan will need to keep the Ducks' offense off the field.

Michigan has been horrible on third downs this season. I often joke that the opposing coaches love when they get into third-and-long against this Michigan defense. The Wolverines are ranked 92nd in the country allowing over a 41% conversion rate.

You can't let Oregon covert on half of its third downs. Wink Martindale will need to live up to the billing on Saturday and get that offense off the field, however he can.

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