The Oregon Ducks are back at Autzen Stadium with plenty still hanging in the balance, and Saturday’s matchup with Michigan brings a lot more than just another Big Ten game. The No. 16 Ducks have three regular season games left, and if they finish strong, Oregon can still put itself in position for the College Football Playoff despite three losses.
There’s also a new energy around the offense, which has been calling its recent stretch “Operation, Swagger Back.” Since switching play callers to Jay Johnson, Oregon has put up 75 points in two games. The Ducks scored 34 in the win over Northwestern and 41 in the victory over Ohio State, a sharp jump after averaging 14 points in their previous three games.
Dylan Raiola has been at the center of that surge. Over Oregon’s last two games, the quarterback has thrown for 593 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions, helping the Ducks beat back-to-back ranked opponents.
Dakorien Moore has also been a major piece of the offense, piling up 30 catches in Oregon’s last four games - the most in the Big Ten and tied for sixth nationally over that stretch. For the season, Moore leads Oregon with 48 receptions, 601 yards and seven touchdowns.
Michigan, though, brings real problems of its own. The Wolverines arrive with the nation’s No. 4 pass defense, giving up 154.8 yards per game, and they also come in with uncertainty at quarterback after a change of offensive coordinator.
A week after naming freshman Tommy Carr his starter for the “foreseeable future,” Kyle Whittingham reopened the competition between Carr and sophomore Bryce Underwood. Carr has started the last three games, but he threw for 138 yards and two interceptions in Saturday’s 15-6 loss to Michigan State.
Whittingham said he plans to keep the quarterback decision in-house until game time.
Whittingham, who is in his first season coaching Michigan, is no stranger to Oregon. He is 4-8 against the Ducks, and Saturday will be his first meeting with them as Michigan’s coach. On “Inside Michigan Football,” he also praised Dan Lanning while discussing what Oregon has built in Eugene.
“He really does a great job recruiting. It doesn't hurt that you have $50-plus million dollars at your disposal to, in essence outbid everybody,” Whittingham said.
“Not everybody, but a lot of people. But that's not his fault.
That's a credit. I mean, that's a credit to their program and their dedication and desire to win and the support they have.”
Oregon will have to handle this one without Teitum Tuioti, who needs surgery after injuring his knee in the fourth quarter of the Ducks’ 41-28 win over Ohio State. He leads Oregon with nine tackles for loss and ranks second on the team with 5.5 sacks, making his absence a major blow to the defense. Lanning said the Ducks will lean on familiar faces up front.
“There's already been a rotation along our defensive line, so I think you'll see a lot of the familiar faces. But you don't just replace a guy like Teitum Tuioti and his experience and what he's been able to do,” Lanning said.
Autzen has been a tough place for visitors for a long time. Oregon has won 30 of its last 33 home games under Lanning and 58 of 63 at Autzen since 2017. Michigan’s only previous trip to Eugene ended in a 31-27 loss in 2003.
Fans heading to the stadium should plan on green, since that’s the color Oregon is asking supporters to wear for Saturday’s game. The weather forecast for Eugene calls for rain, mainly after 10 p.m., with cloudy skies and a low around 44.
Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT at Autzen Stadium, with FS1 carrying the broadcast. Oregon enters at 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten, while Michigan is 5-4 and 2-4 in conference play.
The Ducks started the season ranked No. 2 in both the AP Poll and Coaches’ Poll, the highest preseason ranking in program history, but losses to Oklahoma State, UCLA and Illinois knocked them out of the rankings for a stretch. After the wins over Northwestern and Ohio State, Oregon is back at No. 16 in the CFP rankings and No. 18 in the AP Top-25.
Oregon is an 11.5-point favorite on FanDuel SportsBook, with the over/under set at 47.5 total points.
Fans can also listen on KUJZ-FM 95.3 in Eugene, KFXX-AM 1080 in Portland, Sirius 133 and XM 197.
In Other News...
Michigan QB Situation Just Got Even Murkier After Unexpected Twist
Michigans quarterback picture was already unsettled, and Colin Hurleys latest move only adds another layer to it. After arriving from LSU and being expected to compete for a backup job in Ann Arbor, Hurley medically retired following a concussion, a development that seemed to close the book on his college career for the time being.
Now Hurley is planning to return to football and has entered the transfer portal, reopening a path that looked finished not long ago. For Michigan, it lands amid a stretch of turnover and uncertainty at the position, with Bryce Underwood recently benched and offensive coordinator Jason Beck already fired, leaving the Wolverines still searching for some clarity under center. [Read more 🡒]
Tom Izzo Had Quite A Message For Duke After This Loss
Michigan States preseason win over Duke gave Tom Izzo plenty to talk about afterward, and he made sure to frame it as more than just a good October result. The Spartans beat the Blue Devils 79-73, and Izzo came away impressed with Duke while also acknowledging what his own team had done to earn the victory.
Izzo also couldnt resist tying the moment back to the bigger campus mood in East Lansing, pointing to Michigan States recent football win over Michigan and stressing how much that meant. The basketball result mattered, but in Izzos view, it was part of a stretch that had already given the Spartans plenty to feel good about. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Showed The Response Fans Wanted After That Early Loss
The early stumble against No. 4 Connecticut could have lingered, but Michigans next outing against Marquette offered the sort of answer coaches usually hope for after a tough night. Since that Big Ten Tournament championship run, the Wolverines had been rolling, so the loss served as a useful reminder of how quickly the margin shrinks when the competition tightens up.
Mike Boynton Jr. struck a measured tone afterward, treating the setback as part of the process while pointing to the way Michigan bounced back. The shooting looked cleaner, the defense was sharper and players such as Quinn Costello and Moustapha Thiam showed clear improvement, the kind of response that can matter just as much as the result itself as the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]