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...
Oregon Still Owes Fans Answers On Messiah Hampton Situation
Oregons off-field questions around Messiah Hampton are still hanging over the program as the freshman wide receiver moves through the early stages of the legal process following an October 18 incident that led to felony attempting to elude a police officer and misdemeanor reckless driving charges. The case stems from a high-speed chase that involved multiple vehicles with Oregon football players, a detail that has kept the story tied closely to the Ducks even as the legal proceedings have moved forward.
Hampton was arrested on October 30 and arraigned on November 2, and the next scheduled step is a pre-trial conference on December 17. For Oregon, the unresolved part is not just the court calendar but the broader need for clarity around what happened and how the program is handling a situation that has already put an unwanted spotlight on one of its young players. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Just Put Oregons Tight End Future In Focus
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The bigger picture is that Oregon does not appear content to leave the room as is. Lanning also said the Ducks plan to add talent through the transfer portal in the offseason, which adds another layer to Harrisons development and the overall competition at the position. For a program that wants to keep stacking difference-makers, the message is clear: Harrison is part of the future, but Oregon is still looking to build around him. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Now Faces The Same Offensive Problem Penn State Couldnt Solve
Northwesterns offense has become one of the more unusual problems Ohio State will see this season, and it comes with a familiar face on the other sideline. Under Pat Fitzgerald and his offensive coordinator, a former Ohio State coach, the Wildcats have leaned into a modified wing-T look that has helped them pile up rushing yards in recent games, including a strong showing against Penn State. It is the kind of scheme that forces defenses to stay disciplined snap after snap, and it has clearly earned the Buckeyes attention.
Ohio State players and coaches have already acknowledged how creative and difficult Northwesterns approach can be, which is part of what makes this matchup so interesting. Penn State had its own trouble sorting it out, and now the Buckeyes are preparing for the same challenge with little room for error. For Oregon fans watching the broader Big Ten picture, it is another reminder that style points do not matter much when an offense can make a game feel strange in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]