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    • Coaches as expensive as anything versus Oregon
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    Coaches as expensive as anything versus Oregon

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    Free Press sportswriter Tony Garcia assesses Michigan’s football performance Saturday in the 38-17 loss to Oregon in their first meeting as Big Ten foes at Michigan Stadium.

    Violation: C

    After all the worries about the passing attack, who would have thought that the lack of a rushing game would prove to be costly. The running backs were bottled up for the second straight week as Kalel Mullings (eight carries for 16 yards) and Donovan Edwards (10 carries for 52 yards) had their least effective day of the season. Even QB Alex Orji was mostly bottled up, rushing six times for 39 yards. Overall, Michigan averaged just 3.6 yards per attempt.

    RAINER SABIN: Michigan football has so many problems in the loss to Oregon that it’s hard to pinpoint the biggest one

    While it wasn’t always pretty, the passing offense was acceptable. Other than a fumble he recovered in the first quarter, Davis Warren didn’t endanger the ball. He finished the day 13-for-23 for 165 yards and two touchdowns, but he wasn’t the reason UM lost. He had a stretch midway through the game where he completed nine of ten passes, four of which gained 18 yards or more, after UM had played the first 25 minutes of the game with just 7 passing yards. Colston Loveland continues to cement itself as the best team in the country; he caught seven passes for a career-high 112 yards.

    Tyler Morris also had his best day of the year, with three catches for 38 yards and a nice touchdown reception in the first quarter on third-and-goal. Payton O’Leary also had his second career touchdown grab in the third quarter after a tough third-and-goal catch in traffic.

    The second half was much better with two long drives, but a bloodless first half was too much to overcome.

    Defense: C-minus

    SHAWN WINDSOR: Michigan football gets a moral victory, which is no small feat against No. 1 Oregon

    Like the offense, the second half was better, but not enough.

    The tone was set when Oregon scored four of its first five drives for touchdowns. Each of these possessions was a long march, as all four made at least six plays and traveled more than 60 yards. Three went at least 75 yards.

    The Ducks did just about everything they wanted on offense, as Dillon Gabriel completed 22 of 34 passes for 294 yards, even when star receiver Tez Johnson left the game in the first quarter with an injury. Oregon had six passing plays of at least 15 yards and five rushing plays of at least 10 yards or more on its way to 470 yards of offense. Michigan knew it had to win the third-down battle and didn’t, allowing the nation’s top team to convert 10 of 15 third downs.

    Although the second half was an improvement — Oregon’s first three drives resulted in two punts and one field goal — an 11-play, 90-yard touchdown drive left a sour taste with 25 seconds left to play. Yes, UM was in the two starting corners, but there was little resistance. UM had three tackles for loss, all in the second half, and no sacks.

    Special teams: B

    There was one special teams blunder, but let’s get that under coaching. For the most part the unity was good.

    Joe Taylor opened the day with a 29-yard kick return and then made what was temporarily a game-changing play when he forced a fumble on Michigan’s second punt attempt. It put the Wolverines at the Ducks’ 28, resulting in a touchdown five plays later.

    Meanwhile, the kicking game was clean. Dominic Zvada made a 38-yard field goal and also made both of his extra point attempts that afternoon. Punter Tommy Doman, who has struggled this year, had perhaps his second-best performance of the season: five punts for an average of 45.2 yards while pinning the Ducks twice in their 20 (including once at 6).

    Coaching: C-minus

    Michigan needed clean play from its players and coaches to win this one and while the Wolverines didn’t turn the ball over, the coaching staff didn’t put him in position to win the game.

    It started early on Oregon’s first touchdown, when Evan Stewart was credited with a score when the replay showed he had clearly dropped the pass. For some reason, the play wasn’t challenged or reviewed: Moore said all scoring plays have to be reviewed after the game, so he’ll have to talk to the league to see what happened.

    Later, when Sherrone Moore chose to question a result, it seemed questionable. Loveland was attempting to haul in a high third-and-8 pass near the left boundary when it was ruled he had not completed the catch. The game was close, so Moore elected to challenge, but the call was upheld. “I thought he caught the ball, got a knee down, then went down and rolled out of bounds and then the ball came out,” Moore said after the game. “The kids were fighting, I went to fight them. It looked to me like it was a catch, so that’s why I challenged it.”

    ‘THEY JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND THE RULE’: Michigan Football Easily Loses Challenge vs. Oregon

    But perhaps the worst moment was in the third quarter. UM’s defense had forced an Oregon punt, but on fourth-and-4 the Ducks were lined up in an odd formation and Trey Pierce was right above the snapper. UM was awarded a five-yard penalty, which gave Oregon a first down and ultimately led to a field goal.

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