The Ducks, two-touchdown favorites, defeated Michigan 38-17 on Saturday at Michigan Stadium. Oregon is 9-0, 6-0 Big Ten and Michigan is 5-4, 3-3 and will play undefeated Indiana next weekend. The defending champion Wolverines have three remaining regular season games to earn a win to become bowl eligible.

“These next three games, especially the top teams (Indiana and Ohio State) that we have to play, it will be more of, how do we want to be remembered?” edge rusher Derrick Moore said of the Wolverines’ motivation for the next three games. “How do we want to end together? A lot of guys won’t be here next year, so the question really is: how do we want to end the season?”

Michigan played the Ducks and their high-powered offense without starting cornerbacks Will Johnson and Jyaire Hill, both out with injuries. Johnson has missed the last two games and most of the Illinois game, and this was the first time Hill didn’t play. The Ducks came into the game in eleventh place^e in total offense (467.1 yards) and finished with 470 yards, including 294 passing.

The Ducks didn’t miss a beat without leading receiver Tez Johnson, who was injured on the third play of the game after an 11-yard reception. He entered the game second in the Big Ten in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel was 22 of 34 for 294 yards and a touchdown, and he also ran for one. Traeshon Holden led the team with six catches for 149 yards, Jordan James rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown, and Noah Whittington scored two rushing touchdowns.

Michigan quarterback Davis Warren was 13 of 23 for 165 yards and two touchdowns against Peyton O’Leary and Tyler Morris. Tight end Colston Loveland had seven catches for 112 yards, Morris had 38 yards on three catches and the touchdown, and Michigan had 105 rushing yards with Donovan Edwards leading the way with 10 carries for 52 yards.

The Wolverines had 270 yards, were 4-of-12 on third down — including 1-of-6 in the first half — and while Warren wasn’t sacked, the Ducks had seven tackles for loss for 19 yards.

Oregon led 28-10 at halftime and Michigan punted four of its first five possessions, the Wolverines’ lone touchdown came on a fumbled punt return and Morris scored five plays later on a seven-yard pass from Warren. The inefficiency on third down was crucial, but Michigan was on third down and long in all of those situations, including a 3rd-and-11 and a 3rd-and-16.

“It’s up to me as the quarterback, I have to be better on third downs,” Warren said. “You have to be able to convert. The third down is the money loss, and we talked about it all week and didn’t take advantage of the opportunities when we had them. So that’s up to me to get better.”

BOX SCORE: Oregon 38, Michigan 17

The Wolverines opened the game with a three-and-out, then Oregon efficiently drove the field 63 yards in 12 plays and Gabriel connected with Evan Stewart for a 2-yard touchdown reception with solid coverage from Aamir Hall. The play stood, but on television replay it appeared the ball slipped through Stewart’s hands and landed on the turf. Referee Ron Snodgrass told a pool reporter after the match that the scoring play, as it all is, was reviewed and approved by replay. Michigan coach Sherrone Moore suggested he discuss the call with the Big Ten.

Michigan’s defense held Oregon to a three-and-out to open the second half, and Michigan then cut the lead to 28-17 on the opening possession. Big passes from Warren to Loveland of 34 and 20 yards and a key third-down conversion on a 12-yard pass to Morris put the Wolverines deep in Oregon territory, and Peyton O’Leary caught a 6-yard pass in the end zone .

With some momentum following that score, the Wolverines’ defense appeared headed to the sideline for a breather after Makari Paige broke up a pass on third down. But on the punt, Michigan’s Trey Pierce was penalized for illegal formation, putting the Ducks on first down. They would build a 31-17 lead on a 26-yard field goal.

“It was just a different formation that we had to get used to, so we just had to do better on the field,” Moore said.

Late in the fourth quarter, Michigan, trailing by two touchdowns, reached Oregon’s 15-yard line, but there was a questionable play-call sequence by offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell. Warren threw incomplete, then backup quarterback Alex Orji came in and ran for 3 yards and Kale Mullings gained 3 yards on third-and-7. On fourth-and-5 at the 10, Orji threw to Semaj Morgan, who threw incomplete to Orji in the end zone . Orji hit a television camera at the end of the play but was not injured.

Wojo asks Derrick Moore about the team’s 5-4 record heading into the stretch.

Wojo asks Derrick Moore about the team’s 5-4 record heading into the stretch.

“They defended it well,” Moore said. “I think they had zone pressure and the end fell to the quarterback. Plays are called and you won’t regret it or call out the play caller or anything like that. We have to start executing. It was fourth and 3 (actually 5) and that was the play that was called.”

Oregon put the finishing touches on the game with a 90-yard, 11-play scoring drive in nearly seven minutes, as James Jordan scored on a 2-yard run with 25 seconds left.

“I’m just from that perspective, just proud of the way the guys fought,” Warren said. “I came out of halftime and knew our backs were a bit against the ball. At halftime, we had a real heart-to-heart talk, like, “Hey, we gotta go now. This is an opportunity for us, and we had to stop a defense, and then we could roll.

But falling behind early made it a challenge for a team that hasn’t finished well. Michigan was outscored 112-84 in the second half.

“You felt that momentum,” Moore said of Michigan in the second half, “but we’ve got to finish it.”

The Wolverines have three regular season games to find a way to take that step forward.

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