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Behind Dillon Gabriel, stout defense No. 1 oregon football routs michigan

Posted on by Gerres
Behind Dillon Gabriel, stout defense No. 1 oregon football routs michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The self-proclaimed champions of the West were drubbed by the self-announced team out West.

Michigan, the winningest program in college football history and the two-time defending Big Ten Champion, was outclassed, outrushed and outmatched in almost every way by No. 1 Oregon, one of the conference’s newcomers, who was supposedly going to have to adjust to the physicality of Midwestern football.

The Wolverines, although with a shell of the roster from last year’s national championship team, are no longer the leaders of the Big Ten. They are no longer the best. That title belongs to the top-ranked Ducks, who won 38-17 Saturday afternoon in front of 110,576 at The Big House.

Dillon Gabriel threw for 294 yards and a touchdown and ran for 23 yards and a score, Jordan James ran for 117 yards and a score and Traeshon Holden had a career-best 149 receiving yards for an Oregon offense that gained 470 yards on 71 plays. It was the yards per play allowed by Michigan this season and the most points and yards allowed against UM since TCU scored 51 with 488 yards in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.

“Proud of the way our guys performed,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “I thought they came in, handled some adversity really early and really impressed with their composure throughout the game and the focus on the next play, the next opportunity.

“This is a physical team; we knew we were going to get their best. We talked about eliminating the crowd in this game. The warriors are the one that fight the battle and they’re the ones that control the atmosphere, not the spectators. I thought our guys did an elite job of that.”

Yeah. 1 Oregon (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) vs. Maryland (4-4, 1-4)

Oregon (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) once again took total command before halftime, scoring touchdowns on four of its first five drives to build a 28-10 lead that was not nearly that close, as the defense allowed just 111 yards before the break.

Gabriel was 22 of 34, with a two-yard touchdown to Evan Stewart starting the scoring midway through the first quarter. Gabriel added five passes of 20-plus yards, including a pair to setup Noah Whittington for his first of two touchdown runs, and added a scoring run of his own in the final minute of the first half.

“I think everybody in the nation needs to recognize what kind of quarterback we got,” Lanning said. “He’s a really, really special player. He extended some plays and I’m really proud of his performance tonight.”

Gabriel connected on three passes for over 30 yards to Holden, who saw his playing time increase after Tez Johnson went down early with an apparent shoulder injury. It was the first career 100-yard game for Holden, a fifth-year senior who was suspended against Purdue and played limited snaps against Illinois.

“What I’m most impressed with with Traeshon is his composure, his ability to take advantage of the opportunities that came his way,” Lanning said. “He was a big time player for us tonight and really proud of him and his performance.”

James had his fifth 100-yard game of the season to lead a Ducks rushing effort of 176 yards and four touchdowns on 37 carries against a top 15 rush defense.

The Wolverines (5-4, 3-3) had just three tackles for losses, including just one combined from defensive tackles Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham and edge rusher Josaiah Stewart.

“They’re obviously really, really talented players and we were consistent of that,” Lanning said. “I thought the offensive staff did an unbelievable job of having a game plan for those guys. Taking advantage of getting the ball out of the perimeter early, making them work sideline to sideline, always being cognizant of where they were at and trying to take them out of the game.

“At the end of the day we knew when your best was needed and a hard yard was needed we’re going to run it at ’em and our guys did a good job of that.”

Michigan, almost entirely dependent on its running back, had just 105 rushing yards on 28 carries in one of its least productive outings of the season.

“When a team runs the ball you got to come downhill, do your job and then obviously a lot of mentality is who is going to win their gap, who is going to win their assignment,” linebacker Bryce Boettcher said. “I thought we did that tonight and did it well. Obviously when they have a great secondary and they’re not able to pass the ball as well that definitely helps.”

One of the preseason favorites to win the Big Ten Championship, Oregon has lived up to its billing through the first three-quarters of the regular season. It beat Ohio State and Michigan and have comeback win over Boise State that looks better by the week.

“(The wins over Ohio State and Michigan have) been huge, especially joining a new conference, establishing a little bit of dominance,” Boettcher said. “We’re new on the block but we’re here to stay. That’s our mindset.”

The Ducks are in control of their fate, on step closing to securing a spot in the conference championship game and with it, the possibility of a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.

Around these parts the motto is “those who stay will be champions.” A year ago, that was true for Michigan, which did not replenish its roster well enough to sustain anywhere near the same success this season.

Meanwhile, Oregon addressed its weaknesses, replaced a first-round quarterback, the program’s best receiver, a bevy of veteran defensive linemen and its top cornerback and appear to be even better.

“I think the key in college football right now is you have to put yourself in position to be the best team that you can possibly be,” Lanning said. “For us it’s about development, regardless if you came in as a freshman or if you’re coming in as a transfer, can we develop those players and get them to play their best? Dillon’s a great example of a guy that’s come in and improved and gotten a better week in and week out and continue to develop and earn the trust of his teammates.”

At the center of it all is Gabriel, whose weekly levels of efficiency, accuracy and production are on pace to be the best of his six-year career and earn him no less than a trip to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist. Gabriel came to UO for the ultimate prize, but remains focused on achieving the week to week success along the way.

“I think focusing on the now,” Gabriel said, “has allowed us to do what we’ve done.”

— James Crepea covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.