Michigan football seeks to end streak against No. 1 ranked teams with Ducks flocking to Ann Arbor

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – It’s Groundhog Day for the Michigan Wolverines, who are hosting a top-ranked team in the nation for the second time this season.

The last time the Wolverines had a top team visit the Big House was in week two when the then No. 3 ranked Texas Longhorns boat raced the men in maize 31-12.

The Wolverines will now take on the No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks on Saturday (Nov. 2) at 3:30 p.m., where they are 14.5-point home underdogs.

If you like to bet, the Wolverines, coming off a big-time victory over in-state rival Michigan State Spartans, are overcome with confidence ahead of the matchup.

“This is the spark that we need,” said linebacker Ernest Hausmann. “We are obviously going into a big week with Oregon coming up next. I think it’s a win. There’s a lot of things you learn from. Obviously, a win, you take a win, but obviously, there’s always things you can always look on, get better on, and sharpen up for the next game.”

Quarterback Davis Warren, who returned to the starting lineup alongside Alex Orji, who will continue filling in for a few run plays.

The duo played well for the Wolverines, especially with their uptempo offense, which had Warren thinking ahead to their week nine matchup against the Ducks.

“I mean, even just watching them, you know, because Michigan State had played Oregon earlier in the year and then on our by week watching Oregon a little bit definitely excited, you know,” Warren said. “Good, we like that. Bring them on, bring the No. 1 team in here. I know we can handle it. We’re more than capable of taking these guys on, and I think it’s just a really exciting opportunity for us. I know we’re going to attack it the same way we attacked this week. We’re going to get even better. We’re going to be better as a team next week, and we’re going to bring our best shot at them.”

Superstar tight end Colston Loveland brought the same sentiment about playing the Ducks in Ann Arbor and how the uptempo offense could be a major factor.

“Yeah, I mean, we’re just going to come into the building tomorrow, watch the tape, see what works, see what didn’t work, and you know, like you said, if things are working, you know, we’ll keep doing them and just get ready for a game plan for Oregon next week,” said Loveland. “But yeah, we’ll continue to do the things that work and find different ways to do them, and we’ll adjust to things that didn’t work.”

Work is something all three phases of the Wolverines will have to put in as Heisman favorite Dillon Gabriel is second in the most games with having two or more passing touchdowns and one or more rushing touchdowns with 22 games so far, trailing Tim Tebow (24) and four up on Colin Kaepernick (18).

Gabriel has accomplished that feat eight times this season, and he may be getting another weapon back in tight end Terrance Ferguson.

Ferguson is a reminiscence of Loveland as far as being a menance on the football field. An appendectomy caused him to miss two games but prior to that, he accummulated 20 receptions for 31 yards this season.

The Ducks, with their stout defensive line, have been without Jordan Burch, who has been out since the Ohio State Buckeyes game on Oct. 12. Prior to his injury, he led the team in sacks with five and tackles for loss with seven.

The game plan will depend on the Wolverines' offense and quarterback play.

They’ve run through three in eight games, including Jack Tuttle, who retired earlier this week due to injuries he sustained throughout his career.

The Wolverines started Warren in the team’s first three games. Six interceptions later, he was benched for Orji, who was replaced during the Washington Huskies game due to poor play by Tuttle, who played poorly himself against the Illinois Fighting Illini before hanging up his cleats.

However, as true Michigan men, Warren and Orji found their footing in the second half of the MSU game, sealing the victory and giving the team confidence ahead of the Oregon game.

But the Wolverines football program all-time against the Associated Press No. 1 team dating back to 1984 has lost eight straight times.

Their last win against a team ranked No. 1 was in 1984 against the Miami Hurricanes.

The Wolverines will look to keep the winning ways going on Saturday in the big-time matchup against the Ducks.

After the team’s performance in the second half of the MSU game, Donovan Edwards says he has faith in Warren and his doubters should too.

"I do want to hit on about this guy right here. I think that if you go through a lot of like adversity, you know, like expectations on you, you know, the adversity defines who you are. This guy right here didn’t flinch not one bit, and that’s somebody in our huddle that we respect because of the resilience that he’s had. You know what the media says about him, and you know the expectations and all that that’s what’s been on him, so you know I truly respect. I appreciate him, and he deserved the game that he that he had and especially being able to get his start back to be able to lead this team to victory y’all. y’all better stop counting him out, man, because he’s shown time and time again that he overcomes adversity in his personal life and, in the end, in the football world, that he’s always going to overcome adversity, so I’m proud of him, man stop questioning him all right.”

Donovan Edwards