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    3 things we learned against the Oregon Ducks
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    3 things we learned against the Oregon Ducks

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    3 minutes, 21 seconds Read

    Three takeaways from Angelique S. Chengelis of The Detroit News following Michigan's 38-17 loss to Oregon in Week 10.

    Play call in question

    This isn't the first time Michigan offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell's play calling has been questioned this season, but it certainly seemed to be the most egregious example of why it has come under scrutiny.

    Trailing by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, Michigan started the game with 12:23 left, starting with a false start five-yard penalty on Marlin Klein, and pushed the Wolverines to first with their 15-yard play. and-15 line. That left backup quarterback Alex Orji in the game and ran for three yards. Davis Warren, who played well against the Ducks and threw two touchdowns on third down, then threw incomplete and converted a rare third-and-long on a 19-yard pass to Tyler Morris. Warren then completed a pass to tight end Colston Loveland for six yards and on second down Donovan Edwards ran up the middle for 16 yards. On second-and-10, Orji, again at quarterback, ran 26 yards to the Oregon 15-yard line.

    Then things got interesting on the play-calling rollercoaster ride.

    On the fourth and fifth runs, Campbell thought this would be a good time to make a trick play and not go to Warren. Orji threw a pitch to receiver Semaj Morgan, who attempted a pass to Orji in the left corner of the end zone. The pass was erroneous and Orji hit a television camera but was uninjured. Head coach Sherrone Moore said Oregon did a good job defending the game.

    “I’m not going to have any regrets or hold the play caller accountable or anything like that,” Moore said. “We just have to go.”

    Moore shouldn't have used that post-game comment to suggest that the players needed to make a stunning play. This is when Moore, a former play-caller and Michigan's offensive coordinator last season, should be blaming Campbell for not giving players a higher percentage of the play to execute.

    Not on Warren

    Michigan was 4 of 12 on third-down conversions against Oregon, and while it was noble of Warren to take the blame and put it on his shoulders, it's a burden he shouldn't have to carry.

    “It falls to me as a quarterback that I have to be better on third downs,” Warren said after the game. “The money went down with third place and we talked about it all week and didn't take advantage of the opportunities when we had them. So it’s up to me to get better.”

    The need is to be better on the early downs. A few weeks ago, running back Kalel Mullings discussed the need to find consistency on first and second downs to create third-and-short situations – this is what a “money” down looks like.

    Michigan was 1 of 6 on third down in the first half and the Ducks led 28-10. The five failed third downs looked like this: third-and-7, incompletion; On 3rd-and-6, Warren recovered his own foul and lost six yards; third and fifth, incompleteness; Third-and-13, eight-yard pass; Third and 11, incompleteness.

    Of course, Warren could have made some plays, but the third-and-long is hardly ideal and running it multiple times with an offense that has struggled with inconsistency this season is unmanageable.

    Loveland's big game

    Loveland didn't have a touchdown to show for his work, but he led Michigan with 112 yards on seven catches. He had 59 yards after the catch.

    Warren raved about Loveland after the game, describing him as a player who does everything right and practices and plays hard. Loveland leads the team in receiving with 49 catches for 523 yards (10.7 average) and four touchdowns.

    “He did a great job getting open and they didn’t cover him and I wanted to hit him,” Warren said. “I’m really proud of the way this guy fights. It has no end and I know I can rely on it. He’s a Michigan guy and he loves this team and he’s a real leader on offense.”

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