Oregon Ducks need their ground game to find success against Michigan Wolverines

Oregon football will need to continue leaning on both the passing game and rushing attack on Saturday in the Big House. The one-two punch of Jordan James and Noah Whittington has been a key offensive weapon in 2024 for the Ducks. James is averaging better than 100 yards per game and has 8 touchdowns on the season.

Whittington has come in as a change of pace back and has shown, when healthy, he can find yards both inside and outside the line. He is not afraid to go after the tough yards and against Illinois, he also showed he is not able to take on a defender on the way to the endzone.

Of course, the Ducks also have a mobile quarterback in Dillon Gabriel who has shown he can also use his legs. The use of Gabriel as a runner was known, but has not been seen until recently. His first real rush of the was in a road win at Oregon State.

Oregon is the number one team in the country and is putting up 300 yards through the air per game to go along with close to 170 yards on the ground per contest. Jordan James has 136 carries on the season for 800 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Whittington has been effective when he has been on the field to the tune of 270 yards and 2 scores. For Gabriel, he has used his feet when needed and gained 97 yards through 8 games. The Ducks big three have a combined 15 touchdowns.

Gabriel through the air is partly responsible for 18 touchdowns led by Tez Johnson with 8. Evan Stewart and Traeshon Holden have 3 each respectively. Oregon finds its success with a balanced attack on offense. This offense is the most balanced under Dan Lanning, at least so far.

The Ducks should look to get ahead early on Saturday to help take the crowd out of the game, similar to what they did at Purdue a few weeks ago. Oregon and Michigan meet on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT on CBS.

Read more: