Michigan
Oregon opponent early scouting report: Michigan
An early look at Oregon’s opponents for the 2024 regular season.
Michigan
Game date & time: Michigan Stadium, Nov. 2 (time to be announced)
2023 record: (15-0)
Coach: Sherrone Moore, first year (1-0)
Returning starters: 2 offense, 5 defense
Most important returning players: RB Donovan Edwards, TE Colston Loveland, DL Mason Graham, DL Kenneth Grant
Most critical departures: QB J.J. McCarthy, RB Blake Corum, WR Roman Wilson, TE AJ Barner, OG Zak Zinter, OLB Jaylen Harrell, DT Kris Jenkins, LB Junior Colson, LB Michael Barrett, CB Mike Sainristil
Oregon storylines:
- Dillon Gabriel’s Heisman candidacy
Presuming Gabriel is performing as well as expected, November road games are where the award can be determined. Playing at the defending national champions, who will have already faced Texas and USC, in the largest stadium in the country with a sellout crowd is about as big a stage as it can get for a regular season game.
- Returning to the Big House
Oregon was last at Michigan Stadium in 2007, a 39-7 Ducks win. The Wolverines won the first three meetings of the series, all in Ann Arbor from 1948-73, all by shutouts.
Michigan had the best run defense in the country last season against winning teams, holding opponents to 84.22 rushing yards per game, and return a lot of talent on the defensive line. Oregon’s run game did not perform as well against better teams last season, though the backfield has changed and Gabriel could end up running more than Bo Nix did in 2023.
The Wolverines were potent on the ground last season but losing Blake Corum leaves a huge hole that Donovan Edwards will need to replace. The Ducks were much improved against the run last season except against Washington. By this point in the second each side will have answers for these aspects of their teams.
UM defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is back in the college ranks after 20 years in the NFL. He’s known for his aggressive play-calling and coached former Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux for the past two years with the New York Giants. Martindale has some weapons at his disposal in the front seven and will have worked out rotations by this point.
- Dante Moore’s trip home
By this point in the season it will be clear how much Moore is going to play and in what role. Regardless, the trip back home for the Detroit native will be significant.
Michigan storylines:
- Donovan Edwards’ place on the national state
Edwards has the potential to be the top back in the Big Ten and an All-American given how Michigan could divvy up the carries. How he performs against what should be one of the top three defenses Michigan faces this season will show where he ranks among running backs nationally.
- Alex Orji’s development
The 6-foot-3, 236 pound Orji is the favorite to take over as the starter. He’s only thrown one pass in college so it’s hard to project what Michigan’s offense will be capable of with so much change. But given his size and running ability Orji could be the best running quarterback the Ducks face all season.
It’s a game with CFP implications for both teams but of the two, Michigan is the more likely to come in with multiple losses. Even if both are undefeated, the loser is still in the Big Ten Championship race but can’t afford another loss. If either or both have a loss, a second could eliminate any margin for error with Oregon still needing to play at Wisconsin and against Washington and Michigan going to Ohio State.
An Oregon win would mean:
Likely staying in the thick of the Big Ten race and CFP conversation. Some of the enormity of such a win will be based on Michigan’s record entering the day. Beating an 8-0 team on the road is different than dropping a 6-2 team that is expected to lose one more regular season game.
An Oregon loss would mean:
As noted, some will depend on what records are. If UO is undefeated or even has one loss, it would not necessarily be crushing to its CFP chances to lose at UM. But given the state of each team entering the season, the Ducks have more matchup advantages and deeper talent so it would likely be an upset.
Michigan set a record for diesel fuel prices Sunday.
AAA reported Sunday afternoon the current average for diesel prices statewide was $6.01 per gallon. This beat the 2022 record of $5.96 per gallon, according to analyst Patrick De Haan of the Dallas-based tech company and fuel price tracker GasBuddy.
Sunday’s diesel average climbed 88 cents from last week and more than a dollar since the beginning of April, according to AAA.
The diesel surge comes as Michigan’s average for regular gas on Sunday topped $4.87 per gallon, 1 cent lower than Saturday’s average. Mid-grade fuel averaged $5.42 per gallon, while premium averaged $4.98 per gallon, according to AAA.
The averages for gasoline all were more than $1.60 higher than they were this time last year, according to AAA. Regular gas was 35 cents cheaper than the record $5.22, posted June 11, 2022.
Diesel prices affect construction, farming and trucking. Higher diesel costs for farming and trucking industries affect food costs, GasBuddy said.
“Higher fuel costs mean higher shipping costs for everything we buy,” according to GasBuddy. “More expensive diesel hits farm budgets and drives up food costs.”
De Haan said Thursday that the price surge was driven by fears that oil shipments will continue to be hampered in the Strait of Hormuz as the United States and Israel wage war with Iran. He said declining gas inventories and the temporary closure of three refineries in Illinois and Indiana earlier in the week contributed to the price surge in Michigan.
De Haan said Sunday’s diesel surge was a “perfect storm” of tight refining capacity, freight demand and global supply disruptions. Diesel inventories are below seasonal norms, meaning the market is vulnerable to refinery outages or shipping delays, Newsweek reported.
Even with the spike, De Haan said Michigan’s gas tax rate that went into effect at the beginning of the year makes the average price lower than if the spike had happened in 2025. Michigan’s 52.4 cents per gallon tax replaced the old 6% state gas tax Jan. 1.
“Diesel prices today are ~13.6c/gal LOWER than they’d have been under Michigan’s old 6% sales tax model prior to this year,” De Haan posted on X Sunday.
Regular gas in Michigan averaged $4.87 in Michigan on Sunday, according to AAA. It was 1 cent lower than Saturday.
De Haan said at that time he didn’t foresee increases as capacity in the Midwest returns to normal after the refinery in Whiting, Indiana, came back online.
mbryan@detroitnews.com
No. 1 UCLA baseball took the second game of their Big Ten Conference series 4-3 against Michigan State at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium in East Lansing, Mi. on Saturday.
The Bruins remained undefeated in the Big Ten action by relying heavily on their pitching staff, just like they did in their series opener. In the second game against Michigan State, UCLA’s pitching staff limiting the Spartans success at bat to only eight hits over the nine innings.
All in the first
UCLA was aggressive in the top of the first and it resulted in them scoring all four of their runs off of four hits to give them a 4-0 lead. Payton Brennan and Cashel Duggar each delivered two-run singles for UCLA.
Spartans strike back
Michigan State got on the board in the bottom of the second with their only hit of the inning being a double that allowed their runner to cross home plate from second.
Hanging on to the lead
UCLA managed to keep the lead over the third and fourth innings with no runs being scored by either team. The Bruins had a hit in each inning and the Spartans had no hits in the third, but two in the fourth.
Walking to score
The Spartans scored their second run in the bottom of the fifth off of walk with the bases loaded. Michigan State was unable to put up more runs, despite the bases being loaded and UCLA was able to maintain the 4-2 until the bottom of the eighth.
One more in the eighth
UCLA gave up their final run in the bottom of the eighth with a grounded out giving the Spartans base runner to cross home plate. Despite Michigan State narrowing the score to 4-3, they were held without a hit in the bottom of the ninth and UCLA took their second win of the series.
The Bruins will aim for the series sweep on Sunday with an anticipated start time of 9:05 a.m. PT.
No. 1 UCLA baseball handled business over the last two innings against Michigan State to secure a 4-1 win in their series opener at Jeff Ishbia Field at McLane Stadium in East Lansing, Mi. on Friday.
The Bruins found themselves in a much more low-scoring outing than their 15-3 midweek affair against UC Santa Barbara. Against the Spartans, UCLA’s explosive lineup was held to just four hits over all nine innings, but the Bruins pitching staff fared better than Michigan State’s by only allowing two hits.
Scoreless start
Both UCLA and Michigan State had just one hit in the first three innings, as both teams attempted to find success at the plate. The result was the game being runless heading into the fourth.
Spartans strike first
Michigan State got their second hit of the game in the bottom of the fourth with a single, but it was enough to get their base runner across home plate for the first run of the game.
Offense continued to struggle
UCLA had their second hit of the game in the top of the sixth, but despite the rare hit, and multiple other runners getting on base, the Bruins nor Spartans could increase the score until the eighth inning.
Taking the lead late
In the top of the eighth, the Bruins’ batters awoke with a go-ahead two-run homer strike by junior first baseman Mulivai Levu and putting UCLA in the lead for the first time in the game.
Two more for good measure
The Bruins tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth off of a double and a sacrifice fly to give them two more inusrance runs. The Spartans were held scoreless in the bottom of the ninth to give UCLA the win and keep their undefeated Big Ten Conference streak alive.
UCLA will play their second game against Michigan State on Saturday with an anticipated start time of 12:35 p.m. PT.
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