Michigan arrives at Autzen Stadium on Saturday with a 5-4 record, four losses in its last six games and an offense that has struggled to produce enough points to complement one of the nation’s most accomplished defenses. On the surface, it seems like a favorable matchup for an Oregon team coming off consecutive victories over Northwestern and Ohio State, particularly with the Ducks beginning to rediscover the offensive confidence that had been missing through much of the middle portion of the season.
A deeper examination of the numbers suggests something considerably more complicated. Michigan is not a particularly good football team when evaluated in its entirety, but the Wolverines are exceptionally good at several things that have given Oregon problems throughout the season. They control the line of scrimmage defensively, limit successful plays, prevent explosive rushing gains and force opposing offenses to operate in unfavorable down-and-distance situations. Those are not simply characteristics of a sound defense. They are precisely the qualities that can expose some of Oregon’s lingering offensive inconsistencies.
