QuickTake:

Dan Lanning and Kyle Whittingham exchanged compliments — and a few jabs — ahead of Saturday's matchup. Here's what to know before kickoff.

Two things can be true.

1. No, I didn’t think Kyle Whittingham’s quote was actually that bad.

For those catching up, this week in “As the Ducks Turn” brought with it another exchange of words between Dan Lanning and an opposing coach through the media.

This one was sparked by Whittingham’s — on paper — complimentary words about the Oregon coach and his program.

“Outstanding football coach, defensive-minded coach, that’s his background,” the Michigan coach said of Lanning. “But tireless recruiter, really does a great job recruiting — it doesn’t hurt that you have $50-plus million at your disposal to, in essence, outbid everybody. Not everybody, but a lot of people. But that’s not his fault, that’s a credit. That’s a credit to their program and their dedication and desire to win and the support they have.

“And so that’s — because NIL is really the name of the game in recruiting these days. It’s shifted so much. It used to be the facilities you had and the tradition you had and all these other things and now it’s, ‘Well this is all great, but these guys got 100 grand more for me.’”

Lanning is a good, defensive-minded coach. He is a tireless recruiter. And he does have NIL resources that would leave most schools wanting.

There’s nothing especially controversial about any of that.

However…

2. Kyle, what are you doing?

Sure, the longtime Utah coach turned Michigan punching bag didn’t say anything that untoward there. But neither did Mike Gundy last September when he noted that Oregon’s NIL budget was “close to $40 million,” which drew a retort from Lanning.

“Ultimately, how blessed are we to be in a place that’s invested in winning? If you want to be a Top 10 team in college football, you better be invested in winning. And we spend to win. Some people save to have an excuse for why they don’t, right?” Lanning said then.

Oregon then proceeded to beat Oklahoma State 69-3.

“I told our team, right before the game, that it never requires extra motivation for an opportunity to go out and kick ass,” Lanning said after the win. “But it never hurts when somebody pours gasoline on the fire.”

A year later, it took little time for Lanning and the Ducks to show they’re bringing that same mindset into Saturday’s game against a Michigan team that’s reeling.

“Man, I’ve got nothing to say to Coach Whit other than I think he’s an unbelievable coach. And I get it, they’re spending more money on the coaches they’re letting go, so maybe it makes it hard to sign players, but I know they’ve signed a couple guys that we weren’t able to compete with what they decided to do, and maybe a lot of that money is tied up for them in another player, I don’t know.

“But Coach Whittingham is an unbelievable coach, he’s a hall of fame coach, I’ve got nothing but respect for him.”

Now, this Oregon team isn’t the 2025 Oregon team. And, despite Whittingham’s attempt to appeal to the middle class, Michigan isn’t exactly 2025 Oklahoma State.

But at 2-4 in Big Ten play and coming off a 15-6 loss to Michigan State, if this game goes anything like 2025, Whittingham might find himself regretting unnecessarily poking the Duck.

How to watch or listen

When: Saturday, Nov. 14, 12:30 p.m. PT

Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon

TV: FS1; Tim Brando (play-by-play), Devin Gardner (analyst), Josh Sims (sideline)

Radio: Oregon Sports Network — 95.3 FM in Eugene, 105.1 FM The Fan in Portland; Jerry Allen (play-by-play), Mike Jorgensen (analyst), Dusty Harrah (sideline)

What to wear: Green

Who’s playing?

Oregon: 6-3 overall, 4-2 Big Ten; No. 16 College Football Playoff ranking

Michigan: 5-4 overall, 2-4 Big Ten; unranked

Rosters: Oregon | Michigan

Players to watch

Oregon: Nasir Wyatt, outside linebacker

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) fumbles the ball under pressure from Oregon’s Nasir Wyatt (31) as the teams face off at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oct. 10, 2026. Credit: Payton Bruni / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

The Ducks aren’t replacing Teitum Tuioti, neither his leadership nor his play on the field. But they will have to adjust following the news of the senior outside linebacker’s season-ending injury.

Next man up for Oregon is Nasir Wyatt, who finds himself in the spotlight now as a sophomore with 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks on the season.

Wyatt flashed his potential in limited action as a true freshman last year, recording 11 tackles, four for loss and three sacks. He then spent the offseason preparing for a bigger role, adding 20 pounds — including 10 pounds of muscle — to reach 245. When we talked in August, he was proud of maintaining his explosiveness despite the added weight. The only downside? He’d outgrown all his jeans.

“Like two months ago I had no more jeans,” Wyatt said. “I have to constantly change and buy sweats and shorts.”

Now comes a chance to show what that added size can do on the field.

His coach thinks he’s ready.

“Nas has grown as a player every single year he’s been here, every moment he’s been here. He’s gotten better and better and better,” Lanning said. “And we’ve asked him to do so much. Like his position is one of the more challenging positions to play because the amount of volume that they have… and that’s really leveled up for him. So, he’s grown.”

Michigan: JJ Buchanan, wide receiver

The Utah-to-Michigan pipeline hasn’t been all bad for the Wolverines.

JJ Buchanan has had a pretty easy adjustment to the Big Ten.

The one-time Utah tight end who followed Whittingham to Ann Arbor last offseason has emerged as Michigan’s most productive pass catcher with 40 receptions for 646 yards and five touchdowns through nine games.

Those numbers are particularly impressive considering the struggles of Michigan’s offense.

The Wolverines rank near the bottom of the FBS in scoring and total offense. They’ve already changed offensive coordinators, and Whittingham reopened the quarterback competition between sophomore Bryce Underwood and freshman Tommy Carr this week.

Buchanan can’t fix everything. But the sophomore is dead set on turning the ship around.

“It starts with me being one of the leaders on this team. I have to execute better, and then obviously it trickles down to everyone else,” he said. “We have to execute our one-on-one matchups better, and I feel like that just hasn’t transpired this year. So I think that’s the main focal point these last three weeks.”

Reads to get ready for the game

On Oregon

On Michigan

Watch The Inside Look

Ken and Tyson revisit Oregon’s remarkable win at Ohio State, including that unforgettable fake punt, before turning their attention to Michigan.

Listen to The Traffic Report

Justin Myers and Tyson break down Oregon’s turnaround, the renewed playoff conversation and a November that suddenly looks a lot more interesting.

Tyson Alger covered the Ducks for The Oregonian and The Athletic before branching out on his own to create and run The I-5 Corridor. He brings more than a decade of experience on the University of Oregon sports beat. He has covered everything from Marcus Mariota’s Heisman Trophy-winning season to the Ducks’ first year in the Big 10.