Michigan has always had its allure. There must be something about those helmets that makes high school All-Americans end up at Ann Arbor; every preseason, the prestigious Michigan program can be found somewhere among the predicted contenders for the national title.

Aspirations started high at the end of summer, but somewhere in the middle of September those aspirations were subdued by the Wolverine’s tough out-of-conference schedule.

Going back three seasons, the first road game on Michigan’s docket has become a date of worry for the Wolverine faithful. In 2000 it was UCLA, in 2001 it was Washington, and last season it was Notre Dame — all three games ending Michigan’s hopes of raising a 12th national title trophy.

Last Saturday, however, the Wolverines vanquished the memory of last season’s 25-23 defeat to the hands of the Fighting Irish in South Bend, treating Notre Dame to its worst loss in 57 years.

Senior running back Chris Perry took the offensive load on his shoulders, scoring four touchdowns while recording 177 yards of total offense. Quarterback John Navarre was steady and collected completing 14 of 21 passes for 200 yards in the 38-0 thrashing.

On the other side of the ball it was Pierre Woods and Larry Stevens who terrorized the Notre Dame backfield, limiting the Irish to only one third-down conversion and only 140 yards of total offense.

“In a way I’m shocked; in another way it’s expected,” Perry said. “We’re on a mission.”

This week the Wolverines take the mission to Eugene, one of the toughest places to play in all of college football, for their first road game of the season.

“I don’t think there’s any question that this is our defense’s biggest test,” head coach Lloyd Carr said.

Oregon’s two-quarterback offense has put on quite a show this season, averaging more than 40 points per game. Wide receivers Sammie Parker and Demetrius Williams have combined for 639 yards and eight touchdowns through three games this season. Four different Ducks have notched receiving touchdowns while spreading out the rushing load among a talented team of tailbacks. It has been an extremely potent attack, with an average of 428.7 yards of offense attesting to their clout.

If Michigan wants to find the way to the BCS promise land, the path and the mission will roll through noisy Autzen Stadium, home of the neon Ducks.

“It’s an exciting place to play; I know our players really get excited to play there because it is so loud,” Carr said.

At the same time Carr knows how daunting the conditions can be, and if Michigan is the contender it has appeared to be, it has to deal with all the problems the road has to offer. While the surprisingly quiet confines of the Big House have served the Wolverines well, team communication must be in good command for the game against Oregon.

“[Our players] must understand, and they do, the significance of being able to communicate without talking,” Carr said. “We use a lot of different personnel packages on offense and defense. On offense, it’s easy to end up with 12 guys in the huddle. You may end up calling a play that is predicated on three wide receivers, and one tight end and a back that’s designed for that personnel package, and you have two tight ends in the game. You have to waste a time-out, so it creates a lot of problems if your players aren’t tuned in with the visual signals that they need to know. You’re dealing with a lot of issues out there.”

While communication is one key, keeping the tenacity up on the defense will be another important aspect in stopping the Ducks.

The Wolverines have already recorded 22 tackles for a loss on the season, eight of those being sacks. While they have only forced five turnovers in their three games, the Michigan defense has come up huge in important situations.

Marlin Jackson, the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, has been moved to safety this season after receiving All-American accolades at cornerback last year. Jackson is currently second on the team in tackles, but with the position switch, he hasn’t been around the ball with as much frequency, preventing the hard-hitter from getting his hands on the ball. Jackson had six interceptions and 18 pass breakups as a sophomore last season, and many question moving such a ball hawk.

But the switch hasn’t shown itself to be a problem in 2003, as the Michigan defense has only surrendered a total of 10 points in three games.

Saturday, however, Jackson’s skills might be needed in containing Parker and Williams in those different defensive packages Carr will display on the field. Getting those turnovers and breakups will be difficult; Oregon quarterbacks Jason Fife and Kellen Clemens have been extremely sharp, not throwing a single interception thus far this season.

Big plays will be needed if Michigan wants to complete its mission Saturday. Oregon’s powerful offense and its stadium’s abnormally loud conditions stand in the Wolverines’ way of entering the Big Ten season undefeated for the first time since 1999.

They have history on their side, a 3-0 all-time record against the Ducks, but they haven’t played each other since 1973, and Michigan has never been to Eugene.

“As a football team this will be a great test for us,” Carr said. “I look forward to it because Oregon is a good program and it’s a difficult place to play. I think it’s a game that prepares our football team for when we go into the Big Ten season.”