Penn State player to watch
Shea Patterson over the last 4 games:
4-0 (2-0 against rivals)
63-100 throwing (63%)
1001 yards
12 TDs
1 INTPatterson is playing the best football of his career heading into the biggest game of his career. pic.twitter.com/tXZwV6Oy5T
— Just Beat Ohio State (@WolverineCorner) November 23, 2019
Shea Patterson, QB — This Michigan team will sink or swim by how effective Patterson is. Against Ohio State, it’s unlikely the receivers on the outside will shake loose as often as they have in previous games. With Chase Young and the defensive line, you can also bank on a significant push up front from the Buckeye D. That means Patterson is going to have to make plays, and he has been up to the task in other contests.
He’s a dual threat and one that can be extremely dangerous if flushed out of the pocket to ad-lib. He’s not nearly as dangerous as Justin Fields in the running game, but he can keep plays alive and has the moxie to make something out of nothing. He had to play extremely well in this one.
Michigan Can Win The Game If …
It can slow down Ohio State’s running game.
Not one single team has really done that this entire year. The Buckeyes rank fourth in the country in yards per game, and have been able to wear down the opponents’ defensive front as the game has gone on. And it’s not just J.K. Dobbins and Master Teague.
Michigan also has to limit the big plays Fields’ can orchestrate on the ground. We saw more true QB designed runs against Penn State, and you can bet there will be more of that against Michigan.
If you look at the history of this game, the team that wins the rushing battle wins almost without fail. That’s how things are won in the cold, gray, and sometimes sloppy November in the Midwest.