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Headed into the 2019 season, there was a bunch of hype surrounding Michigan football. From getting projected to win the Big Ten Championship to debuting a new “speed in space” offense by newly offensive coordinator Josh Gattis where the offense would finally explode and put up points. The offense would use quarterback Shea Patterson’s skillset and former Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight said the handcuffs would be removed from Patterson.
Then Week One happened and Michigan beat Middle Tennessee State 40-21. Patterson started the season rough with a fumble on the first play of the game, and he would fumble a second time. As the game continued and Patterson played, he would face boos from his own fans.
He finished the game going 17/29 for 203 yards with three touchdowns, along with nine carries for 28 yards and two fumbles. While not the best performance ever, nothing worth booing about. Fans reacted wildly and wanted backup quarterback Dylan McCaffrey to step in and become the starter.
Are those same fans booing Patterson now?
Patterson has blocked out the talk from the fans and has continued to let his play do all the talk. While the Wolverines and the offense overall did struggle in the first five games of the season, their past six have been something different. The offense has finally figured out everything and that’s without a quarterback change.
In the past six games, Patterson has gone 98/162 for 1,471 yards with 15 touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s completely grown from last year as a passer and this offense truly has taken the handcuffs off Patterson. His ability to use his legs when needed to either gain yards, or escape pressure and keep the passing play alive is impressive. He’s gotten better at reading defenses on the option run plays, and RPO’s are becoming simple for him to figure out.
While he has been successful in his recent games, the biggest game of the year is up next, Ohio State. A team that is walking into Ann Arbor undefeated, but looked beatable in their 28-17 win against No. 8 Penn State today. Patterson has quieted the haters with his recent performances, but he will need to win this game to completely shut them up.
He beat Michigan State again and now will walk away never losing to the Spartans. He got his revenge against Notre Dame and avenged his poor Michigan debut from last season. The final hurdle to get past is the Buckeyes.
Can he be the quarterback to get Michigan past the Buckeyes for the first time since 2011? The way he’s been playing he certainly has a shot to do it. He won’t forget what Ohio State did to him and his team last season, which can be more fuel to the fire that the team will be looking for as they prepare for the Buckeyes next week.
All of the fans booing Patterson and screaming for McCaffrey to come in are probably eating their words now. Patterson has been the right choice to lead this team since he arrived at Michigan last year. He’s proving his worth and showcasing it once again. So whether you like it or not, he’s Michigan’s starting quarterback and he’s proving himself once again. Now can he do something that hasn’t been done in what will be over eight years?