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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It might come at the chagrin of those who were his detractors all season, but Shea Patterson garnered Michigan’s highest honor on Sunday evening.
At the annual Schemmy Awards, formerly the Michigan football bust, the senior quarterback took home the greatest award of the night, having been voted by his teammates the best player on the team, as he earned the Most Valuable Player award.
Per usual, in response to receiving such praise, Patterson was demure, noting how many of his teammates were equally as deserving of said honor.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of guys that were capable of getting that award,” Patterson said. “Nico (Collins), Ronnie (Bell), Ben (Bredeson) – anyone of our offensive line, all year – there’s so many guys that make plays. I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
But if you ask one of the aforementioned, they’d tell you that Patterson was the engine that ran the machine — a machine that really got humming along midway through the season.
“The whole offense, he ran that thing, and he did an outstanding job doing it,” senior team captain Ben Bredeson said. “He’s versatile back there, he did a great job with his reads. He was a very emotional player, kept everybody high-spirited and doing well. I love playing with him.”
Patterson particularly came on strong as the season progressed, having closed out the final three games with over 300 yards passing — the first-ever Michigan quarterback to have three consecutive 300 yard games.
As far as why the lights really turned on for the former five-star as the regular season wound down, again, Patterson demurred.
“I just have to thank Coach Gattis for giving me the keys, and trusting and believing in me,” Patterson said. “I think that kinda spoke for itself. Coach Gattis explained to our players, everybody on the team to buy in. In order to be the difference, you’ve gotta change the difference, he always says. I think that’s another element of added trust and buy in from everybody.”
The lifelong Michigan fan and two-year Wolverine will have one more opportunity to impress, and it’ll be quite the challenge.
The maize and blue take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the VRBO Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Jan. 1. That game will kick off at 1PM EST and will be broadcast nationally on ABC.
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