Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson and the Wolverines lost their second road game of the season Saturday against Penn State, but coach Jim Harbaugh made it clear in front of the media Monday that it wasn’t the signal caller’s fault.

Harbaugh said Patterson has been “playing great football.” But then the coach added another strange complimentary word seemingly to mean better than great.

Patterson certainly didn’t play poorly, as he tied a season high with 276 passing yards against the Nittany Lions, but it took him 41 attempts to reach that total. Patterson also had zero touchdowns and one interception.

Also in his press conference Monday, Harbaugh tried to avoid talking about the officiating, but with what little he had to say, he was clearly still frustrated about some of the calls.

It doesn’t get any easier for Michigan, as the Wolverines will host Notre Dame on Saturday night. Michigan also still has to face Ohio State on the final weekend of the season.