Rapid Reaction: Michigan makes a loud statement with win over Michigan State
Late in the third quarter of Saturday’s Michigan-Michigan State game, Shea Patterson dropped back and fired a pass deep down the sideline to Donovan Peoples-Jones. It might’ve been the most important throw of the Wolverines’ season.
Peoples-Jones hauled in the pass, high-stepped a Spartans defender and jaunted 79 yards to the end zone. The score gave Michigan a 14-7 lead, but it felt like the game was over.
That was the kind of play Michigan has failed to make over the years. And it’s the play fans of the Maize and Blue have waited a decade to see. In the middle of a tight game, with so much on the line, the Wolverines took a shot down the field and it paid off.
How many times has Jim Harbaugh been reluctant to make that kind of call? How frequently have we seen a Michigan quarterback miss that throw? Or a receiver fail to haul it in?
But on Saturday, there were no questions. Patterson delivered the perfect ball and Peoples-Jones made the catch. The immediate result was six points. The ultimate result was a win over Michigan State.
A few minutes later, power running back Ben Mason was able to cross the goal line from five yards out. The Wolverines took a 21-7 lead and sealed the victory.
Michigan registered 182 rushing yards against the best run defense in the B1G. Karan Higdon, who’s quietly putting together one of the best season in the B1G, led the way with 139 yards. Patterson completed 14-of-25 pass attempts for 212 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t throw a single interception.
A statement was made.
You can compliment the Michigan defense for shutting down the Spartans, but that’s frequently been the case. That side of the football has never been a problem in this game for the Wolverines. The offense was the real story.
As was that throw from Patterson to Peoples-Jones.
Michigan has failed to make that kind of play for so many years. It finally pulled through in a critical game. Joe Klatt said it perfectly at the end of the broadcast, “This makes it real.”
A chance at winning the B1G East, taking home the conference title, and a birth in the College Football Playoff is very, very real.
So are the Wolverines.