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Michigan football: Getting passing game sharper still a worthy goal

Tom Brew

By Tom Brew

Published:

Every week, the love affair between Shea Patterson and Michigan keeps getting stronger and stronger. And why not? This is turning into a magical season in Ann Arbor, and Patterson is a big reason why.

The quarterback transfer from Ole Miss was welcomed with open arms when he arrived on campus, but this Michigan fan base is slow to embrace sometimes. And when the season started with a loss at Notre Dame, the brakes were pumped a bit, too.

But during this winning streak, which how now reached eight games for No. 4 Michigan, Patterson keeps getting better. He’s winning games with his arm, but also his legs, too. Add those tools to a beautiful mind, one that reacts quickly to change on the field, and suddenly Michigan’s offense is good enough to beat anybody.

Yes, anybody.

He’s a Michigan man now, too. Patterson is loving his time in Ann Arbor, and he loves his teammates.

They love him, too. Just look at Karan Higdon’s eyes below. And that smile.

Priceless.

Through nine games, Patterson has thrown for 1,667 yards, completing 67 percent of his passes. He’s thrown for 14 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He’s been good with his legs, too, converting many third downs with runs. He’s rushed for 187 yards this season. He has  157.1 quarterback rating.

That’s all good, and yes, we can all be happy.

But we can also expect much more.

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, just by nature, has been mostly conservative with Patterson most of the year. The long balls downfield are few and far between, and to see more of those would be a good thing. They take shots now and then with Nico Collins or Donovon Peoples-Jones, and having Tarik Black adds another threat.

It’s doubtful that Michigan will show much in the next two weeks against Rutgers and Indiana, because those two games should be very easy (Rutgers) or relatively easy (Indiana). Frankly, now, it’s all about Nov. 24 in Columbus, where beating Ohio State is of the utmost importance.

Save all the surprises for then. And, even more importantly, keep Patterson healthy until then, too.

It’s a shame that backup quarterback Dylan McCaffrey broke his collarbone against Penn State and is out for the year. It would have been nice to see him play more the next two weeks. Next man up, though, and that would be either Brandon Peters or Joe Milton.

“We’ll see,” Harbaugh said during his weekly news conference. “Definitely, Brandon and Joe will be competing for that spot.”

Tom Brew

Tom Brew has been a recognized reporter in Big Ten sports for decades. Among other projects, he writes about Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.