4B — Monday, September 10, 2018
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

What you missed when you left at halftime

It didn’t take long for the 
Michigan 
football 
team 
to 
dominate Western Michigan. 
After a punt on the game’s 
opening drive, the Wolverines 
racked up five consecutive 
touchdowns to 
put the Bron-
cos well away 
by halftime.
But you had 
probably 
left 
by then.
It 
was 
already a blow-
out. 
Western 
Michigan was 
already 
over-
matched. And 
every 
take-
away from Saturday’s game 
does come with the caveat of 
a weak opponent. But the sec-
ond half did provide a worth-
while look at Michigan’s youth 
and depth. So here’s what you 
missed during your nap.
Patterson’s dime
Midway through the third 
quarter, 
junior 
quarterback 
Shea Patterson threaded the 
needle for his third touchdown 
pass of the day — a throw that 
required touch, zip and just 
enough loft to hit sophomore 
receiver 
Donovan 
Peoples-
Jones in the corner of the end-
zone. It was a “high level” play 
according to Jim Harbaugh.
“To change the channel and 
go to the corner and throw it 
to Donovan, make that split-
second decision and make that 
accurate of a throw, I mean, 
you’re really seeing things 
well,” Harbaugh said.
It was the exclamation point 
of a solid home debut for Patter-
son. He didn’t need to do much 
while the Wolverines’ running 
game dominated, but Patterson 
was nonetheless accurate and 
poised throughout, completing 
12 of 17 passes.
He even got involved on the 
ground, too. Reminiscent of his 
Ole Miss days, Patterson ran 
the option to perfection, keep-
ing the ball for 16 yards during 
his final drive of the afternoon. 

Running isn’t Patterson’s bread 
and butter, but it was still a 
reminder to future opposing 
defenses to stay honest.
McCaffery, 
Wilson 
lead 
TD drive
Just 
as 
he 
did 
against 
Notre Dame, Dylan McCaf-
fery replaced Patterson in the 
fourth 
quarter. 
Saturday’s 
cir-
cumstances were 
far easier for the 
redshirt 
fresh-
man, though.
Up 
42-0, 
McCaffery’s 
job was simple: 
handoff to junior 
Tru Wilson. And 
Wilson 
— 
hav-
ing recently been 
announced as the 
team’s 
third-string 
running 
back — took advantage with 54 
yards on six carries.
But McCaffery did get his 
first career touchdown pass 
when he hit sophomore Jake 
McCurry on an out-route for 
18-yard score.
Another 
week, 
another 
promising effort from Michi-
gan’s heir apparent.
“Thought Dylan, he’s got a 
real coolness about him when 
he’s out there playing. See it 
on the sideline when I’m call-

ing the plays,” Harbaugh said. 
“Watching him execute, it was 
good.”
On the lines
First, 
both 
sophomore 
Aubrey Solomon and senior 
Lawrence 
Marshall 
missed 
Saturday’s game with undis-
closed injuries.
“They’re 
both out work-
ing 
through 
something this 
week,” 
Har-
baugh 
said. 
“We’ll see when 
they get back, 
but we should 
get them back, 
sooner 
rather 
than later.”
In 
their 
absences, 
junior Carlo Kemp received 
his first meaningful action 
at defensive tackle, where he 
moved this offseason after 
gaining 15 pounds. Fifth-year 
senior Bryan Mone and junior 
Michael Dwumfour also rotat-
ed along the interior — a spot 
that remains unproven and 
thin, although it didn’t look it 
against a shaky Broncos offen-
sive line.
Speaking 
of 
offensive 
lines, Michigan’s was indeed 
improved in both run blocking 

and pass protection. But the 
quality of the opposition mat-
ters again. Given last week’s 
struggles at tackle, redshirt 
freshman James Hudson and 
true freshman Jaylen Mayfield 
were notable substitutions at 
the end of the fourth quarter.
Barring an injury, however, 
the Wolverines’ 
starting 
line 
will likely be the 
same next week.
Harbaugh 
showed 
faith 
in starters Jon 
Runyan, 
Ben 
Bredeson, Cesar 
Ruiz, 
Michael 
Onwenu 
and 
Juwann Bushell-
Beatty 
despite 
struggles against 
the Fighting Irish. It paid off 
Saturday. Over 300 yards rush-
ing and a mostly clean pocket 
for Patterson should bring the 
entire team a needed confi-
dence boost.
“Good to see our young 
offensive linemen get snaps … 
Get a lot of guys out there play-
ing,” Harbaugh said. “I think 74 
players played in the game, and 
did things, too, while they were 
out there. Not just got in the 
game, but acquitted themselves 
well. Lot to build on there.”

Michigan ground game 
dominates the Broncos

It’s been a cycle for a while now.
The Michigan football team (1-1 
overall) plays a good defense, like 
Michigan State, Wisconsin or Ohio 
State, and the Wolverines’ running 
game struggles.
Then Michigan faces off with a 
lesser opponent, like Minnesota, 
Indiana or Rutgers, and all of 
the wrongs are righted, as the 
Wolverines rip off big play after big 
play on the ground.
Saturday’s 
49-3 
win 
over 
Western Michigan was no different.
Senior running back Karan 
Higdon had more than 140 yards 
in the first quarter, the most from 
any Michigan player in one quarter 
since Denard Robinson in 2010. 
He finished with 156 yards and a 
touchdown.
Junior 
running 
back 
Chris 
Evans rushing for 86 yards and two 
touchdowns of his own.
When all was said and done, 
the 
Wolverines 
finished 
with 
308 rushing yards with three 
touchdowns.
“The players, offensively, they’re 
just doing their skill, being confident 
in what they’re doing and executing 
it,” said Michigan coach Jim 
Harbaugh.
Added Evans: “There was holes 
you could drive a car through, 
and people in there with nobody 
to block, because everybody was 
blocked and taken care of.”
The performance comes one 
week after the Wolverines failed 
to get much going on the ground in 
their loss to No. 8 Notre Dame.
In that matchup, Higdon led the 
team with 72 yards on 21 carries, 
averaging 3.4 yards per carry. Evans, 
meanwhile, had just two carries for 
one yard. You can calculate that 
yards per carry yourself.
“It doesn’t just happen on 
gameday,” Higdon said. “It starts 
with the way we practice. (Running 
backs) coach Jay (Harbaugh) does 

a great job of making sure we bring 
high intensity each and every 
week. I’ve got a great teammate in 
Chris Evans who pushes me each 
and every day. I push him, and we 
expect nothing less from each other.
“So knowing that we have that 
1-2 punch, it’s great for us working 
together alongside our o-line. I 
mean, we can’t expect nothing less 
than to come each and every day 
bringing pressure.”
Saturday’s game was at least a 
little reminiscent of Michigan’s 
dominating win over Minnesota 
last season, though not quite to that 
level.
Higdon and Evans combined for 
391 yards and four touchdowns that 
night.
Evans says he and Higdon talk 
about replicating that production all 
the time.
“Me and Karan were talking 
about, ‘Let’s try to repeat history,’ 
” Evans said. “Just talking, and we 
talk about that a lot, and just being 
able to go back to that time. And that 
day was just amazing for us both.”
The problem, of course, is that 
the Broncos and Golden Gophers 
are not the Fighting Irish or the 
Buckeyes.
It has been a while since the 
Wolverines have been able to accrue 
this kind of yardage in a game that 
really matters.
For that, there may not be a true 
solution, as this much-maligned 
offensive line has had its fair share 
of struggles in the past two seasons. 
Obviously, if you can’t block the good 
teams, then you can’t run against 
the good teams, and there likely isn’t 
going to be some massive personnel 
change that will fix everything. 
Instead, Michigan’s only real 
hope is steady improvement, so 
that by the time the big games come 
around, the car-sized holes remain, 
and Higdon and Evans can bust free.

Patterson shines, offers glimpse of potential

It didn’t hit Shea Patterson until 
he boarded the bus to head to the 
stadium Saturday morning. He 
passed the tailgates he frequented 
as a kid. He recalled conversations 
he used to have with his dad.
The junior had thought about 
what it might be like to play 
quarterback in maize and blue 
since his childhood. He’d spoken 
with his coach, Jim Harbaugh, 
about it since the day he stepped 
on campus. As he got in the bus, 
he realized his circuitous journey 
finally brought him to that desired 
point.
When 
Patterson 
got 
his 
opportunity to run out of the 
tunnel at Michigan Stadium, his 
coach stood back to take in the 
scene. It’s Harbaugh who might 
understand that emotional lure 
better than anyone else.
“He touched the banner — 
looked like he kinda went up 
and did a little reverse dunk,” 
Harbaugh said, with a glowing 
smile. “He had a little sugar on 
the flakes touching the banner. 
… It’s awesome when it means 
something to someone.”
Added Patterson: “When I 
ran out of the tunnel with my 
teammates, I can’t describe that 
feeling. It was kind of emotional, 
but excited as well.”
Saturday, Patterson knew that 
lengthy journey would end with 
him taking the first snap in front 
of 110,000-plus fans in the very 
stands he used to sit in. Perhaps 
he didn’t know that journey would 
end with the most promising 
home debut from a Michigan 
quarterback in recent memory.
Patterson lit up a hapless 
Western 
Michigan 
defense, 
finishing the game with three 
touchdowns in three quarters of 
tidy work, going 12-for-17 for 125 
yards and guiding the Wolverines 
(1-1) to a 49-3 win over the Broncos. 
His 
190.6 
quarterback 
rating 
is the highest from a Michigan 
quarterback since Wilton Speight 
posted a 233.4 rating against 

Maryland on Nov. 5, 2016.
He dazzled all the shiny tools 
that made his transfer to Michigan 
so intriguing in the first place — 
the playmaking with his legs, the 
arm talent to make any throw, the 
poise to command an offense. It 
was all on display Saturday.
For fans and players alike, it was 
a refreshing change.
“We’ve had Jake Rudock here, 
and there’s problems that are 
beyond the scope of a quarterback, 
but in terms of how our offense 
efficiently played and how Shea 
looked, I’d say it’s as good as any 
quarterback I’ve seen here,” said 
fifth-year senior defensive end 
Chase Winovich. “It was weird 
being on the sideline and them just 
scoring touchdowns. I remember 
(junior safety) Josh Metellus … he 
goes, I just remember him sitting 
there looking, he’s like ‘Man, this is 
nice!’ I think the feeling is mutual 
from my half.”
Everything 
in 
this 
game 
comes with the caveat of Western 
Michigan’s weakness — a team 
that allowed 560 total yards and 55 
points last week against Syracuse. 
But it wasn’t necessarily the sheer 
numbers that will leave fans so 
encouraged by Patterson’s play, 
and rather the manner in which 

they came. There were several 
plays he made that no quarterback 
on the last year’s roster would 
have, independent of the Broncos’ 
ineptitude.
On the second drive of the 
game, Patterson rolled to his 
left, throwing across his body 
to a lunging Oliver Martin on 
the sideline for a first down. The 
window was tight, the margin for 
error non-existent. Patterson hit 
him anyway.
“That’s really having a feel, the 
depth perception, the ability to 
throw different types of passes,” 
Harbaugh said. “Drilled it in there 
on the run to his left. That’s check, 
check, check. Plus, plus, plus.”
Late in the first half, Patterson 
stayed 
calm 
in 
the 
pocket, 
dropping a dime over the top of the 
safety into the waiting hands of 
sophomore receiver Nico Collins. 
It was the first touchdown a 
Michigan quarterback has thrown 
to a wide receiver in 364 days. It 
was also the first of three such 
scores on the day.
On 
his 
third 
and 
final 
touchdown, 
Patterson 
floated 
a delicate pass to sophomore 
Donovan Peoples-Jones on third 
and goal from the 5-yard-line. It 
wasn’t his first read on the play, 

Harbaugh said, rather a response 
to the defense reacting to Collins 
coming on a slant underneath. 
Patterson showed the awareness to 
adapt, the skill to place it perfectly.
“The 
throw 
to 
(Peoples-
Jones) probably stands out in 
my mind as the one that really 
puts an exclamation point on it,” 
Harbaugh said.
Stiffer tests will come, no doubt. 
Nobody will confuse Patterson 
with a program savior simply 
because of a game against Western 
Michigan.
But 
from 
the 
players’ 
perspective, their plaudits have 
little to do with the Broncos, 
or anything tangible. It’s in 
his command of the offense, 
his constant poise. They see a 
quarterback who might — just 
might — have the reins of the 
program comfortably in his hands. 
The reins he’s been waiting for 
since childhood.
“The thing about Shea is that he 
just has such a sense of confidence 
that doesn’t come off as cocky, but 
you just know and he knows — this 
is my opinion about it — that he’s 
the man,” Winovich said. “He’s 
the man for the job, and he can get 
the job done. I think for him, it was 
just another day at the office.” 

FOOTBALL

MIKE PERSAK
Managing Sports Editor

MAX MARCOVITCH
Daily Sports Editor

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Junior quarterback Shea Patterson showed what he’s capable of in his dream-come-true debut at Michigan Stadium.

The Michigan Daily Top 10 Poll 

Each week, Daily sports staffers fill out ballots, with first-place votes receiving 10 

points, second-place votes receiving nine and so on. 

1. Alabama: When you have two 
quarterbacks you have no quarter-
backs, PAWWWWLLLLLLLLLLL.

2. Georgia: Nothing like 90,000 
southern people barking like dogs to 
get the juices flowing.

3. Clemson: SEC speed. ACC sched-
ule.

4. Ohio State: There’s a joke here, but 
evidently Urban Meyer forgot it.

5. Oklahoma: At this rate, Kyler Mur-
ray is gonna be an absolute superstar 
on next year’s season of Hard Knocks.

6. Wisconsin: Horni... haha

7. Auburn: AUBURN’S GONNA WIN 
THE FOOTBALL GAME!!!

8. Stanford: I don’t think I’m ready 
for Bryce Love. Gonna keep it at Bryce 
Like for now.

9. Notre Dame: Mike Pence gave 
a commencement speech at Notre 
Dame.

10. Washington: Nobody has every 
actually seen this team play. We all 
just assume they’re good.
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Junior defensive tackle Carlo Kemp filled in the absence of sophomore Aubrey Solomon and senior Lawrence Marshall.

MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Editor

“... I mean, 
you’re really 
seeing things 
well.”

“... acquitted 
themselves 
well. Lot to 
build on there.”

Read the full story online at 
MichiganDaily.com

