SPORTSMONDAY
Gunslinger
Shea Patterson did things on
Saturday that haven’t been
done by a Michigan QB in a
while
» Page 2B
Domination
Michigan volleyball moved
to 9-0 on the season with an
undefeated weekend at the
Michigan Challenge
» Page 3B
Design by Jack Silberman
Alexis Rankin & Amelia Cacchione/ Daily
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | September 10, 2018
B
It took one offensive drive for
angry boos to cascade Michigan
Stadium, and then the next one to
make it seem like it never happened.
After Shea Patterson completed
a 10-yard out to senior tight end
Zach Gentry on the game’s first
play against Western Michigan,
the offense followed with a false
start, two short runs and a stifled
screen pass. The Michigan offense
from last week appeared to show up
again in its home opener.
Then, the Wolverines’ defense
stymied the Broncos on the
following drive to get the ball back.
Senior running back Karan Higdon
charged down the field on a 43-yard
run to get into the redzone, setting
up a 17-yard touchdown reception
for junior tight end Sean McKeon.
From then on, boos turned into
sustained cheers. Higdon broke
off a 67-yard touchdown run a
drive later. After an interception by
linebacker Noah Furbush the next
defensive possession, junior Chris
Evans converted a 27-yard score
of his own. Michigan (1-1 overall)
threw Western Michigan (0-2)
around like a ragdoll and didn’t stop
en route to a comfortable 49-3 win.
“Obviously there’s a lot of people
talking about us, Michigan is
always a hot topic,” Higdon said. “I
think we took that today and threw
it back.”
Just in the first half, Higdon
carried the ball 13 times for 156 yards
and a score, while his counterpart
Evans had two touchdowns. The
tandem combined for 282 yards and
three touchdowns.
“All those holes, you could drive
a car through it,” Evans said of the
run blocking. “People in there with
nobody to block, because everybody
was taken care of, and the running
backs try to make everyone’s job
easier.”
Rushing
success
against
porous defenses is familiar for
the Wolverines. But Saturday
afternoon’s contest was also a game
of firsts.
Patterson’s touchdown throw
to McKeon was his first in his
Michigan
career.
With
7:02
remaining in the second quarter,
Patterson rainbowed a ball right
into the hands of sophomore wide
receiver Nico Collins for a 44-yard
touchdown — the first collegiate
score for Collins, and the first for
any Michigan wide receiver since
Sept. 9, 2017. And with 6:21 in the
third quarter,
Patterson
connected
with
sophomore
Donovan
Peoples-Jones
for his first
collegiate
receiving
score.
During
garbage
time
in
the
fourth
quarter, redshirt freshman Dylan
McCaffrey
replaced
Patterson
under center and threw his
first career touchdown pass to
sophomore receiver Jake McCurry
for his introduction into the
endzone.
But throughout the afternoon,
it was squarely Patterson who
inspired confidence amongst an oft-
questioned passing offense. Even
when facing pressure, the junior
quarterback, who finished the day
12-for-17 with 125 yards and three
touchdowns, made plays with both
his arm and legs to convert first
downs that were unimaginable
only a year
ago.
“Our o-line
had a heck
of a game,”
Patterson said.
“I don’t think
I’ve ever seen
holes open up
that wide. Just
the way that
we ran the
ball opened up so much more in our
passing game. Got the safeties to
come down and play in the box and
expect the run.”
Added Higdon: “He stayed
poised. He stood tall in the pocket
whenever the offense needed to
throw the ball. We got plays out of
him.”
The relative improvement of
the offense overshadowed another
picturesque output by the defense.
After
Furbush’s
interception,
junior VIPER Khaleke Hudson
led the way with a blocked punt
and six tackles. Junior defensive
end Rashan Gary also recorded six
tackles and his first sack of the year,
amongst the unit’s eight tackles-for-
loss.
Overall, the defense allowed just
208 total yards — 2.8 yards per play
— to a Western Michigan team that
put up 42 points and 621 yards only
a week ago.
“I love wearing that hard hat,”
Gary said of the pressure he faced
from the Broncos’ offense. “You
can double-, triple-team me. I’ve got
Devin Bush coming off the edge,
I’ve got Chase Winovich coming at
him, Khaleke Hudson, I can keep
going and not leave one person out.”
The sizable margin maintained
by the defense allowed Jim
Harbaugh to experiment with his
team. Under new redshirt rules that
allows players to play in up to four
games while maintaining redshirt
eligibility, the entire offensive line
was replaced on McCaffrey’s drive.
Junior walk-on running back Tru
Wilson also saw game action,
adding six carries for 54 yards in
the No. 3 spot.
“Good to see our young offensive
linemen get the snaps they did,”
Harbaugh said. Good for (them and
McCaffrey), getting a lot of guys out
there playing — I think 74 players
played in the game and did things,
too.”
But there was still time for boos
to rain down in Michigan Stadium.
With 2:34 remaining, and after a
blocked field goal was wiped away
from an offsides call committed
by the Wolverines, the Broncos
converted one on the following
play to the dismay of the Michigan
faithful in attendance.
It was a blemish on an otherwise
flawless bounceback display by the
Wolverines, albeit against a weaker
Western Michigan team. And if
nothing else, Saturday’s game was
one step closer to fixing the issues
that have continually plagued
Michigan.
ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Writer
Wolverines pummel Broncos, 49-3
“All those holes,
you could drive a
car through it”
HARBAUGH’S 49ERS
MICHIGAN 49 WMU 3