Shea Patterson has led Michigan football to a lot of wins as a junior, but that doesn’t mean his job is secure for the 2019 season.
The Jim Harbaugh era has not exactly gone according to plan for Michigan football. In the four years he has coached the Wolverines and he has still failed to win more than 10 games in a season. People expected change in 2018 with Shea Patterson starting at quarterback, but they got more of the same.
In Patterson’s senior year, something is going to have to change.
Harbaugh has been the most successful at every level with a star quarterback. When he coached at Stanford for four years, his only seasons with a winning record were the two that he had Andrew Luck as his starting quarterback.
In the NFL, he was only successful when he had Alex Smith or Colin Kaepernick as his quarterback. Many expected Patterson to be this kind of talent at Michigan, but it hasn’t panned out that way.
Last season, Patterson had 22 touchdowns with seven interceptions. That’s efficient, but you would really like to see more production from an upperclassman at quarterback in 13 games. He also struggled in the big moments, throwing four of his seven interceptions in the team’s three losses. It seemed as if Patterson just couldn’t put execute when the team put the offense on his shoulders.
To put it in perspective, Michigan went 0-3 in games where Patterson threw the ball 30 or more times, and they were 10-0 in games where he had less than 30 pass attempts. For the team to succeed, they simply had to hope the running game and defense did their job, because they knew Patterson couldn’t save them.
What does this mean for 2019? Unfortunately for Michigan football, there is a bit of bad news. Their running game from last year is decimated. Karan Higdon graduated, and Chris Evans is no longer with the team. That leaves Tru Wilson as their most proven back, and he only has 63 rushing attempts with one touchdown going into his senior season. That doesn’t mean he can’t be great this year, but he is far from a lock.
His top receivers are back, and I am expecting a lot from Donovan Peoples-Jones. He was a top receiver in the Big Ten last season, and he will have an even bigger role in 2019. For the offense to work under new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, it will have to run through Peoples-Jones.
Many people are expecting a lot from Patterson as a senior, but what happens if he can’t deliver? The team might turn to his backup in Dylan McCaffrey. Many will know him as Christian McCaffrey’s brother, but he has made a name for himself and is one of the more interesting backup quarterbacks in college. He hasn’t been given many chances as a college quarterback, but he has made the most of his opportunities.
In fact, he has thrown for two touchdowns in only 15 attempts in reserve reps, and he has 10 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown. He is more of a mobile threat, and he would add more to the running game that Patterson hasn’t been able to do as well. Patterson can get first downs with his feet when he has to, but it comes second-nature for McCaffrey.
I’m not predicting for McCaffrey to be the starter late in the year, but I would not be shocked if he got an opportunity to compete if Patterson struggles. To put it bluntly: Patterson is good, but he’s not great. To beat teams like Notre Dame and Ohio State, Michigan’s going to need something great from the quarterback position. For their sake, let’s hope they get it from Patterson in 2019.