Michigan Football: 3 reasons Wolverines will beat Wisconsin in Week 4
3. Shea Patterson figures it out
Shea Patterson came to Michigan with extremely high expectations. Most of which was not fair to him. With two seasons to play, he’s faced a good amount of adversity and has played well. The only problem is he still hasn’t matched those lofty expectations.
Patterson was obviously transitioning to a new team and a new setting last year. He was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA to leave Ole Miss so he didn’t have a transfer year to get settled. Instead, he was thrown right into the offense as the starter. I don’t care how talented you are. That’s not easy to do.
To make matters even more difficult for Patterson this year, his senior year and second year as a Wolverine, Jim Harbaugh decided to bring in a new offensive coordinator and change up the offense. New offensive coordinator Josh Gattis is a young mind who was previously with Penn State and was at Alabama last year. The Alabama offense that was one of the most explosive we’ve seen in years in college football was in part Gattis’ doing.
More. Why it's so important to beat Wisconsin. light
The hope is that Patterson can start to help Michigan’s offense resemble that of Alabama’s. The talent is on a completely different level in Tuscaloosa than it is in Ann Arbor, but Patterson is still good enough to lead an effective unit. It’s just a matter of when.
This week, after a bye and some sloppy play in two previous games, it might be time to see what this Michigan offense can do. Along with the possibility that offensive lineman Jon Runyan gets plugged back into the offensive line and Donovan Peoples-Jones returns as a wide receiver, Wolverine fans could be in for a treat.
It’s been a while since Michigan had a truly terrifying offense. If it comes together this weekend, the Badgers might be in serious trouble, and the Wolverines could cruise to an impressive road win and keep pace with the Buckeyes.