Michigan Football: 3 takeaways from Big Ten rivalry win over Michigan State

3. Shea Patterson had his best game as a Wolverine

This year’s Michigan State defense is hardly as fearsome as recent vintages. Entering the Week 12 showdown against the Wolverines at the Big House, Mark Dantonio’s crew was ranked 58th in pass efficiency defense and gave up an average of 215 yards per game through the air. Those deficiencies in the secondary were exposed in a big way by Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson on Saturday as he led Michigan to the rivalry win at home.

Through the first two quarters, Patterson completed 14 of his 21 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. Coming out of the locker room, he gunned another passing score on the Wolverines’ opening drive of the third quarter.

By the end of the game, Patterson had racked up 384 yards through the air and four touchdowns on 24-of-33 passing. While he did not go unsacked, Patterson also moved around the pocket, bought time, and scrambled a few times for decent gains. Finishing with negative-15 yards on the ground, he was at least not  too much of a liability to the overall rushing stats.

With the win, Michigan kept alive longshot hopes of winning out and entering the discussion for an at-large bid into a New Year’s Six bowl this year. If the Wolverines are going to run the November table and upset Ohio State after Thanksgiving, they need Patterson to play as efficiently as he did against the Spartans on Saturday afternoon.