Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Michigan Football: Studs and duds from Wolverines’ 2019 season

By Dante Pryor

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 28: Shea Patterson #2 of the Michigan Wolverines scores a first quarter touchdown while playing the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Michigan Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 28: Shea Patterson #2 of the Michigan Wolverines scores a first quarter touchdown while playing the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Michigan Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 29: CJ Henderson #5 of the Florida Gators celebrates his first-quarter sack on Shea Patterson #2 of the Michigan Wolverines during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 29, 2018, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 29: CJ Henderson #5 of the Florida Gators celebrates his first-quarter sack on Shea Patterson #2 of the Michigan Wolverines during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 29, 2018, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

​Duds

Shea Patterson

It’s hard to imagine we live in a football world where a quarterback throws for over 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns and he had a dud of a season. However, that is exactly what Shea Patterson had — a dud of a season.

Despite the yards and touchdowns, he was inconsistent throwing the football. In 13 games this season, Patterson had nine weeks where his completion percentage was below 60 percent. Of those nine games, there were three — all losses — where his completion percentage was below 50 percent. That’s not inconsistent, that’s just plain bad.

This was a transition year; the Wolverines brought in a new offensive system. New offense, same Shea.

Running game

Mike Hart, Jerrod Bunch, Tshimanga Biakabatuka, Tyrone Wheatley. These are just some of the names you think of when you think of running backs at Michigan. This is why it was shocking that Michigan’s running game was so bad in 2019. It was appalling that Michigan, of all places, was so thin at running back.

The Wolverines averaged just 4.0 yards per carry and part of that was due to an offensive line that did not perform up to standard; the other was the lack of a dynamic runner carrying the football this season. What hurt the run game more than anything was not having Chris Evans who was supposed to be the lead back this season.

Donovan Peoples-Jones

Donovan Peoples-Jones’ career at Michigan is one of the great disappointments in the history of the school. That might sound like hyperbole, but it is not the stretch you might think.

Coming out of high school, Peoples-Jones was a five-star recruit who was the top receiver in the state of Michigan, the top receiver in the country and the 12th-ranked player in his class, regardless of position. That is high praise for a receiver who never caught 50 balls or had 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. He was hampered by injuries this season, but he never lived up to the hype.

This offense was supposed to be tailor-made for Peoples-Jones, but he never got going this year.

Home/Michigan Wolverines