Michigan senior quarterback Shea Patterson hasn’t been 100 percent since the first snap of the Middle Tennessee State game, a 40-21 win. He has been spinning it well this week, teammates said, recovering from an oblique injury and ready to prove the offense is better than it has shown the last two weeks.
Patterson has completed 62.1 percent of his passes (36-of-58 passing) for 410 yards in two games, notching three touchdown passes with no interceptions. He has also missed some throws he would normally make, and many believe it is because he is banged up.
That won’t be an excuse this weekend, he said.
“Healthy,” he responded earlier this week when asked about his oblique injury, insisting he was 100 percent. “Ready to go.”
There is no denying the injury took its toll. He admitted he could not rotate all the way, and while the pain was tough, the mental aspect of it was even harder.
“I think that’s fair to say. I got banged up in the first game and it did wear on me a little bit,” he said. “But I'm ready to go. I'm 100 percent. It affected all aspects of it. An oblique is no fun, but I’m ready to go.”
Having the extra week has helped, he admitted. He and his teammates are three-point underdogs in Madison, but they have one thing in mind.
“We’re just looking to go out there and make a statement, simple as that,” he said, refusing to elaborate.
The key, he said, will be to play with confidence in a tough environment.
“We're just going to go out and let it loose,” he said. “They're good.They're very well-coached and sound on defense; great front seven. I feel like it's going to be a good matchup, but we'll be out there ready to play.
“It's going to be fun. For me, it's weird. I don't really hear the noise. … I think the atmosphere is going to be fun. We're all looking forward to it.”
His teammates, meanwhile, haven't lost any faith in him despite his ball security problems the first few weeks.
“Shea’s one of the most resilient, tough people I’ve ever been around – both mentally and physically,” senior guard Ben Bredeson said. “I’ve seen him banged up physically before, fighting through games and never batting an eye. I’ve seen him play, not the way Shea would want himself to play, and just fighting through.”
“He’s just doing Shea things, just being himself again, and we’re glad to see that,” tight end Nick Eubanks added after seeing him in practice this week. “We’re always there to lift him up and encourage him in any types of moments he has.”
But that isn't required often. Patterson has always been a confident guy, and there's only one thing that really matters to him.
"[We're] 2-and-0," he said. "As long as we win I'm happy. I don't really care. Obviously, nobody's expectations are higher than mine … and that's the way each and every guy in that locker room is.”
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