Michigan Wolverines Football Notebook: Offensive Line Improves, Shea's Run
It was the longest run of junior quarterback Shea Patterson’s life.
On the first drive of the second quarter, Patterson faked like he was going to hand off to senior running back Karan Higdon and kept the ball for an 81-yard run down the left sideline.
“Shea really got things going in the first quarter with the long run and his touchdown run he had,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. “He allowed us to stretch their defense. Hit all the gaps. Make them cover, account for as many gaps as we could.”
Patterson’s run opened up Michigan’s offensive attack the rest of the game and helped get the Wolverines on the board early on the ensuing plays.
Harbaugh said that Patterson’s run set the tone for the offense.
Patterson knew that type of read and run was in the gameplan had been put in during the week, but getting that type of run was still shocking to him.
“That was surprising,” Patterson said. “I didn’t know it was going to open up that way. I kind of ran out of gas at the five-yard line. That was an adrenaline rush.”
Patterson’s ability to keep plays alive and also break off huge runs makes him a special quarterback. His offensive line likes to block for him.
“Having Shea Back there, being able to pull the ball and go the other way, it really slows their linebackers down in the run game,” junior offensive lineman Ben Bredeson said. “It makes our job easier getting up there.”
Michigan’s offensive line continues upward trend
Going up against one of most physical programs in the Big Ten, Michigan’s offensive line came out the victor. Over the course of the game, the Wolverines line looked like it wore down Wisconsin’s defensive front.
“There’s no further question that we’ve got the best offensive line in the country,” Higdon said.
In years past, Michigan rushing for 6.7 yards per carry against Wisconsin would have been unheard of, but with Coach Ed Warinner at the helm, Michigan’s offensive line has become a dependable unit.
Bredeson talked about how Warinner has changed the culture in the offensive line room.
“Coach Warinner has been around,” Bredeson said. “He’s coached at some other schools and had some success. He knows what it takes to win. He came in showed up what we needed to do. The older guys in the line, we really took it upon ourselves to focus that. We really wanted to be a dominant group this year, a group that could carry the team.”
Even junior safety Josh Metellus has seen the improvement from the offensive line.
“(Our) offensive line has improved tremendously,” Metellus said. “Since January, they’ve been getting stronger in the weight room, more attentive, more confident. It’s good to see them, they’re like their own little brotherhood on the offensive line. They love each other, they want to do good for each other.
Michigan makes statement against Wisconsin.
The matchup between Michigan and Wisconsin was supposed to be one of the best games of the day in college football.
The Wolverines had other ideas.
“We knew going into the week that this game doesn’t have to be close,” Metellus said. “All the hype, College Gameday, 12 versus 15, that going in we’re the better team and we didn’t have to make the game close. We went in there ready to dominate, execute every man on every play. We felt like we should have blown them out and that’s what we did.”
Metellus knows that his team made a statement against the Badgers.
“Michigan is here to stay,” Metellus said. “Week one, we fell short, but we bounced back. We fight threw adversity and this is a real team. This is a real program that’s going to keep going to keep progressing throughout the season.”
Not all Michigan players thought the dominant victory was a statement.
“Every game is a statement victory,” junior defensive lineman Josh Uche said. “It’s win or go home from here on out until the championship, so we have to win every game. We don’t listen to the public.”
With Michigan State and Penn State on deck, Michigan hopes this performance was only the beginning.
“It’s just the start,” Higdon said. “We’re not done yet. This personal. Every game from here on out is personal. We’re going to show up and do what we’ve got to do.”
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