Junior quarterback Shea Patterson has been outstanding for U-M all season, and he was brilliant once again in Saturday's 21-7 victory at MSU.
He completed 14 of his 25 passes (56 percent) for 212 yards, two touchdowns and no picks, and got the action started with a six-yard scoring strike to sophomore receiver Nico Collins early in the second quarter, giving the Wolverines a 7-0 lead at the time.
Patterson's most impactful pass of the day, though, came late in the third frame when U-M needed it most.
With the score knotted at 7-7, Michigan began its possession at its own 21-yard line with 2:35 left in the quarter, and the signal-caller took the snap from shotgun and immediately looked downfield.
He threw a beautiful pass to sophomore receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones along the sideline, which the wideout hauled in over the shoulder at the Wolverine 46-yard marker before he eluded an attempted shoestring tackle from diving sophomore cornerback Tre Person and sprinted into the end zone.
“Donovan in one-on-one coverage? Good luck with that," Patterson snickered after the game. "I just threw it out to him and he made a heck of a play after that.”
The score gave the Wolverines a 14-7 advantage, and they held the momentum the rest of the afternoon.
"Shea made lots of big plays today," head coach Jim Harbaugh exclaimed in the postgame. "The huge one was the play to Donovan — that throw was right on the money.
"Donovan did a great job at the line of scrimmage against the press coverage, created space after his release and made a fabulous over-the-shoulder catch. Their corner went for the tackle, but he kicked out of it and was gone.
"That was a great time for that play to happen in the ball game."
Karan Higdon Tallies Sixth Straight 100-Yard Effort
Senior running back Karan Higdon recorded his sixth straight 100-yard performance on Saturday, rushing for 144 yards on a career-high 33 carries.
The total was good for 78.7 percent of the team's 183 rushing yards on the afternoon.
Higdon's success this season also has him establishing some impressive marks in the Wolverine record books.
His six straight 100-yard showings stand as the second-longest streak in program history, behind only Mike Hart's span of eight in 2007.
The senior has also racked up five of those six in Big Ten play, and has helped lead the Maize and Blue to a 10-0 record in matchups during which he rushes for triple digits in his career.
Higdon explained after the game that he had been amped up all week for this contest and was sure once again to give plenty of credit to his offensive line.
“We were motivated from the start," the senior confirmed. "They were talking trash all week. We stayed quiet, though, and stayed in our space. We knew what it was going to be like once we got here, and we just elevated our enthusiasm.
"Our offensive line dominated. I said last week we have the best offensive line in the country, and it’s showing. The proof is in the pudding.”
Miscellaneous Notes
• When Patterson found Collins in the back of the end zone for Michigan's first score, the touchdown capped off a 14-play, 84-yard drive that ate up 7:56 of clock time. It was also the sophomore's second score of his career (his first was a 44-yard grab against WMU Sept. 8). On top of that, it marked the first touchdown pass U-M had thrown against the Spartans since Roy Roundtree hauled in a 34-yarder in 2011.
• With two scoring tosses, Patterson has now put together four multi-touchdown efforts in eight contests with the Wolverines. He also spread the ball around nicely against MSU, with his 14 completions going to eight different players.
• The victory was U-M's first by double digits at MSU since a 23-7 win there in 1997.
• Senior wideout Grant Perry's 13-yard reception in the third quarter was a season long.
• Redshirt junior tight end Zach Gentry extended his consecutive games with a catch streak to 12 when he reeled in a five-yard grab in the second quarter (he finished the day with two receptions for 21 yards).
• Redshirt freshman wideout Tarik Black made his first appearance of the year, after missing the first six clashes of 2018 with a broken foot he suffered in fall camp. He only saw minimal action though.
• Michigan accumulated 395 yards against MSU and has compiled that many or more in every game this season but two (307 against Notre Dame and 376 against Northwestern). The Wolverines tallied 395 yards or more just five times in all of 2017.
• Fifth-year senior right tackle Juwann Bushell-Beatty left the game with injury in the fourth quarter and was replaced by sophomore Andrew Stueber.
• Peoples-Jones' 79-yard score in the third frame was the longest catch of his career, and matches the 79-yard punt return for a touchdown he recorded against Air Force last season as the longest play of his career.
It was also a career-long scoring pass for Patterson (at U-M and Ole Miss), and the furthest pass play for U-M against the Spartans since Drew Henson threw an 81-yard bomb to Marcus Knight in 1999.
• Redshirt sophomore tight end Nick Eubanks' 25-yard grab in the first quarter was his fourth catch of 20 yards or more this season; he has five receptions on the year.
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