After Michigan fans waited months to see how senior quarterback Shea Patterson would look in the new passing spread designed by head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, they got their first look in the Wolverines’ 40-21 win against Middle Tennessee State.
On the surface, Patterson’s numbers other than his passing touchdowns may not jump off the page. He completed 17 of 29 passes (58.6 percent) for 203 yards (7.0 yards per attempt) with three touchdowns and no picks. Both Patterson’s completion and yards-per-attempt (YPA) rates were below his averages from last season (64.6 percent and 8.0), and he threw for more than 203 yards seven times last year.
These stats do not paint a picture of someone expected to flourish in this new offense.
However, below the surface, when considering the context of the game, Patterson mostly excelled when Harbaugh and Gattis asked him to drop back and throw the ball against MTSU.
