Shea Patterson Discusses His Health, MSU Rivalry & Decrease In Turnovers
One of the most iconic plays of the Michigan Wolverines’ football season last year was when quarterback Shea Patterson hit wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones for a 79-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter of U-M’s 21-7 triumph at MSU, breaking what had been a 7-7 tie at the time.
The play was a defining moment in the contest, and was also a crucial sequence in the Maize and Blue’s 10-game winning streak that ran from Sept. 8 through Nov. 17.
“I’ve been so locked in that it hasn’t hit me yet [that my career will soon be coming to a close],” Patterson exclaimed this evening at Schembechler Hall.
“I’m just focused on this game and the big one at the end. I’ll always remember that pass to Donovan in last year’s win — that’s why we play in these big-time games.
“That was an unbelievable atmosphere at Michigan State last season, and I’m looking forward to having it in The Big House this Saturday.
“It’s definitely the most intense [game on the schedule]. You’re going to get their best game on both sides of the ball, and they’ll get ours.
“They still have a lot to play for — their coach, their fans and that logo on their chest. We’re doing the same, so it’ll be a hard-fought game.”
Michigan State’s defense was expected to be one of the best units in the entire country coming into the year, but it hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations so far.
Granted, it’s still very good at 24th nationally (323 yards allowed per game), but has been hindered a bit by a secondary that only ranks 53rd in college football (214.9 passing yards allowed per outing).
“They have a really good front seven,” Patterson said tonight. “They also have good athletes in their secondary. We’ll continue to do what we’ve been doing though, and continue to execute.”
The level of execution has increased drastically as of late, with the offense averaging 223.5 rushing yards over its last four games and only turning the ball over three times during that span.
This comes after the Maize and Blue coughed it up nine times during the first three outings of the year.
“We’ve been disciplined and haven’t gotten ourselves into bad situations, like third-and-longs,” Patterson explained when asked what has led to the decrease in turnovers.
“We’ve taken care of the ball, and the running game has really helped that out because it’s opened up the passing game.
“There are three or four backs on this team who are really good — [freshman Zach] Charbonnet, [senior] Tru [Wilson], [redshirt freshman Hassan] Haskins and [redshirt freshman] Christian Turner.
“They can go out there and make things happen, and the running game and o-line have been incredible the last three or four weeks.”
Notes
• Michigan enjoyed a bye last weekend, though off weeks haven’t always been kind to the Maize and Blue (the 2017 upset loss to MSU, for example, came following a bye).
U-M’s last time out was on Nov. 2, when it went into College Park and crushed Maryland, 38-7.
“We took some time to relax and watch games over the weekend,” Patterson noted. “We had two or three good practices last week, and they carried over to today with a really good one.”
• The senior quarterback suffered an oblique injury in the season-opening win over Middle Tennessee State on Aug. 31, and the ailment admittedly bothered him for the next several games.
Patterson was clearly hesitant to run the ball as a result, though he has averaged 8.3 attempts over the team’s last three contests (tallied six through the Wolverines’ first six tilts).
“Running the ball,” he revealed when asked where he’s improved the most as of late. “Even if it’s not a designed run, I’ve seen lanes and have gotten out and made plays with my legs.
“I had been a little banged up in the first part of the season, but still wanted to do what I could to help the team win. I started to execute more and am feeling healthier now.”
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