Quarterback Shea Patterson joined elite Michigan territory last year when he tossed 22 touchdown passes and threw for 2,600 yards.
He became just the sixth U-M signal caller ever to rack up 22 scores, and just the eighth to throw for 2,600 yards.
While both feats were obviously impressive in themselves, Patterson actually has a chance to make history if he can duplicate those results as a senior in 2019.
No U-M quarterback has ever had multiple 22-TD, 2,600-yard passing seasons in school history, but Patterson has a chance to become the first in his final go-round in Ann Arbor.
Both Chad Henne and John Navarre came incredibly close to accomplishing the feat under Lloyd Carr, but the former failed to throw for more than 2,600 yards (2,743 yards in 2004) twice, while the latter wasn't able to toss more than 22 touchdown passes in multiple seasons (24 in 2003).
While 22 touchdown passes and 2,600 yards is no small task, it's reasonable to expect Patterson to do so once again in 2019, thanks to the arrival of first-year offensive coordinator Josh Gattis.
The senior was registered the aforementioned stats last season, despite the fact that Michigan only averaged 26.7 passing attempts per game, which was 104th in the country.
Alabama, meanwhile, threw for 323.6 yards per contest (sixth-best nationally) last year with Gattis leading the charge as the team's co-offensive coordinator (alongside Mike Locksley) and wide receivers coach.
While it's unlikely U-M will match the numbers the Crimson Tide compiled through the air last season, it's still fair to expect the club's attempts per contest to increase significantly.
Gattis has emphasized getting the ball to the team's play makers in space, and Michigan's best play makers appear to be its wide receivers — juniors Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones, redshirt sophomore Tarik Black, sophomore Ronnie Bell, etc.
With the club moving to a faster pace as well, it should create more possessions — AKA more opportunities to score — for the Patterson and the Wolverine offense.
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