Michigan Wolverines football senior quarterback Shea Patterson has a chance to accomplish something this season that no other signal caller in U-M history has ever done.
If Patterson is able to compile at least one more touchdown pass and 77 more yards over Michigan's final two contests (including the bowl game), he'll become the first Wolverine quarterback to throw for 22 scores and 2,600 yards in two separate seasons.
The aforementioned statistics (22 TDs and 2,600 yards) stood as Patterson's final numbers last year, marking just the third time in school history a signal caller had posted such lofty numbers in both statistical categories.
There have been eight different U-M seasons where the club's quarterback has hit 2,600 yards, but reaching 22 touchdown passes has proven to be the more difficult aspect, with only three of the eight doing so (John Navarre in 2003, Chad Henne in 2004 and Patterson last year).
Setting a new single season school record for passing TDs isn't out of the question either for Patterson in 2019.
Henne (2004) and Elvis Grbac (1991) share the record with 25, meaning the senior would need to accumulate five more if he wants to rewrite the record books.
It will be a daunting task when considering Ohio State has the No. 1 pass defense in America, though it should be noted that Patterson has thrown nine over his last two games (four on Nov. 16 against Michigan State and five last weekend at Indiana).
The fact that Patterson is in position to do something that no U-M quarterback has ever done before is impressive in itself, especially when considering the statistics the senior posted through the first half of the season.
Patterson got off to a less than stellar start in 2019 under new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, tossing nine touchdowns and averaging 207.6 yards through Michigan's first six games of the year.
As so many have pointed out, something seemingly clicked in the Oct. 19 showdown at Penn State when the senior threw for 276 yards, and the offense has been humming along ever since as a result.
In the five contests since the start of play on Oct. 19, Patterson has thrown 12 touchdowns and has averaged 255.4 passing yards per outing, elevating his game to a level that was not seen during the first half of the year.
The 384-yard, four-touchdown performance against Michigan State on Nov. 16 and the 366-yard, five-TD showing at Indiana last weekend are the main reasons Patterson will likely etch his name into the Michigan record books.
He has also cut down on his interceptions, throwing one over U-M's last four showdowns after tossing four through the first seven.
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