Slap the Sign
Fansided

Notre Dame Football: 3 Biggest Storylines vs. Michigan

By Connor McJunkin

SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 05: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the sidelines during the fourth quarter during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Notre Dame Stadium on September 5, 2015 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 05: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the sidelines during the fourth quarter during the game against the Texas Longhorns at Notre Dame Stadium on September 5, 2015 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Notre Dame football
SOUTH BEND, IN – NOVEMBER 04: Brandon Wimbush #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish moves past Ja’Cquez Williams #30 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Notre Dame Stadium on November 4, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Brandon Wimbush vs. Shea Patterson

The quarterback position was by far the biggest off-season talking points for both schools. The quarterback play of Wimbush and Patterson is going to be huge Saturday, as both schools return strong defenses from last season.

Michigan’s offense was pretty bad last season. They ranked 96th in total offense and 106th in passing offense. Shea Patterson is the hyped-up dual threat guy who is supposed to transform the Wolverine offense in 2018. Patterson — a transfer from Ole Miss — threw for 3,139 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions down south. The ‘dual-threat’ quarterback added 153 rushing yards during his two years in the SEC as well.

While Patterson has been the assumed starter all off-season, he was officially named the starter for the Notre Dame match-up last week. It is clear that Harbaugh and the Michigan offense are comfortable with him leading the way, but Saturday will be his first game as the Wolverine signal-caller. Michigan has had a lot of offensive struggles the past few seasons, and quarterback play has been one of the biggest issues. Patterson is supposed to be the missing piece of the dysfunctional puzzle that is Michigan’s offense — and it starts with his performance Saturday.

When it comes to Brandon Wimbush, there isn’t much more I can say that hasn’t already been said this off-season. The criticism he received last season — and over the last seven months — was warranted. It is no secret he struggled passing the ball last season, completing just 49.6% of his passes and being pulled during both the Miami game and Citrus Bowl for backup Ian Book.

There has been a lot of talk around Wimbush this off-season going back to the basics and working from the ground-up to improve his passing mechanics. He looked solid during the Blue-Gold game, seeming to be more comfortable in the pocket. That led to more accurate passes.

Of course, things are different when you know you can’t be hit.

Wimbush is without a doubt the best option at quarterback for the Irish to open the season. With one year of leading the Irish offense under his belt, he has the experience and tools necessary to make plays. Believing he will turn around and complete 60 percent of his passes this year is far-fetched, but he should be improved from a season ago. Saturday night will be the first chance we get to see the improved Wimbush — and the first chance we have to potentially get a partial answer to Notre Dame’s biggest off-season question mark.

Home/Notre Dame Football