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Notre Dame Football: Top Storylines vs Michigan

By Connor McJunkin

SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 01: Dylan McCaffrey #10 of the Michigan Wolverines tries to outrun the tackle of Daelin Hayes #9 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium on September 1, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame won the game 24-17. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 01: Dylan McCaffrey #10 of the Michigan Wolverines tries to outrun the tackle of Daelin Hayes #9 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium on September 1, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame won the game 24-17. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – OCTOBER 19: Shea Patterson #2 of the Michigan Wolverines runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions on October 19, 2019 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State defeats Michigan 28-21. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

Shea Patterson

One time not so long ago, Shea Patterson was labeled as the answer for Michigan football. They always had a good defense and athletes on offense, Harbaugh and the Wolverines were just missing that dynamic quarterback who could help get them over that hump.

Two years later and the jury is still out on Patterson and his performance thus far. Michigan’s offense hasn’t improved, they still have no conference championships, and still can’t beat Ohio State.

This year, Patterson has completed just 57 percent of his passes for 1,500 yards, 14 total touchdowns, and 4 interceptions in 7 games. The once Heisman-hyped signal caller has been underwhelming to say the least, and the Michigan faithful haven’t been oblivious to it.

While many blame the poor play of the receivers or often times lack of a run game, the burden still falls on Patterson for the offensive struggles, so much so that many have called for Dylan McCaffrey to get more playing time.

McCaffrey hasn’t played much this season and only had limited action in 2018, but he’s still seen by many as a better fit for the offense and a guy who could improve the play of the unit altogether, similar to the Wimbush-Book situation early last year.

All that said, Patterson will still get the start Saturday night much, to many a Michigan fan’s dismay, but who knows how short of a leash he is on. A few bad series to start the game and we could potentially see the Patterson era end and the McCaffrey era begin.

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