Michigan Football: 3 takeaways from Wolverines win over Illinois

In an affair where Illinois took its time to put up a fight, the Michigan football team ended up winning very conservatively.

It was a total up and down afternoon for the maize and blue in Champagne. The first half was about as close to dominant as can get. Meanwhile, the second was nerve-wracking until the final few minutes when Michigan football put it away. Nonetheless, Michigan made enough plays to escape a potential trap with their fifth victory of 2019.

The offensive line pushed the Illini line back for the better part of the battle. It led the Wolverines to run for 295 yards, with Hassan Haskins getting 125 of those. They cracked over six yards an attempt and it seemed like the backs were finding gaping holes all game long.

Shea Patterson played inconsistently, but manged four combined scores. His arrant passing only allowed him to throw at a 50% clip. The critics of Patterson are growing by the week as well. Anything short of a win for him in Happy Valley next week will not be accepted. So the pressure will continue to mount on the Senior gunslinger.

The injury bug continues to be in full force for Michigan football to say the least. The defense was without three starters, while the offense did not have Nico Collins and Sean McKeon at its disposal. Zach Charbonnet also exited the contest and did not return. The good news is that all of these guys could be back for Penn State, but that won’t be enough if Harbaugh’s bunch keeps playing at the pace they are performing at on the road.