Michigan Football: 3 key takeaways from Wolverines win over Maryland

Gentry is for real

Patterson and the offensive line both had outstanding days, so did Higdon and the entire defense for that matter. But another really impressive performance was put together by Zach Gentry, the tight end who caught seven passes for 112 yards.

For the season, the junior has 20 receptions for 306 yards. Yet, after starting the season with three catches for 21 yards in the first two games, he’s been on a tear. He caught four passes for 95 yards against SMU and caught three passes each against Nebraska and Northwestern.

Without a doubt, Gentry is the best tight end Michigan has had since Jake Butt and like Butt, he is becoming a matchup nightmare for defenses. Peoples-Jones and Collins are also becoming reliable playmakers but it’s clear that Gentry is Patterson’s security blanket.

After coming to Michigan as a quarterback and redshirting, Gentry’s conversion to tight end is complete. At this rate, he may leave after this season to go the NFL, but over the next six games, it’s going to be fun to see what he and Patterson can accomplish together.

All in all, it was another impressive win for Michigan football, which was now won five straight. However, the first real test since the loss against Notre Dame comes next Saturday against Wisconsin. That is when we will find out just how good this team really is.