Michigan Football: 5 things we learned from win over Wisconsin
Don’t question the O-line anymore
One of the biggest questions coming into the Wisconsin game was how would the offensive line handle the Badgers defense? Another was could Michigan football actually run the ball effectively?
Last season, in a 24-10 loss to Wisconsin, the Wolverines ran the ball 37 times for 58 yards. It was an abysmal performance, but it was indicative of how the run game had performed against good teams.
Saturday night though, the offensive line and the running game delivered in a big way. The Wolverines essentially turned things over the front five in the second half and when the game was over, UM racked up 321 rushing yards, as well as over 200 in the second half alone.
Oh, so @SheaPatterson_1 got LOOSE loose. 😱
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 14, 2018
The @UMichFootball QB scampers 81 yards, and Karan Higdon finished the drive with a TD: pic.twitter.com/FnkiYmoYnN
Higdon ran for 105 yards and a touchdown; Patterson ran for 90 yards and a score. Even Dylan McCaffrey, the backup quarterback scampered 44 yards for a touchdown. Patterson ripped off an 81-yard run in the first quarter, which was one of four runs that covered 25 yards or more.
Patterson was sacked three times, but most of that was from him holding the football too long. Bottom line, the offensive line rolled and proved once and for all, Michigan can run, even against good defenses.