Michigan Football: 4 questions facing Wolverines against Illinois

Will Brandon Peters make his mark against his former team?

You couldn’t find a more perfect example of the pace at which big-time college football moves than the Illinois signal-caller.

The first quarterback Harbaugh recruited to Michigan. The tall, lean physical specimen from Ohio once heralded as the Wolverines’ quarterback of the future. Brandon Peters was Shea Patterson before Shea Patterson.

The future became the present on October 28, 2017. Peters, then a redshirt freshman, subbed in for a struggling John O’Korn against Rutgers and despite a weak offensive line and an inexperienced collection of skill players, flashed some of his massive potential, completing 10 of 14 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. He started the next two games, efficiently piloting a run-heavy offense to average 34.5 points in wins over Maryland and Minnesota.

But with the Wolverines in a tense battle at unbeaten Wisconsin on Nov. 18, Peters’ head slammed to the turf after a big hit. He was diagnosed with a concussion, missed next week’s loss to Ohio State, and returned to average just 4.2 yards per attempt in a disappointing Outback Bowl loss to South Carolina. By then, Patterson had committed, and the Brandon Peters Era in Ann Arbor was over as soon as it had begun.

Peters transferred to Illinois this offseason, where as a grad transfer he has two seasons of eligibility left. He won the starting job and has been productive so far: 797 yards and 10 touchdowns to four interceptions with a 131.7 quarterback rating.

Peters might not actually play Saturday, as he left early last week with an upper-body injury. If he doesn’t go, the Fighting Illini will probably fire up Matt Robinson. If he does, Michigan will get a glimpse of what could have been and what, for a split-second, was.