Michigan Football: Did Shea Patterson finally turn the corner?

Michigan football lost Saturday at Penn State. But that doesn’t change the fact that it was one of the best offensive showings of the season.

Following another loss in a big game for Michigan football, it’s easy to be discouraged about this team and wonder if its capable of performing on the big stage.

The Wolverines failed to do that at Wisconsin. However, the same charge can’t really be levied about last week’s loss.

Yes, it was disappointing to see Michigan football fall behind 21-0. Yet, Shea Patterson and the offense found a groove and if you simply looked at the box score, it would have looked like a Wolverines win.

For his part, Patterson did everything possible to deliver a win. He was great in the second half, making clutch throws and consistently converting third and fourth downs. He accounted for more than 300 total yards and without a tragic drop from Ronnie Bell, Michigan is able to tie the game on its last offensive possession.

Even that doesn’t mean the Wolverines would have won or even forced overtime. But the effort came against one of the top-ranked defenses in the country and it was sustained success against a quality opponent, something we haven’t seen yet this season.

So with five games left, it’s fair to ask if the offense is finally hitting its stride?

While we have yet to see that side of the ball play four solid quarters of football, Jim Harbaugh is right that it’s getting closer. Patterson had his best performance of the season and the receiving trio of Nico Collins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Ronnie Bell are coming on.

No matter what the defense, that group is going to be tough to handle and so is freshman running back Zach Charbonnet.

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All the pieces are in place to finish the season strong and even though the Big Ten title is a long shot at this point, this season is not wasted.

Patterson and everyone else have a chance to salvage their legacy and it’s by winning these big games starting with Notre Dame.

Just imagine, even though it seems hard, that Michigan football wins out. That would mean victories over Notre Dame, Michigan State and Ohio State, plus a 10-2 record and a pretty good bowl game if the Big Ten East goes to the Buckeyes or Nittany Lions.

That would spoil the playoff hopes of the Fighting Irish and OSU. It would also prove that Patterson, Harbaugh and the rest of the team can win the big games.

Tom Brady didn’t win an outright conference title. But in his senior season, his team finished with wins over Penn State, Ohio State and Alabama in the Orange Bowl. That’s what people remember.

Shea Patterson could be remembered for breaking the streak against Ohio State. A win over a top-10 Notre Dame team, as well as in-state rival Michigan State wouldn’t hurt.

It’s not what fans wanted at the start of the season or even what the team wanted. But it’s a worthwhile goal and with the way the offense played last week, it’s more realistic than you might think.

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That is if Patterson and company can keep it going.

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