Michigan Football: 5 things we learned in Wolverines win over Maryland

Taking care of the ball has become a positive

There is plenty to criticize when it comes to Michigan football’s offense Saturday at Maryland, but the best thing you can say about the Wolverines is that they took care of the football.

It was disappointing to see the offense muster just 331 yards against one of the worst defenses in the Big Ten and the running game, in particular, was a letdown, however, with the Michigan defense dominating the way it is, protecting the ball is paramount.

And Shea Patterson was able to make a couple of big plays and going 13-of-22 for 151 yards and a touchdown was just fine. His long pass to Nico Collins was a great example of how this team can create more explosive plays, but all in all, it’s hard to complain.

The bottom line is that Patterson is never going to be the guy that throws for 300 yards a game. He’s not an elite quarterback and he’s not Justin Fields.

But, he also doesn’t need to be. The defense can keep Michigan football in any game and most weeks, it’s good enough to give the Wolverines a huge advantage. So if the offense can be efficient, protect the ball and score when chances arise, it should be enough to beat most teams, maybe not Ohio State, but just about everyone else on the schedule.