Michigan Football: Shea Patterson’s legacy is at stake vs Ohio State

Michigan football has been on a good run over the last four weeks but if Shea Patterson wants to be remembered as great, he needs to beat Ohio State.

Certain games define careers and for Michigan football‘s Shea Patterson that game comes Saturday against Ohio State.

After two losses earlier this season to Wisconsin and Penn State, there won’t be a trip to the Big Ten championship game or the College Football Playoff. That’s done and over.

But that doesn’t mean Patterson can’t go down as a great Michigan football quarterback. He can simply by beating Ohio State.

Right now, all we have to go on is last season’s 62-39 debacle. Yes, he led Michigan to 10 straight wins prior to that, but that was the Wolverines chance to win the division and head to Indy and they blew it.

The expectations were high again this season and with a new offense directed by Josh Gattis, maybe the expectations were too high to start. It took time for the offense to click but now that it has, Michigan looks like a dangerous team.

The Wolverines have won four in a row and each victory has come by at least 25 points. Michigan beat Notre Dame and seven-win Indiana, as well as a struggling Michigan State team and Maryland.

UM didn’t struggle in any of those games and over the last two weeks, they have shined especially because of Patterson who has nine touchdowns and just one interception in the last two outings.

He has started to become a regular in the record books. He’s on a short list of Michigan quarterbacks with two, 20-touchdown seasons. He also is one of nine to eclipse 5,000 yards passing and holds the record for passing yards against Michigan State.

In his two-year career, Patterson has won 19 games and 13 of them have come in Big Ten play. He’s beaten Michigan State twice, as well as Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Penn State and Iowa.

Patterson has defeated top-25 teams and even a team in the top-10 and his resume is starting to look pretty good. It just needs a win over Ohio State.

The same could be said about Jim Harbaugh. The difference is that the head coach will get another chance next season, especially after the way this team has surged down the stretch.

Outside of a 2018-like loss, it will be hard not to feel good about Michigan football heading into the bowl season. This team notched some key wins and with the offense and defense firing on all cylinders, things just seem to be in a good place.

That’s a credit to Harbaugh’s leadership. It’s also a credit to guys like Patterson, who just started playing better.

It reminds you of Tom Brady in 1999 or Drew Henson in 2000. Neither of those teams went to the Rose Bowl, but both of those guys, at least in my opinion are great Michigan quarterbacks.

Why?

They were great players; they put up great numbers and they beat Ohio State.

And if Shea Patterson can help engineer a win over Ohio State, he will absolutely belong in the club.