Michigan Football: 3 keys to Wolverines beating Alabama

Patterson has to play the game of his life

This shouldn’t come as a big shock, but if Michigan football is going to pull the upset, Shea Patterson really needs to play the game of his life.

His career with the Wolverines has been a solid one. He is 19-6 as a starter and owns some wins over ranked teams. He has a 2-0 record against Michigan State and at least went 1-1 against Notre Dame.

Yet, Patterson went 0-2 against Ohio State and a loss to Alabama would end his career without a bowl victory. During the press conference this week, both Harbaugh and Saban talked about how much Patterson had improved and they are right.

Down the stretch, he racked up three 300-yard games. The question is, how effective will he be against Alabama? He’s certainly going to need to outplay Mac Jones for U-M to get the win and most importantly, he has to avoid turnovers.

Patterson started hot against Ohio State before a bad fumble ruined things. Taking care of the ball and getting touchdowns in the red zone is essential. If that doesn’t happen, Michigan won’t win the game.