5 Bold predictions for Michigan Football’s offense in 2020

Milton will put up big numbers in 2020

I get that the hype surrounding Milton has been off the charts and Michigan football fans are weary of it. After all, they heard the same hype about Shea Patterson, Brandon Peters and others.

But Milton isn’t any one of those cats. He’s got a better arm than Patterson and he’s just better suited to the system installed by Josh Gattis. He’s not afraid to run and he can make all the throws. Here’s what Wolverine Digest’s Michael Spath quoted an insider as saying about the QB’s:

"“Milton can do everything Josh Gattis’ offense needs from its QB – The Wolverines were hamstrung in 2019 because Patterson lacked both arm strength and, more importantly, trust/timing with his wide receivers. A quarterback has to be a difference-maker in today’s game, make a defense pay when they’re in one-on-one situations down the field and on the read-option, otherwise you’re just leaving yards on the table.”"

That’s a tough assessment of Patterson but it’s accurate. He missed throws all the time. He wasn’t accurate on deep balls and he couldn’t make the elite throws when needed.

Now, I am not saying we know Milton is going to do that, because doing it in a practice setting and a game are two very different things. But he does fit this system better and even though Patterson struggled, he still had one of the best statistical seasons in Michigan history.

Patterson finished second in terms of single-season passing totals and fourth for touchdown passes. And now, with Milton in control of the offense and with everyone more comfortable, he should be able to match the 250 a game Shea threw for last year and nearly two TDs per outing.

So it’s not a stretch to predict Milton will throw for 2,500-plus yards and 20 touchdowns in 10 games. In fact, I think he’ll finish closer in the 25-30 range if you include rushing touchdowns.