Patterson, Offense Fly by Maryland on Homecoming
10/6/2018 5:04:00 PM | Football
» The No. 15-ranked Wolverines racked up 465 yards of total offense (294 passing, 171 rushing), 24 first downs and went 9-of-13 on third-down conversions.
» Quarterback Shea Patterson had his best day as a Michigan Wolverine, going 19-of-27 for 282 yards and three touchdowns.
» Ronnie Bell, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Jared Wangler all caught touchdown passes from Patterson, while Mason had the team's lone rushing touchdown.
» Tailback Karan Higdon ran 25 times for 103 yards, while tight end Zach Gentry caught seven passes for 112 yards.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Stadium)
Score: #15 Michigan 42, Maryland 21
Records: U-M (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten), Maryland (4-1, 1-1Â Big Ten)
Attendance: 109,531
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Oct. 13 -- vs. Wisconsin (Michigan Stadium), 7:30 p.m.
• Postgame Press Conference: Coach Harbaugh | Players
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Quarterback Shea Patterson threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns and engineered a brilliant offensive performance to lead the No. 15-ranked University of Michigan football team to a 42-21 win over Maryland on Homecoming Saturday (Oct. 6) at Michigan Stadium. The offense racked up 465 yards, had 24 first downs and went 9-of-13 on third down.
Patterson was the catalyst, throwing touchdown passes to three different receivers (Ronnie Bell, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Jared Wangler). Tailback Karan Higdon tallied his fourth consecutive game with 100 rushing yards -- he had 103 on Saturday -- and became the 23rd player in Michigan history to eclipse 2,000 career rushing yards. Tight end Zach Gentry was the leading receiver, hauling in seven passes for 112 yards.
Defensively, Michigan limited Maryland to just 42 yards of total offense in the first half and allowed only 11 first downs for the game. Tyree Kinnel led the team with seven tackles, while Brandon Watson had the defense's lone turnover -- a 46-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
The two teams had to wait an additional hour due to weather, not kicking off officially until 1:10 p.m. The Wolverines had little trouble moving the ball, but were stuffed on a 4th-and-1 from the Maryland 24-yard line when Mason was stopped behind the line. The defense held, however, and Michigan turned it into points, leading 3-0 on a 34-yard field goal from Quinn Nordin.

The Terrapins took the lead on the ensuing kickoff, as Ty Johnson returned it 98 yards for a touchdown. Momentum stayed with the visitors, as Patterson was intercepted two plays later, allowing Maryland to start their drive at the 50-yard line. The Michigan defense once again held strong, forcing a punt.
Starting from their own five-yard line, Patterson engineered an 11-play drive that led to a Michigan touchdown. The key play on the drive was a 51-yard bomb to Nico Collins, as the sophomore made an adjustment to come back to the ball and make the catch while simultaneously drawing a defensive pass interference penalty. After a bit of trickery -- in which Grant Perry threw to Sean McKeon off a reverse -- it was a steady dose of Higdon, who ran it four consecutive times down to the one-yard line. Mason cashed in on the next play, allowing Michigan to retake the lead at 10-7.
Facing a third-and-three with 16 seconds left in the first half, Patterson rolled out left and threw a precise 22-yard touchdown pass to Bell, all while taking a roughing the passer penalty. The Wolverines led, 17-7, at halftime, holding a 291-42 edge in total offense.
Michigan came out of the locker room in the second half and appeared to score off a long touchdown pass from Patterson to Peoples-Jones, but it was negated due to a holding call. The drive ended with a 31-yard field goal from Nordin to make the score 20-7.
A Maryland gaffe on kickoff and a quick three-and-out gave Michigan great field position at the Terrapins' 43-yard line. On the fifth play of the drive, Patterson was pressured out of the pocket left and threw across his body to Peoples-Jones, who steadied himself and stayed in-bounds. He then raced up the sideline and broke two would-be tackles for the 34-yard touchdown, increasing the lead to 27-7.
Maryland got within two scores on a three-yard end-around from Javon Leake, cutting the lead to 27-14.
Patterson remained accurate in leading Michigan's response, taking the offense on a nine-play, 81-yard drive that ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Wangler. Mason was successful on a run up the middle on the two-point conversion to make it 35-14, Michigan. On the next drive, Watson jumped a route and picked off Maryland quarterback Kasim Hill, taking it back 46 yards for the touchdown.
The Terrapins added a late touchdown, capping the scoring at 42-21 on a five-yard run from Tyrone Pigrome.
The Wolverines will be back at Michigan Stadium next Saturday (Oct. 13), when they will host Wisconsin in a primetime matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on ABC.
Team Stats

UMD 0, MICH 3
MICH - Nordin, Quinn 34 yd field goal 5 plays, 39 yards, TOP 1:48

UMD 7, MICH 3
UMD - Johnson, Ty 98 yd kickoff return (Petrino, Joseph kick)

UMD 7, MICH 10
MICH - Mason, Ben 1 yd run (Nordin, Quinn kick), 11 plays, 95 yards, TOP 6:06

UMD 7, MICH 17
MICH - Bell, Ronnie 22 yd pass from Patterson, Shea (Nordin, Quinn kick) 12 plays, 64 yards, TOP 5:06

UMD 7, MICH 20
MICH - Nordin, Quinn 31 yd field goal 8 plays, 43 yards, TOP 4:35

UMD 7, MICH 27
MICH - Peoples-Jones 34 yd pass from Patterson, Shea (Nordin, Quinn kick) 5 plays, 43 yards, TOP 3:11

UMD 14, MICH 27
UMD - Leake, Javon 1 yd run (Petrino, Joseph kick), 15 plays, 75 yards, TOP 5:47

UMD 14, MICH 35
MICH - Wangler, Jared 7 yd pass from Patterson, Shea (Mason, Ben rush) 9 plays, 81 yards, TOP 4:51

UMD 14, MICH 42
MICH - Watson, Brandon 46 yd interception (Nordin, Quinn kick)

UMD 21, MICH 42
UMD - Pigrome, T. 5 yd run (Petrino, Joseph kick), 6 plays, 78 yards, TOP 2:35