... on the following:
• Junior quarterback Shea Patterson: "Look, I think some of the hype leading into this season on Shea Patterson was unfair and inaccurate. He's a talented player, he's really good, but when his name is showing up at the top of mock drafts before he's taken a snap, peoples' expectations get out of hand, and that is in no way to diminish Shea Patterson.
"That is to ask people to tap the brakes, let him be who he is. We're still trying to figure out, is he going to be able to cut down on some of the mistakes he made at Ole Miss, as a young quarterback. If you look, under [Jim] Harbaugh's tutelage, will he be getting better?
"He hasn't made, in the last two games, an awful throw, that I can remember — one that's right at a defensive back. There have been some that have been close. On the pass to [redshirt junior tight end Zach] Gentry, he put it up high. In the final drive against Northwestern, inside the 10, that looked dangerous, but it turned out to be a pretty good throw.
"Against SMU and Nebraska, there were a couple there that very easily could have been picked, that a defensive back didn't make a play on … it looks like his decision making is getting better. He's letting his physical tools take over when necessary.
"The touchdown pass to [sophomore receiver] Donovan Peoples-Jones was just a phenomenal individual play. At this point, he seems to be coming into his own, going into some of these bigger games.
"And look, he's playing a big game in a comfortable environment. He's accustomed to going on the road. He's played at LSU, he's played at Alabama, he's played at Notre Dame. Obviously, in the coming months, he's going to play in East Lansing and in Columbus. I don't doubt that he's perfectly comfortable with the stage that Saturday night will be."
• Michigan's readiness for the Wisconsin-MSU-Penn State stretch: "It's somewhat hard to know, because we're all presuming that what we've seen in the last few weeks is Michigan improving, when it certainly has something to do with the level of competition.
"Look, I said it after the Notre Dame game, and it still rings true today: a seven-point loss, on the road at Notre Dame, might not look as bad as people thought as time goes by, and I think that's proving to be the case. But the only way we'll really know if they have gotten better is watching them over the next three [games].
"It's certainly going to be a more confident group, and a more experience group. I think they are better. It's just a matter of how much better, and is it enough to take care of business in these bigger ball games.
"I look at Wisconsin, and I think [quarterback [Alex] Hornibrook is really good at throwing the deep crossing route. He did it for a touchdown against Michigan last year. He did it last week against Nebraska in coverage. I'm going to be intrigued to see how Michigan defends that.
"You've got an elite, tackle-breaking tailback, which is going to be a real challenge for them. Defensively, they have to be really, really good at tackling to win this game and to keep Jonathan Taylor from hurting them.
"But one thing that they haven't done — I'm talking about Wisconsin — is pretty quarterbacks. They only have five sacks all year, and they had multiple sacks last week against Nebraska. They haven't pressured quarterbacks, Michigan's offensive line has gotten better there, and I really like that match-up from the Michigan perspective, giving Shea Patterson time against a team that that's not their strength."
• The Big Ten games ahead for Michigan: "There are the obvious games, and I'll throw in another I think could be dangerous — Indiana can score. Indiana scored in Columbus and made that difficult. That was a classic letdown game. Indiana led it in the second quarter, and that game was close deep into the third quarter.
"You don't look past the Hoosiers, but Michigan has played some dangerous teams already. I think Maryland is a prime example of a team that can get you if you don't show up. At the end of the day, it's a challenging schedule, although I have to admit, it doesn't look quite as daunting as we thought it was going into the year.
"You can navigate it. If you play well, you can navigate it and get through it. I actually feel better about all three match-ups in the next three [games] than I did coming into the year. Michigan has a wonderful opportunity. They look like they're getting better, and more confident. Two of the next three are at home.
"Maybe most importantly, their coordinators have found out a little about who they are, what works, and what doesn't. We'll just have to wait and see. I think it shapes up to be a pretty interesting month here for Michigan, where fans might like what they see."
Here is the full podcast: https://michigan.rivals.com/news/michigan-wolverines-football-podcast-doug-karsch-with-john-borton-2
• Junior quarterback Shea Patterson: "Look, I think some of the hype leading into this season on Shea Patterson was unfair and inaccurate. He's a talented player, he's really good, but when his name is showing up at the top of mock drafts before he's taken a snap, peoples' expectations get out of hand, and that is in no way to diminish Shea Patterson.
"That is to ask people to tap the brakes, let him be who he is. We're still trying to figure out, is he going to be able to cut down on some of the mistakes he made at Ole Miss, as a young quarterback. If you look, under [Jim] Harbaugh's tutelage, will he be getting better?
"He hasn't made, in the last two games, an awful throw, that I can remember — one that's right at a defensive back. There have been some that have been close. On the pass to [redshirt junior tight end Zach] Gentry, he put it up high. In the final drive against Northwestern, inside the 10, that looked dangerous, but it turned out to be a pretty good throw.
"Against SMU and Nebraska, there were a couple there that very easily could have been picked, that a defensive back didn't make a play on … it looks like his decision making is getting better. He's letting his physical tools take over when necessary.
"The touchdown pass to [sophomore receiver] Donovan Peoples-Jones was just a phenomenal individual play. At this point, he seems to be coming into his own, going into some of these bigger games.
"And look, he's playing a big game in a comfortable environment. He's accustomed to going on the road. He's played at LSU, he's played at Alabama, he's played at Notre Dame. Obviously, in the coming months, he's going to play in East Lansing and in Columbus. I don't doubt that he's perfectly comfortable with the stage that Saturday night will be."
• Michigan's readiness for the Wisconsin-MSU-Penn State stretch: "It's somewhat hard to know, because we're all presuming that what we've seen in the last few weeks is Michigan improving, when it certainly has something to do with the level of competition.
"Look, I said it after the Notre Dame game, and it still rings true today: a seven-point loss, on the road at Notre Dame, might not look as bad as people thought as time goes by, and I think that's proving to be the case. But the only way we'll really know if they have gotten better is watching them over the next three [games].
"It's certainly going to be a more confident group, and a more experience group. I think they are better. It's just a matter of how much better, and is it enough to take care of business in these bigger ball games.
"I look at Wisconsin, and I think [quarterback [Alex] Hornibrook is really good at throwing the deep crossing route. He did it for a touchdown against Michigan last year. He did it last week against Nebraska in coverage. I'm going to be intrigued to see how Michigan defends that.
"You've got an elite, tackle-breaking tailback, which is going to be a real challenge for them. Defensively, they have to be really, really good at tackling to win this game and to keep Jonathan Taylor from hurting them.
"But one thing that they haven't done — I'm talking about Wisconsin — is pretty quarterbacks. They only have five sacks all year, and they had multiple sacks last week against Nebraska. They haven't pressured quarterbacks, Michigan's offensive line has gotten better there, and I really like that match-up from the Michigan perspective, giving Shea Patterson time against a team that that's not their strength."
• The Big Ten games ahead for Michigan: "There are the obvious games, and I'll throw in another I think could be dangerous — Indiana can score. Indiana scored in Columbus and made that difficult. That was a classic letdown game. Indiana led it in the second quarter, and that game was close deep into the third quarter.
"You don't look past the Hoosiers, but Michigan has played some dangerous teams already. I think Maryland is a prime example of a team that can get you if you don't show up. At the end of the day, it's a challenging schedule, although I have to admit, it doesn't look quite as daunting as we thought it was going into the year.
"You can navigate it. If you play well, you can navigate it and get through it. I actually feel better about all three match-ups in the next three [games] than I did coming into the year. Michigan has a wonderful opportunity. They look like they're getting better, and more confident. Two of the next three are at home.
"Maybe most importantly, their coordinators have found out a little about who they are, what works, and what doesn't. We'll just have to wait and see. I think it shapes up to be a pretty interesting month here for Michigan, where fans might like what they see."
Here is the full podcast: https://michigan.rivals.com/news/michigan-wolverines-football-podcast-doug-karsch-with-john-borton-2
