The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1194003
30 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2020 M ichigan senior linebacker Josh Uche announced Dec. 4 via Twitter he would be declaring for the NFL Draft, but also that he would play against Alabama in the Citrus Bowl Jan. 1. The veteran saw time in only four games during his freshman campaign of 2016, leading to specula- tion that he could potentially receive a medical redshirt for that season and return as a fifth-year senior in 2020. Uche was named a second-team All-Big Ten performer by the coaches this season and a third-teamer by the media, after leading the Wolverines during the regular season with 8.5 sacks and checking in second with 11.5 tackles for loss. His 8.5 quar- terback takedowns were tied for the seventh most in the league. "Me and my family have made the decision to forego my final season of eligibility and enter my name in the NFL Draft," Uche wrote on Twitter. "I am still working hard with my teammates to win our 10th game of the season in the bowl game and I am excited to represent Michigan one last time. I want to thank Coach [Jim] Harbaugh, Coach [Don] Brown and all my coaches for believing in a kid from Miami, Florida, and giving me a chance to come to Michigan. Thank you for pushing me to be my very best in every way and for giving me the chance to be a Wolverine. "To my teammates, thank you for always sacrificing and giving your all with me as we worked together towards our goals. You are all my brothers and the bonds we made at Michigan will last forever. To the Michigan fans, thank you for your passion and your love of Michigan football. Playing in front of 110,000 fans every weekend was a dream and something I will always be proud of. Thank you for cheering us on every weekend. We hear you and your sup- port means everything. I will always remember my four years in Ann Ar- bor as a special time in my life, and I am ready and excited for this new opportunity. God Bless!" — Austin Fox SHEA PATTERSON SETS RECORD WITH YARDAGE/ TOUCHDOWN COMBO Michigan senior quarterback Shea Patterson's 25-yard touchdown throw to junior wide receiver Dono- van Peoples-Jones and his 305 pass- ing yards in a 56-27 loss to Ohio State gave him a milestone no other U-M quarterback has ever achieved. Pat- terson needed one score and 77 yards to finish with 22 touchdown passes and 2,600 aerial yards in a season for two straight years, and he accom- plished the feat with 2,828 yards and 22 scores against only six intercep- tions. Patterson finished last season at ex- actly 2,600 yards and 22 touchdowns, only the third time in school history a Michigan quarterback had finished with those numbers in both statisti- cal categories. Michigan quarterbacks have reached the 2,600-yard mark in eight different seasons, but only four times have they matched it with 22 scores (Patterson twice, Jon Navarre in 2003 and Chad Henne in 2004). Patterson, Michigan's team MVP, has an opportunity to set some U-M single-season records in the Citrus Bowl against Alabama. Henne and Elvis Grbac (1991) share the current mark with 25 touchdown passes in a season — Patterson would need three against the Crimson Tide to tie that total. He is also very likely to become only the third Michigan quarterback to eclipse 3,000 yards in a campaign, joining Navarre (2003) and Jake Ru- dock (2015). Patterson and the Michigan offense got off to a slow start this year in new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis' sys- tem, averaging only 207.6 yards per game through the air in the first six contests, but it started to click during the second quarter of the Oct. 19 game MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Josh Uche Declares For The NFL Draft Uche will head to the NFL Draft with one year of eligibility remaining, but did note in his announcement that he will play against Alabama in the Citrus Bowl Jan. 1. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL 2019 MICHIGAN SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Aug. 31 Middle Tennessee State W, 40-21 Sep. 7 Army W, 24-21 (2OT) Sep. 21 at Wisconsin L, 35-14 Sep. 28 Rutgers W, 52-0 Oct. 5 Iowa W, 10-3 Oct. 12 at Illinois W, 42-25 Oct. 19 at Penn State L, 28-21 Oct. 26 Notre Dame W, 45-14 Nov. 2 at Maryland W, 38-7 Nov. 16 Michigan State W, 44-10 Nov. 23 at Indiana W, 39-14 Nov. 30 Ohio State L, 56-27 Jan. 1 vs. Alabama (ABC) 1 p.m.