College Sports

Sluggish No. 7 Michigan beats Middle Tennessee 40-21

Posted August 31, 2019 7:00 am

By LARRY LAGE

Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson (2) runs past Middle Tennessee linebacker Chris Melton (32) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) The Associated Press

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - Shea Patterson threw three touchdown passes in the first half and No. 7 Michigan went on to beat Middle Tennessee 40-21 Saturday night.

The Wolverines unveiled their new-look offense and showed they have a lot of work to do with the ball. Patterson lost a fumble on the first play of the game and the senior quarterback had one of the team's two fumbles in the second half.

"Obviously, didn't get off to a good start," Patterson said. "I've got to take care of the football."

Asher O'Hara ran for an 18-yard TD after Patterson's early fumble to give the Blue Raiders a 7-0 lead. O'Hara threw a 2-yard pass for a score to Jarrin Pierce after Lavert Hill fumbled on a punt return to pull them within 10 points late in the first half.

Michigan made it 40-14 with Dylan McCaffrey's 6-yard run late in the third quarter and Ben Van Sumeren's 1-yard run with 6:37 left.

Patterson was 17 of 29 for 203 yards with TD passes to Tarik Black, Nico Collins and Sean McKeon. McCaffrey completed both of his passes for 17 yards and ran for 42 yards along with a score. Standout receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones was not in uniform for the Wolverines, sitting out with an apparent injury.

Michigan's Zach Charbonnet ran for 90 yards on eight carries in his college debut.

O'Hara was 22 of 32 for 217 yards with two TDs, an interception and a score on the ground.

"The stage didn't really affect me at all," he said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Middle Tennessee: The Blue Raiders should feel good about being competitive in a game they were expected to lose by about five touchdowns.

"We're going to be good," receiver Ty Lee said.

Michigan: New offensive coordinator Josh Gattis won't have a hard time finding teaching points after his debut.

"We shot ourselves in the foot at times with pre-snap penalties and mishandling the ball," coach Jim Harbaugh said.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Michigan may not move much, up or down, after winning a game by a lopsided margin against an overmatched opponent.

UP NEXT

Middle Tennessee: Hosts Tennessee State.

Michigan: Plays Army on Saturday at home.

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Michigan wide receiver Nico Collins (4) celebrates his touchdown with quarterback Shea Patterson (2) during the second quarter of an NCAA football game against Middle Tennessee in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Ding) The Associated Press

Middle Tennessee quarterback Asher O'Hara dives for a 18-yard touchdown run in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) The Associated Press

Middle Tennessee quarterback Asher O'Hara throws a pass in the fourth quarter of the team's NCAA football game against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. Michigan won 40-21. (AP Photo/Tony Ding) The Associated Press

Middle Tennessee wide receiver Jimmy Marshall (83) rushes for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of the team's NCAA football game against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019. Michigan won 40-21. (AP Photo/Tony Ding) The Associated Press

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