Joe Milton passes first test as Michigan football’s starting quarterback

Michigan football might have something special in new starting quarterback Joe Milton.

In a game a lesser quarterback would have lost, Joe Milton delivered for Michigan football.

It was arguably the biggest game of the week, as the No. 18 Michigan Wolverines had to play the No. 21 Minnesota Golden Gophers on the road in prime time. Minnesota was nearly a New Year’s Six team a season ago. Michigan went out and dominated the Golden Gophers offensively. It was everything Jim Harbaugh could have hoped for in Milton’s first career start for the Wolverines.

Joe Milton looks like the answer at quarterback for Michigan football

Milton completed 15-of-22 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown. He also had eight carries for 52 yards and an additional trip to pay dirt. Most importantly, the Wolverines put up 49 points of offense on the Golden Gophers defense. Keep in mind Minnesota has a fantastic quarterback/wide receiver tandem in Tanner Morgan and Rashod Bateman. Yet, tonight was all about Michigan.

In the last few years, the Michigan defense has been top-notch, but the offense has been largely archaic. Harbaugh has had a revolving door of quarterbacks he didn’t recruit that didn’t end up working out. Not since he coached Andrew Luck while at Stanford has he had a signal-caller he could consistently rely on in the college game. Milton is still a raw player, but he is certainly dynamic.

And that’s exactly what Michigan has been missing: Dynamism from the quarterback position. It’s no longer three yards and a cloud of dust in Big Ten Country. Quarterbacks like Morgan, Justin Fields at Ohio State and maybe even Graham Mertz at Wisconsin are showing that you can win big by moving the sticks with undeniable arm talent. Michigan is better with Milton as its quarterback.

The best part of it all is this was a game the Wolverines could have easily lost on the road. Nobody would have beaten Harbaugh and his Michigan program up too bad with a road defeat to a high-end Minnesota team coached by P.J. Fleck. Yes, Ohio State looms large at the end of the year, but the Wolverines showed us on Saturday they have a quarterback capable of beating almost anyone.

Milton just passed his first huge test as the Michigan starting quarterback with flying colors.

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