It was 11:45 a.m. and fans from both teams started to fill the Big House. Everyone was on the edge of their seat awaiting the kickoff at noon, with one team in maize and blue and the other in brown and white. Both teams came running out of the tunnel; Michigan and Western Michigan took their sides.

Michigan’s new star quarterback Shea Patterson threw three touchdown passes in his first game in the Big House — one in each of the first three quarters — to help No. 21 Michigan to a victory over Western Michigan with a score of 49-3. 

”Shea played well again,” Harbaugh said. ”A couple of the plays he made out of the pocket on the dead run, getting out of trouble, were big-time plays. He was really accurate again, playing cool, and making the tight window throws.”

Jon Wassink — quarterback for Western — threw for a total of 85 yards and threw one pass that was intercepted by Noah Furbush and returned for seven yards.

Keron Higdon — the running back for Michigan — had an outstanding performance, running 140 yards, scoring one touchdown in the first quarter, and ending with a total of 156 rushing yards. Higdon alone had more rushing yards than all of Western’s running backs combined, which totaled 123 yards.

Michigan’s second-string quarterback, Dylan McCaffrey, was put in at the end of the game and threw for one touchdown.

After last week’s loss to Notre Dame, critics were disappointed on how Michigan performed. This should quiet them for a week, but although Michigan won the game, they have a long way to go.

“We have to take this game with a grain of salt,” Higdon said.

Michigan is set to play the SMU Mustangs this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the Big House.