Chase Winovich (15) and Shea Patterson

Roomies Patterson, Winovich Reflect on Life Off the Field, Winning On It

By Steve Kornacki

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Chase Winovich likes to joke about having been given the perfect name, since his primary occupation as a defensive end is chasing quarterbacks.

And it just so happens that his roommate is a quarterback. That would be Shea Patterson , the signal caller who finds so many ways to win.

Patterson and Winovich share an off-campus apartment in Ann Arbor, and also had a big share of the Wolverine heroics in Saturday's (Sept. 29) 20-17 comeback win at Northwestern.

"We live together and it's an interesting experience," Winovich said. "We play on the other side of the ball, so when we talk football, we don't talk so much technical stuff. But we're always talking about football; it's always on our/ minds. We're talking about the things we have to do in specific games, and how our teammates are doing.

"So, it helps to keep your mind wrapped around what you're specifically doing with your roommate."

What are their best qualities as roommates?

"He's fun -- he's a fun person to be around," Winovich said of Patterson. "We mesh together pretty well. He's not very uptight and is easy to get along with."

Patterson on Winovich: "He's just a great person, and a great leader, too. Those are the best things about Chase."

What are their worst qualities as roomies?

"His worst quality probably is stealing my garlic bread," Winovich said with a chuckle. "It's funny because he doesn't mean it; there's nothing malicious about it. But it's funny. I always hassle him about it, taking my bread."

Patterson laughed when the garlic bread heists were mentioned, and said, "His worst quality (chuckling)? I don't know. He's just an all-around great roommate. I can't say anything bad about him."

So, Winovich doesn't retaliate by taking something of his?

"No," said Patterson. "But what really sucks is he's an older guy, and doesn't have to take the early classes. So, when I'm getting up at 8 in the morning and going to class, that's when I think, 'And this guy gets to sleep in and do his thing all day?'"

Their apartment also is a place to take a break from studies and game preparation.

"We watch movies and we play video games," said Winovich. "We watch football. Our personalities just really mesh well together. So, there's never any drama."

Chase Winovich

Winovich had some words along the sideline for Patterson before Michigan's game-winning touchdown drive.

"I'm always talking to Shea," said Winovich. "It's something to do with pumping him up. Like I said, he's my roommate and I think we've got a pretty good relationship. We've got to look each other in the eyes, and we pass it back and forth."

He recalled Patterson's words in the fourth quarter: "You take care of what you need to take care of, and I'm going to score this touchdown."

Winovich had a team-high nine tackles, including three for lost yardage and a big sack. He was the constant for a defense that got extremely stubborn after a slow start, allowing the offense a chance to come back and win the game.

The first of two Josh Uche sacks got the ball back to Michigan after a Wildcat punt put the ball at the Wolverine 33-yard line with 10:05 remaining.

Patterson hit fullback Jared Wangler for a nine-yard pass to get the drive going, and made what was arguably the most crucial play of the game on 3rd-and-6 at the Northwestern 37. Patterson got it with his feet, scooting for nine yards to keep the chains moving.

Then Patterson fired a dart between two defenders for a 23-yard completion to tight end Zach Gentry , and two plays later, senior tailback Karan Higdon (30 carries for 115 yards) capped the 67-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown burst up the middle.

Michigan had not overcome a 17-point deficit to win since a 35-31 victory over Notre Dame on Sept. 10, 2011, in Ann Arbor.

"A lot of guys really left it out there and played their hearts out," said Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh . "We got tested in the ballgame and had to show what we were made of. Start with the quarterback, though. I thought he really stepped up big and took the game into his hands in a lot of ways there in the second half.

"Defensively, there is going to be a lot of people to single out who played great. After the second quarter, we really played tremendous defense."

Northwestern had a 17-0 lead and 165 yards of total offense at the 12:56 mark of the second quarter. But the Wildcats never scored again and amassed a meager 37 yards in the final 42:56 of play, a time that was punctuated by six Wolverine sacks.

Patterson all but secured victory on another third-and-six play at the Michigan 38-yard line with 2:55 remaining. After making a play-fake handoff, Patterson chose correctly on a read-pass option, scooting forward for eight yards with some pretty impressive footwork and cutting.

When asked about Patterson's resilience, Harbaugh smiled widely and said, "A-plus-plus."

Shea Patterson

Patterson completed 15-of-24 passes for 196 yards, and also rushed for 31 all-important yards.

Winovich had a career-high eight solo tackles, and was one off his personal best of 10 total tackles against Ohio State in 2017. He also was one shy of his four tackles for loss in one game, last achieved against Maryland last year.

He now has 39 tackles for loss in his career, and the next one will tie him with James Hall (1996-99) for 10th place at Michigan. Winovich is on a roll, having recorded a tackle for loss or combining for one in 13 consecutive games.

It was quite a night for the roomies.

When it was over, Patterson, Winovich and the rest of the Wolverines celebrated in their locker room at Ryan Field.

"It was a lot of energy -- just all positive energy," said Patterson. "There were a lot of emotions, and I'm just happy to be a part of this football team. I'm so proud of our players. We really came together."

Patterson is a junior, and Winovich is a fifth-year senior, whose Michigan memories date back to 2014.

"It was electric," said Winovich. "I don't know if I've ever experienced a Michigan locker room that was like that. The juice was just flowing through everyone, from the coaches to the managers to the equipment staff. It was going through everyone.

"We survived, and we knew that it was a championship win. My message to the team on Thursday, when we got all the defensive guys together, was that in a sense this was our season and their season. We lose this game, and who knows how it affects our chances at the Big Ten playoffs and the championship. For them (the Wildcats), this could've been the greatest night of their lives, and I think we spoiled that.

"We needed someone to step up and give it their all, and I tried to be that guy, and the other guys stepped up as well. So, there were a lot of heroes tonight, and Shea is one of them. … He's a competitor, a lot like I am. There's just something about Shea that's special. It's great having someone like that to lead our team."

It is hard keeping Patterson away from something he really wants, garlic bread included.