Patterson breaks down defensive goals, recruiting and more
The end of the David Gibbs era is coming along with the dismissal of Kliff Kingsbury. Matt Wells is bringing in both of his coordinators to Lubbock with him from Utah State. Taking over an improved defense is Keith Patterson. Here’s what he had to say following Wells’ presser.
- First thing’s first: The Big 12 is a different animal to gameplan against for a defensive coordinator. Patterson said he spoke with a good friend of his on the phone, Tony Gibson, the West Virginia defensive coordinator, who told him playing in the Big 12 is like “drinking water out of a fire hose.”
Patterson said he’s up to the challenge and it’s one part that he loves so much about his job. He thanks his design and system to the coordinators opposite of him, like his fellow coach David Yost, for exposing a fast, up-tempo offense for him to learn about and stray away from a traditional offense.
- Patterson said the style of play and how they measure games has changed since he began coaching. He mentioned that yards given up is no longer a huge stat to look at for success of a defense. He cleared that up by saying takeaways, red zone stops and third downs, to name a few, are as important if not more important to a success of a defense. He’s looking to build off of those categories to get this defense where he wants it amongst the conference. One thing he spoke about was looking at yards per play, specifically to stop those big, explosive chunk plays, which will make Red Raider fans happy. He added that misalignment and miscommunication is key to how big plays are connected on.
- Patterson said his respect for coach Gibbs is high. He said he is happy with the foundation that is left for him to work with as far as players go. He hasn’t seen much play from the Red Raiders but said the defense has to compliment the offense. Their goal will be to be aggressive at calculated times to get the offense back on the field to get into a rhythm. Making adjustments quickly with an up-tempo offense is the most difficult thing to do with how fast they can score. He has since molded with Yost and they know each other pretty well to make the system work smoothly.
- Patterson’s defense is going to be very multiple but stated it’ll take minimal teaching to grasp. He’s wanting it to all tie together. “I think it’s critical that when you are that multiple that players have to become students of the game. They got to become what we refer to as ‘football junkies.’ You got to spend time studying not only your opponent, but you got to spend time studying the scheme. To me, it’s not complicated but I’m not playing. We have a very unique way that we communicate with our players from the sideline on the field. Offenses that just go fast all the time don’t bother me – just call the defense fast.” The mechanism he has in play will help with getting those calls in fast.
- The look for the Red Raider defense will depend, according to Patterson. It varies where he goes, he said. He said he has to evaluate the players on the roster before saying they’re going to be a 3-4 or 3-3-5 defense. This past season he moved three safeties up with one playing more like a linebacker with defensive back skills. One of those that sticks out is a boundary outside linebacker, which he changed the name of on Friday to the ‘Raider’ position, which is a player that possesses more of a defensive end, pass rush skillset. “I still in my mind it’s three down linemen, three linebackers and kind of a hybrid and four DBs.”
- Patterson said the key to recruiting will be building relationships with high school coaches. He said it’s relationship-driven. “It’s a people business.” He said the other side of the coin is getting coaches on staff that are relatable, communicators and who can build on relationships to outwork the competition.
- Patterson said it was a lot of things that made the Texas Tech job attractive. He said he didn’t want to tie himself to anyone but his trust in Wells is extraordinary. He understands it’s a dog-eat-dog business now. He alluded to recruiting as well. He said his father is actually from Detroit, Texas, and his time as a coach in the state is something he cherishes and wants to build on through his connections in recruiting. He also has good friends here in Lubbock. He mentioned his wife as also being an influence in coming to Lubbock.
“She was just like – you know all these other jobs that obviously Matt was being considered for – she kept saying Texas Tech. Say, ‘well here’s an option,’ and she would say, ‘how about Texas Tech,’ so you know what it was just one of those things where I think it just absolutely worked out. There are a lot of combinations ...”