On Tuesday, defensive coordinator Keith Patterson went over what he saw from his defense in Texas Tech's win over Stephen F. Austin. Here's what he had to say about his unit over various areas.
Patterson praises red zone defense
Patterson said a lot of what they have to fix is their mentality. He said they have to teach them to not surrender one point when the ball gets into the red zone.
He said they must tighten up in that part of the field. He mentioned he felt that they had four or five opportunities near the red zone to hold them. They hit 80% there when their goal is 60%
Red Raiders being hit on fourth down
Patterson addressed how his team has handled being forced to make fourth down stops so frequently in two games:
"We've defended 12 fourth downs in two weeks," Patterson said. "We're giving up - I guess it's a sign of progress - but we're giving up just slightly over 3.5 yards per play and everyone is critiquing us. It's like, 'whatever.' We're giving up three yards a play - run and pass. That's second to Iowa State in this league I think."
Patterson went on to say opponents are nickel and diming them. They're forcing teams to play in front and running and making the tackle. They're not giving up over-the-top plays. However, they still have room to improve.
Depth proving to be crucial especially in secondary
Patterson said the secondary has seen its fair share of bumps and bruises early on and nothing else says that then the second half against SFA.
Adrian Frye, Dadrion Taylor and Eric Monroe were all out during that portion of the game, forcing others to step up.
"There was a lot of moving parts with that," Patterson said. "That's where I'm just so proud. That's why you have to have depth. That's just a part of the game and injuries are a part of the game. You just got to be the next man up mentality and that's just kind of where we are right now."
Patterson on Florida International's offense
Here's what Patterson sees on film about FIU's offense:
"They're very athletic. They got a QB with a strong arm. He's very accurate throwing the deep ball. They have three receivers - I think one will be coming back this week. He hasn't played in their first two games and was probably their best receiver a year ago. They have two receivers averaging 21 yards a catch - that's going to lead the country a lot of years. Then they three or four running backs that they rotate in. They're big and athletic upfront. They got a freshman tight end that's extremely athletic. I like them. they had three costly turnovers last week that cost them big time because I think all three of them came in the red zone going in to score if I'm not mistaken. I think they got a quality team and obviously they're well coached.
