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Patterson, No. 3 TCU just looking for a quiet week for a change
Is it too much to ask for a little peace and quiet?
TCU coach Gary Patterson knows that's not possible during a football campaign in which his Horned Frogs are ranked No. 3 in the nation and expected to challenge for a College Football Playoff spot. But, goodness, maybe just tone down the drama a bit?
The Frogs have been rocked by injury on defense where they were already attempting to replace six starters. Last week saw starting safety Kenny Iloka go down with a serious knee injury, making him the fifth defensive starter lost in just two games.
Next up is SMU on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
"This season’s not any different because of the high expectations. This season’s different because we’ve had injuries, the guys we’ve lost,” Patterson said Tuesday at his weekly press conference.
The scrutiny spotlight is shining much brighter on the Frogs this year than at this point of the season last year when nobody, including Patterson, could have predicted that TCU was about to explode onto the national scene with a high-powered offense and a nasty defense.
But this season was different from the start, entering 2015 with a No. 2 ranking that has already dropped a rung after an opening-week win at Minnesota that wasn't quite impressive enough to keep current No. 2 Alabama from moving ahead.
Patterson isn't as concerned about rankings at the moment as he is plugging holes on his defense and keeping his team healthy heading into the final weekend before nine consecutive Big 12 contests.
"It was easier to do it the way we did it last year,” Patterson said. “Nobody cared. And all of a sudden, you woke up after the Oklahoma game and, ‘Oh, they’re halfway decent.’ Then you have the Baylor shootout, then we’re not. Then you come back and beat Oklahoma State 42-9 here, and ‘Oh, you are.’ You’re over halfway through the season before anybody knows what’s going on. Including yourself.”
(h/t Star-Telegram)
