Texas Tech football: DC Keith Patterson has had very Tech-like defenses
Utah State 2018: Patterson’s underrated defense supported a lethal offense
Last season, Patterson proved just how a decent defense can put a team with one of the most high-octane offensive attacks in the game over the top. While Utah State was busy scoring 47.1 points per game, second-most in the country, Patterson’s defense was a somewhat overlooked aspect of the Aggies’ 11-2 season.
Utah State finished 51st overall in total defense allowing 379.5 yards per game. That was 57 spots higher than Tech’s defense was ranked and 69.4 yards per game less than Tech’s defense surrendered.
Additionally, USU allowed only 22.2 points per game, (33rd in the nation), which was much more impressive than the 31.1 points per game (86th in the nation) the Red Raiders allowed. What’s more, only three of Utah State’s opponents, Michigan State, Air Force, and Boise State, topped the 30-point mark. By contrast, seven of the Red Raiders’ 12 opponents managed to put up 30 points or more with six surpassing 40.
In those three 30-point games, Patterson’s team was gashed on the ground. Allowing an average of 228.3 yards, the Aggies surrendered over 85 yards per contest more than their season average of 143.0, which was good for No. 41 in the nation.
But the ground game was not a huge problem for Tech last year outside of the Ole Miss and Oklahoma games. Rather, it was the passing defense that killed the Red Raiders.
Ranking No. 128 of 129 teams against the pass, Tech allowed an average of 288.3 yards through the air. Meanwhile, Utah State allowed only 236.5 yards per game, 77th in the country. Of course, the Aggies were not facing the type of elite passing attacks that Tech sees on a weekly basis in the Big 12.
The Aggies were able to do a good job of getting to the QB registering 32 sacks, 42nd-most in the country. That was slightly better than the 28 Tech racked up, which was good for 50th overall.
What made the Aggie pass rush effective was that six players had at least 1.5 sacks with outside LB Tipa Galeai registering 10.5, more than the Red Raiders’ top two rushers totaled. Tech was led by Tony Jones, who put up 5.0 sacks while Kolin Hill had 4.0.
Though the Mountain West is a far cry from the Big 12, Patterson’s 2018 defense put up the type of numbers Texas Tech fans have been longing to see from the Red Raiders. If Patterson can come close to repeating those results in 2019, Tech could be in for a much better season than virtually anyone expects.