Texas Tech football: DC Keith Patterson has had very Tech-like defenses

2015 Arizona State: Patterson’s defense ranks No. 112 overall

Much of the reason that Patterson was demoted following the 2016 season was that it was the second-straight awful year that his defense turned in.  In 2015, the ASU defense ranked just No. 112 overall.

As the Devils managed just a 6-7 record overall, Patterson’s defense struggled to the tune of 33.5 points per (99th overall) and 463.8 yards per game.  Nine of 13 opponents surpassed 400 yards with five of the final six opponents racking up at least 500.

But despite being one of the most inept defenses in the country, the Sun Devils managed to lead the nation in a critical category; sacks.  Getting to the QB an impressive 44 times, ASU averaged over 3.5 sacks per game.

That included seven players that brought down the QB at least three times.  The top two pass rushers on the roster, Antonio Longino and D.J. Calhoun combined to record 16.5 sacks between them.

But somehow despite putting all that pressure on the QB, ASU still ranked last overall in the nation against the pass.  Allowing a whopping 337.5 yards per game through the air, ASU let five opponents throw for over 400 yards.

Much like in the Big 12, the PAC 12 is a pass-heavy league and Patterson’s pressure defensive scheme was frequently torched.  Five of nine conference opponents threw for at least 350 yards as ASU went 4-5 in the league.

What’s more, when ASU squared off with a Big 12 offense, the results were even worse.  In the Cactus Bowl, West Virginia passed for 532 yards in a 43-42 win in which ASU allowed 676 total yards.

Being as ASU got to the QB better than any team in the nation in 2015 but still had the worst pass defense in the country, we can surmise that the Sun Devil secondary was a significant liability.  That is not comforting for Texas Tech fans who know that this year’s Red Raider secondary is one of the biggest concerns on the roster after losing both starting safeties from last season.

In 2018, Tech finished second-to-last in the nation against the pass so knowing that Patterson once fielded the worst pass defense in the nation at Arizona State may give some reason to be troubled.