The defense is further along now than last year
Last year at this time, the entire Red Raider defense was still learning this drastically different scheme so it stands to reason that the current state of that unit pleases Patterson. But what might be somewhat unexpected is that he in part credits the virtual meetings for helping his team learn the defense.
"“We’ve been meeting with zoom, which typically I’d have been on the road recruiting,” Patterson said. “…so I thought it’s worked out really well because we were doing all the zoom meetings with all the things the NCAA allowed us to do over the coruse of that time… “We’re so much farther along than we were a year ago. Yesterday I saw absolutely the most improvement that I’ve seen, a lot of things that were very exciting from a lot of different people. “I think our kids have just been preparing. I’ve seen a maturity and a growth in our football team that’s really just been very encouraging. I mean I don’t know how to describe it, I mean they show up every day…the don’t let their highs get too high or their lows get too low. They understand they know what’s going on.”"
There’s reason to believe that an increased understanding and comfort level of the system will benefit the Red Raiders. That’s because most of last year’s big plays against the Red Raiders came as a result of mix-ups the likes of which are not uncommon for teams in their first year under a new coaching regime.
That was most noticeable in the secondary where the Red Raiders moved two corners to safety for their first time in their careers. If this year’s defense is able to play without thinking as much and simply rely on instinct, it could do wonders for the product on the field. And Patterson believes the extra instruction that has taken place virtually will serve to help in that regard.