Tim DeRuyter is not Keith Patterson
Let’s stick with the theme of comparing coaches and analyze how this year’s team will be better because of a new face in charge of a critical aspect of the program. Indeed, we should be far more confident in the Red Raider defense under the guidance of new defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter than we were with his predecessor, Keith Patterson.
Last year at Oregon, DeRuyter’s defense finished 72nd nationally in total defense. While that’s nothing to throw a parade over, it is 14 spots higher than Tech finished in what was Patterson’s best season leading the defense.
The simple truth is that Keith Patterson is not a good defensive coordinator. Only once in ten years as a DC at a major-conference program has Patterson fielded a defense in the top 75 nationally and that was in 2011 at Pitt, which was playing in a dying Big East conference, one that would see only four teams finish the year with a winning record.
Overall, Patterson’s defenses at the major-conference level have had an average total defense ranking of 98.3 nationally out of 130 teams. That’s simply dreadful.
Were Patterson a good defenisve coordinator, one held in high regard by his peers, he would have been coveted by other programs this offseason. Instead, he had to take refuge in Abilene where he took the head coaching job at Abilene Christian.
DeRuyter has a far more decorated career. First of all, he has head coaching experinece (2012-16 at Fresno State). Also, at Cal, his defenses ranked 22nd nationally in 2018 in scoring defense and 33rd in 2019 after surrendering 20.4 and 21.9 points per game respectively. Also the Golden Bears only gave up 26.5 points per game during the 2020 season.
It could easily be argued that DeRuyter is the most decorated defenisve coordinator that Tech has employed during the modern era of the program and that should pay dividends this year. What’s more, it will be refreshing not to have Keith Patterson in charge of one of the most important aspects of the Texas Tech football program.