Following a thrilling 39-38 double-overtime win on the road against West Virginia, TCU head football coach Gary Patterson made it clear that the team's mindset is the same going forward.
“Nothing has changed,” he said. “We’re still underdogs. Our goal was to get to bowl eligibility and we did that. Now, it’s to get to seven wins.”
With a victory against the Mountaineers, TCU became bowl-eligible for the eighth straight year. They play undefeated and Big 12-leading Kansas State Saturday.
Here are some more highlights from Patterson’s weekly press conference:
David Johnson out for the season
Patterson announced in his conference that defensive tackle David Johnson will likely be out for the remainder of the season. Patterson did not say what type of injury Johnson had.
Johnson, a senior, provided depth to the defensive line, seeing playing time behind Davion Pierson and Chucky Hunter. He started against Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and West Virginia.
Patterson in favor of injury reporting
After discussing injuries, Patterson addressed questions regarding injury reporting. Patterson said he was in favor of the ACC’s style of injury reporting, saying it was a fair process for all parties involved.
“I think it’s the best way to do it,” he said. “Everybody has to do it the same.”
In the ACC, teams must report their injuries and playing statuses of players, on a scale of out, doubtful, questionable and probable. The system is similar to that of the NFL.
Patterson said a standardized system like the one in the ACC would take away any competitive disadvantages of revealing potential injuries.
“I’m not putting out Tuesday that my guy is questionable, only to wait until Friday to know his guy’s status. And vice versa.”
“Custer section" of schedule
With three games remaining on the year, TCU will face No. 2 Kansas State, No. 17 Texas and No. 12 Oklahoma. Patterson said he recognizes the upcoming challenges and said he had a name prepared for this section of the schedule.
“This is our ‘Custer’ section,” Patterson said, referring to the infamous battles of General Custer. “We’re going over the hill.”
TCU will get Kansas State and Oklahoma at home, while it plays Texas in Austin on Thanksgiving.
When it came to game strategies, Patterson said his goal is to “be best team on those three Saturdays.”
Praise for Kansas State head coach
Patterson also had words about how he admired Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder.
“There’s a lot to learn from him,” he said. “He’s someone we’ve studied. There is a great attention to detail about what he does.”
“If you watch how he meticulously goes about coaching a game, holds practice, does recruiting or how he’s treated people, I think a lot of coaches have modeled after him.”
Patterson said Snyder has set a model of how to schedule a season, setting non-conference games early in the season to build team confidence and momentum heading into conference play.
He said beyond college coaches, the Kansas State area has embraced Snyder’s legacy and admires him just as much, if not more.
“They named a highway after him,” Patterson said. “I think that sums it up.”
