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Gary Patterson had talked about this risk with Lincoln Riley just a few years in the past.
What would possibly a staff appear to be pairing Riley’s rocket-fueled offense with Patterson’s rugged protection?
USC will discover out in late August after Riley made the previous longtime TCU coach his defensive coordinator and most consequential rent as a part of the Trojans’ bid to lastly make the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
“Actually,” Patterson stated Wednesday throughout an introductory information convention, “our aim right here is to show the protection to attempt to get it to the extent that the offense has performed right here.”
However Riley is aware of from his time teaching towards Patterson’s defenses within the Huge 12 how they could full his staff.
“There was by no means anyone who was extra of a ache to game-plan for and take a look at to determine easy methods to transfer the ball towards,” Riley stated, “than this man.”
It’d really feel like a barely unorthodox transfer, Riley choosing a defensive savant who will flip 66 subsequent month. Patterson has been out of full-time teaching since resigning as TCU’s coach in October 2021.
Protection has been the largest difficulty for Riley in his 4 seasons at USC, the aspect of the ball that nearly all the time led to disappointment. Patterson acknowledged the necessity for a fast repair as he tries to raise USC’s protection in a manner that predecessors D’Anton Lynn and Alex Grinch couldn’t.
“There’s no endurance right here,” Patterson stated. “Our job is to return in and coach has been right here for just a little bit, and we have to make a distinction.”
Referred to as a prime architect of the 4-2-5 protection, Patterson stated what he runs at USC might be solid on the fly. It will likely be based mostly on the opponent, the strengths of his personnel and ideas he discovered in recent times as a particular assistant at Texas and an analyst at Baylor. He additionally talked about being impressed by Indiana’s attacking protection whereas watching loads of school soccer.
“Not essentially,” he stated, “are you going to most likely see all Gary Patterson protection.”
Patterson joked that he may defer all tough inquiries to Riley since he was not a head coach. His TCU resignation got here after a historic 22-season run that made him the winningest coach at school historical past. His groups led the nation in complete protection 5 occasions.
However can Patterson nonetheless coach at a excessive degree in 2026?
“I like the sport, I’ve an vitality for the sport,” Patterson stated, “and if I didn’t suppose we may do it and be the place we would have liked to be I wouldn’t be right here.”
One of many causes Trojans followers needed to await a Riley-Patterson pairing was a ready interval for the Faculty Soccer Corridor of Fame. Patterson stated he needed to be out of teaching for 3 years to qualify for the game’s biggest honor. He’ll be inducted later this yr.
With that out of the way in which, Patterson fortunately fielded a textual content from Riley after Lynn’s current departure to grow to be defensive coordinator at Penn State, his alma mater. Remembering that his biggest success at TCU got here throughout a stretch from 2008-11 when the offense hummed and this system went a mixed 47-5, Patterson agreed to attempt to engineer an identical successful mixture at USC.
A brutal schedule that features video games towards Washington, Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana and Penn State energized Patterson, reflecting the conviction of a coach who believes he’s nonetheless obtained just a few nice seasons in him.
“The aim is to be undefeated within the common season,” Patterson stated. “It doesn’t matter what we do, in the event you maintain them to at least one much less [point] 12 occasions, I feel all people’s going to be joyful.”
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