Coach Speak: Gary Patterson Talked Gundy, Forcing Turnovers and Longevity

Saturday’s matchup inside Boone Pickens Stadium will feature college football’s two longest-tenured head coaches. Gary Patterson is now in Year 20 at TCU and Gundy is in his 15th at his alma mater.

Like Gundy and Oklahoma State, Patterson and TCU are fresh off an upset win that knocked their foe out of the top 25 with TCU’s 37-27 victory over then-No. 15 Texas to go with OSU’s 34-27 win over Iowa State in Ames.

Also like the Cowboys, the Frogs won the turnover battle, besting the Longhorns 4-2. OSU took a 3-1 edge over the Cyclones. And that was welcome change for both head coaches whose defenses had struggled at forcing TOs in their last games. OSU had forced only seven in seven games, TCU had forced just five turnovers in six.

Patterson seemed optimistic that his team was taking a turn for the better.

“Older teams that play fast, as the games slow down, they usually get more takeaways,” Patterson said. “It’s no different than last year. We were minus 12 in the first half of the season and we were plus eight in the last half. I think takeaways make a big deal in how you win ball games.”

I’m sure Gundy hopes his team has, as well.

Patterson was asked about the challenges of defending the nation’s leading rusher Chuba Hubbard.

“If we want to win, we’re going to have to contain him,” said Patterson briefly.

When asked a followup about Chuba, he opened up some more.

“He’s a track guy that plays football … so has a really good burst, to be honest with you,” said Patterson. “Especially an inside burst on inside holes. I think that’s probably underrated. When he takes off, one step and he can get going.

“You’ve got to be able to play the run with all 11. You can’t play the running game thinking you’re gonna be one-on-one, [or] you’re gonna be in a lot of trouble.”

Patterson was also asked about All-American wide receiver Tylan Wallace and his recruitment, or lack thereof, of the Fort Worth native. (Hometown school TCU didn’t offer the four-star standout.)

“It was him and his brother [Tracin], so we don’t really do much twos,” said Patterson ” … It was late enough that we had already done it. So they had already committed before we really got into it.”

When asked the secret to hanging around so long for coaches like he and Gundy, Patterson replied, “You’ve gotta win and say no.”

Both coaches have done plenty of the former as well as the latter, at least a few times. Although Gundy’s outside courtships have garnered more attention over the years.

Since 2005, Gundy is 126-62 for a win percentage of .670. Patterson holds a .722 percentage at 171-66.

“A guy once told me that you’ve got to get to a point in your life where you say no more than you say yes,” said Patterson. “When you find a place that’s good, and you’ve got confidence in yourself that you can coach the kids you recruit every year, then stay there. I think Mike, that’s his home, it’s his alma mater. He’s had his opportunities, he’s a good football coach, and he’s stayed. That’s what I’ve tried to do.”

Patterson has gotten the better of Mike Gundy in the last two seasons and looks to make it an even 4-4 all-time against Gundy and Oklahoma State this Saturday, but he’s 1-3 in Stillwater.

On Monday, Gundy talked about facing the other of the Big 12’s elder statesmen head coaches.

“He knows us,” Gundy said of Patterson. “I don’t think there’s any secrets there. We know each other very well. I have a lot of respect for him as a football coach. I don’t (know) that there’s anybody in the country that has a better defensive mind that him. Maybe there’s other guys out there just as good, but when it comes to being a defensive coach, he’s as good as anybody in the country.”