LOS ANGELES — USC’s defensive players sat up in their seats when Gary Patterson told them that they had held Washington scoreless in the second half, except for one touchdown scored in the opening 48 seconds.
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“They all kind of looked at me, and nobody had even said that to them,” Patterson said during Monday’s episode of Trojans Live, a USC-run YouTube show.
“I’ve been talking to them and said, at some point in time, you’ve gotta win because of defense if you want to become the program that you want to become,” he said.
The conversation with his players happened during Friday night game prep before the Penn State game, right around the time that the “video test” begins. Friday nights — and the video test, especially — have been pivotal for a Trojans defense that has closed the door on its last two opponents.
Patterson used the video test while at TCU to coach the Horned Frogs to 17 bowl appearances, including a 2010 Rose Bowl win that finished off a 13-0 season in 2010.
TCU allowed a touchdown or less in seven out of those 13 wins.
It was part of Friday pregame preparations. Patterson would project stills of a play and ask individual players what their job was for a particular situation on a particular play, right down to the distance between the teammate next to them.
“It was some of the most tense moments of my entire football career,” said Marshall Newhouse, who played for Patterson at TCU before his 10-year NFL career.
“There was an individual onus and an offensive, defensive onus to be able to know what you’re doing and be able to convey to the rest of the team. That’s the level that he set of being prepared.”
It’s unclear whether or not Patterson is using the exact same format, but he did confirm he used the video test while on Trojans Live.
The preparation paid off for cornerback Chasen Johnson, who was in place to scoop up the ball immediately after safety Christian Pierce punched it out of Penn State receiver Brett Eskildsen’s arms. The play was pivotal in closing the door on the Nittany Lions late in the game.
“Just being able to go out there and execute and mentally translate from the film room to the field, it helped a lot,” Johnson said.
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“With his intensity, (Patterson) makes us uncomfortable. We have to be comfortable being uncomfortable, and that’s something that he emphasizes. So, just being in that little room and having to depend on your teammates to make the right call and let them know that you’ll make the right call — it’s a good feeling.”
Patterson in the box
Patterson was calling plays from the coaches’ box for the second straight game on Saturday as opposed to on the sidelines, where he was for the earlier portion of the season.
USC had two of its best defensive performances of the season in the last two games, particularly in the second half. The Trojans held Washington to one touchdown in the second half, and Penn State only scored a pair of field goals in the second half on Saturday.
There was a strong indication that he may stay in the box during Patterson’s Trojans Live interview.
“It was really a great thought on (head coach) Lincoln (Riley)’s part,” Patterson said. “There was so much going on — two new staffs trying to meld it all together — that me moving up to the box has really, really helped.
“And not just with me seeing things, because I’ve always been a guy that saw even things from the sidelines, but putting us in a situation where I get more communication from the sidelines now.”
Safeties coach/defensive pass game coordinator Paul Gonzales is Patterson’s key point of contact on the sidelines. He relays calls to the defense and is a conduit for any communication from the defensive coordinator.
The two worked together for 13 seasons at TCU while Patterson was head coach. Their chemistry has made the sideline-box transition a smooth one.
“They think exactly the same, so giving us the calls and coaching us on the field just feels like the same,” Pierce said. “For sure, their intensity and just their attention to detail on the field.”
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