Under Center
It’s understandable – Patterson was too busy running past Jones for the senior wide receiver to catch a glimpse.
Three times a day, Jones would see the sophomore quarterback running around campus.
‘I always saw Perry running,’ Jones said. ‘Around Manley (Field House), in Manley, he was running.’
All that running has finally paid off for Patterson. After sitting on the bench and watching true freshman Joe Fields start Syracuse’s first three games, Patterson will start Saturday at No. 12 Virginia.
Patterson thought he would have been in Fields’ shoes, starting the year as the number-one quarterback. But the plan went awry. He lost the starting job to Fields at the end of preseason camp, but his playing time off the bench increased during each of Syracuse’s three games.
Patterson’s best effort came Saturday in Syracuse’s 19-7 win over Cincinnati. The sophomore led the Orange to two touchdowns and a field goal, including a 68-yard touchdown pass to Damien Rhodes in the fourth quarter. His 10-of-16 passing for 156 yards was enough to convince head coach Paul Pasqualoni to make an official switch on Monday.
‘Perry was obviously more productive on Saturday, and production is the key thing,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘Perry hit a couple of big third-down plays. You’ve got to keep the chains moving. He seemed to execute well.’
After working all summer to lose weight, practice routes with receivers and learn the offense, Patterson was informed the week before SU’s opener that he wasn’t the type of leader Syracuse needed to direct its offense.
‘It was tough at times,’ Patterson said. ‘I trusted in the Lord. I prayed a lot. I just kept working hard. That’s the only thing I could have done. I couldn’t sit down and pout about it. I just kept working hard.’
What made the situation harder for Patterson was that he thought he had beaten out Fields for the starting job in preseason camp. He told Scott Feldman, his high school coach at McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Pa., that he had beaten Fields in every category except speed.
Feldman, like everybody close to Patterson, disagreed with the decision of the coaching staff.
‘You go with the guy who’s been with the program for a while,’ Feldman said. ‘He’s too good not to start. He’s a physical freak.’
Patterson listened to his family and friends back home. They all told him to stay focused and helped to calm him down. Pasqualoni told him he’d get a chance to play, and Patterson knew not to waste it.
‘Coach told me my time was going to come, and when it was my time to play, to just step up and play,’ Patterson said. ‘That’s all I could do.’
After overcoming numerous knee injuries from the past year, Patterson made nearly a full recovery for this year’s spring practices. But it wasn’t enough.
Patterson still had baggage – literally in the form of being overweight – and it cost him. He wasn’t the same quick, powerful Patterson his high school coaches remembered. And he couldn’t separate himself from his competitors at the quarterback position, never mind blitzing defensive backs.
‘Perry was a little heavier than we would have liked him to be in the spring and maybe not as quite as good as shape,’ quarterbacks coach Steve Bush said, ‘and he realized that slowed him down.’
Patterson knew he had to lose weight to win the job. He worked hard this summer and his teammates, like Jones, noticed more excitement in Patterson.
‘With a quarterback leaving, the spot was opening up,’ Jones said, ‘and Perry was thinking, ‘I can be the man. I can be this guy and come in and start.”
While being in shape helped Patterson answer questions about his athleticism, some still questioned his leadership ability.
Compared to Fields, Patterson is quieter on the field and in the huddle. The coaching staff wanted a quarterback who could take control and lead by example. Thus, they went with Fields.
But, in recent games, players have taken to Patterson’s style. When some players get upset over a holding call, Patterson said they see him relaxed, and it calms and relaxes the huddle.
Jones likes Patterson’s presence in the pocket. Patterson is able to sit and stay relaxed and isn’t afraid to wait until the last moment to make a throw.
‘It’s very important to have a leader, especially at the quarterback position,’ said George Savitsky, Patterson’s former high school assistant coach and science teacher. ‘Perry leads by example – my favorite kind.’
Now all the work – the rehabilitating of numerous knee injuries, redshirting a year, losing weight, learning the offense and, most importantly, overcoming the lost quarterback job in camp – has finally won him the starting job.
When Pasqualoni told Patterson he was the starter Monday, Patterson said he wasn’t surprised.
‘It’s what I’ve been working for,’ Patterson said. ‘I’ve been sitting for two years. I just don’t want to sit no more. That’s just the hunger in me. I’m going to keep pushing, keep getting better week in and week out.’
Published on September 21, 2004 at 12:00 pm
