Deeds over words — why it was an easy decision for Scott Patchan to return and what his mindset is heading into his final season

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Scott Patchan is a confident individual. With a smile on his face and a posture that emulated a politician or maybe a CEO, Patchan sat back in a chair in the lowest level of Canvas Stadium and chatted with the local media about his personal life, expectations on the gridiron, and everything in between at CSU’s recent Media Day event. 

Returning for his second year with Colorado State and seventh year of college football overall, the former Miami Hurricane has been through it all. In five seasons at the University of Miami, Patchan played in 30 games total, including 13 in his final year with the program (2019). Unfortunately, in his first three seasons with Miami, multiple knee injuries kept Patchan off the field almost entirely. 

Patchan briefly spent some time at tight end during his sophomore year. The position change didn’t really click though. And, obviously, he ultimately ended up back at defensive end, where he recorded 63 total tackles (8.5 for loss) and 3.5 sacks between 2018-19. His most productive game with the Canes was actually his last one as Patchan had a career-high 8 tackles and 1.5 sacks in a 14-0 loss to Louisiana Tech in the 2019 Independence Bowl. 

Since that stellar performance in the bowl game, Patchan has continued to produce at a high level, just roughly 2,100 miles west of where he did it before. In four games with the Rams in 2020, Patchan recorded 22 total tackles, 5.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. It’s impossible to know if he would have kept the pace in a 12 game schedule but Patchan recorded a sack in every single game the team played last year. What’s more, he did it against four of the better offensive lines in the conference. 

Going into his second season in the Green & Gold, Patchan feels that just because he was able to produce against some of the stronger Mountain West teams in the past, doesn’t mean he will automatically do it again this fall. “It’s not all transitive property,” Patchan said. 

That’s the thing about the veteran, as good as he and his teammates on the defensive line looked last year, two things are abundantly clear going into 2021. The first is that while the unit had success, the end result was what mattered more, and a 1-3 record left a bad taste in his mouth that no amount of individual success could wash out. The second is that bragging about last season seems pointless because it’s in the past and the focus is on the present.

He does believe that knowing you have done well in the past can help the overall mindset of the defensive linemen coming in. The minute he starts feeling himself a little too much is the minute that Patchan believes complacency will set in though. That’s why Patchan is actually looking to improve upon his success from last fall by holding himself to a higher standard. He wants to make an impact earlier in games and be more consistent overall. 

“I think in the first couple of games I didn’t make many plays until the latter parts of the game,” Patchan said of his 2020 season. “I want to jump out of the gate and be a faster player. I want to be aggressive from the get go and make plays.”

Patchan explained that he was able to record a sack in the first quarter of the season finale against San Diego State, which despite the final score, is a performance that stands out to him. He finished the game with a season-high seven total tackles and a pair of sacks. What he wants to do in 2021 is find ways to be more consistently disruptive early in the game. Whether it be stopping the run or getting after the quarterback, Patchan wants to be a force for four full quarters, much like he was against the Aztecs on that night.

If he’s able to do so, Patchan believes it will make a big impact for the Rams and ultimately lead to more victories. He also thinks it will help attract the attention of NFL scouts, though, who will naturally be curious after Patchan’s stellar 2020 performance, but might be worried about whether the veteran player can take his game to higher levels than what we’ve already seen. 

Of course, Patchan could have elected to move on and test the NFL waters this past spring. Doing so would have been a gamble, with only four games of tape to his name for this past season. One could obviously argue that he’s flashed enough to land in an NFL camp. According to Patchan, however, with so many of his teammates also deciding to run it back with the Rams, it was an easy choice for him to return for one last dance. 

Patchan emphasized that he cannot necessarily speak for everything that went into his teammate’s decisions — there were conversations had in the offseason — but the truth is they just genuinely like playing together, and in the end that was a big driving force. Patchan explained that the biggest principles at CSU are love and trust. It’s  “I think those are the two big pillars of our program,” Patchan said. 

Perhaps even more important than the strong relationships, though, is that the group is genuinely stacked with ballers. It was comforting knowing that he has a strong bond with his fellow defensive linemen. It was even more comforting knowing that CSU is bringing back a group of quarterback killers. The Rams return an experienced group that includes Patchan, Toby McBride, Manny Jones, Devin Phillips and Ellison Hubbard. In just four games last season the aforementioned produced 60 total tackles, 9 sacks and 18 tackles for a loss. It’s why on multiple occasions Steve Addazio has proudly boasted that the Rams have the best defensive line in the Mountain West. 

Despite being just as confident about their potential, Patchan said that the group is not trying to put too much pressure on themselves by making any bold predictions. “In our room we talk about deeds over words,” Patchan said. 

He continued, explaining that in order for the Rams to accomplish their team goals this year, within that locker room nobody can feel content. Sure, they can feel great about the things they accomplished from a statistical standpoint in a weird year, but the group must remain focused on taking things to the next level in 2021. 

“I think it more so just comes down to us understanding all the next steps,” Patchan said. “How do we compete harder? How do we push the envelope as being the group on the team that the other groups on the team are like, ‘Wow. We’ve got to be like that.’. We’ve got to keep going.”

As Patchan sees things, the outside noise can be deafening and detrimental to your work ethic. That’s why he wants the unit to ignore it and remain focused on the goals at hand. If they do that and listen to the things that are being preached by their coaches, Patchan feels that success will inevitably come. He believes it’s as simple as the defensive line doing their jobs and giving maximum effort.

“Trust that they’re gonna put you in the best spot on the field,” Patchan said. 

Along with having extreme faith in the abilities of his teammates and coaches, Patchan believes the added bonus of having a more consistent schedule won’t hurt anyone’s cause either. As Patchan explained, 2020 was extremely draining and difficult to balance. Not every opportunity was guaranteed. Whether the games were canceled for COVID-19 protocols, administrative decisions, local ordinances or a team protesting its own university president, week after week the team had to deal with the gut punch of losing another chance to play. 

According to Patchan, the most frustrating moment of 2020 was when the Utah State players elected not to come to Fort Collins to face the Rams. 

“At the end of the day you’re a football player. You understand everything outside of football, but all you want to do is play,” Patchan said. 

That’s exactly what Patchan is looking forward to this fall. Playing football with his brothers at the collegiate level one last time. Well, that, and appreciating the little things. 

“Coach Antoine Smith rented a little party boat on Horsetooth,” Patchan said. “It was things like that (last year), we couldn’t be together or really experience each other, other than at practice… We gained a new appreciation for all the little things of that nature. Being able to have outside time with your teammates. Just create bonds with them and help create that culture.”

Quarterbacks around the league are sorely disappointed that Patchan elected to use his final season of eligibility, but there’s no doubt that Ram Nation should be ecstatic about it. He has shown a talent to get after the QB that is extremely rare. And after spending time with him in person and listening to his perspective, it’s also clear that he has the type of winning mindset that CSU needs to take things to the next level.

We’ll see what kind of impact having Patchan in town for one more year has on CSU’s culture moving forward. But we’ll all enjoy watching him harass opposing QB’s a few more times in 2021. Patchan is the type of player that deserves the roaring admiration of an adoring crowd. Thank goodness the fans will have an opportunity to fulfill the obligation this fall.