Gary Patterson containing his excitement

By JAN HUBBARD

Great football coaches do not need to possess the traits of great statesmen, which is good. Because if Gary Patterson had been in charge of writing Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inaugural address, the result would have been something like:

"The only thing we have to fear is ... everything!"

Patterson delivered his "State of the Week" address at the TCU media luncheon Tuesday and for a while, I was sure the next foe had to be the University of Florida rather than San Diego State.

The TCU coach seemed quite certain that the meeting with the 4-4 Aztecs in San Diego on Saturday will be "a tough ballgame." He said the Frogs are in "a hard stretch."

"We’ve got to keep our noses down and understand we’re going to have to fight and scratch and get everything we can to try and come back with [a] one-point [win]," Patterson said, and I kept waiting for him to pound the podium for emphasis, or perhaps even throw a shoe. But he didn’t.

Patterson noted that San Diego State has a two-game winning streak. He did not mention that the two opponents — Colorado State and New Mexico — have a combined 3-14 record.

He noted that three of the last four TCU opponents — San Diego State, Wyoming and Utah — are competing for bowl games. Only 0-8 New Mexico is not, but in case you might be wondering, Patterson said, "They’re playing better."

So Gary, how are you enjoying that 8-0 season, the No. 6 BCS ranking and that No. 4 position in the coaches USA Today poll?

"There’s a lot of excitement here," Patterson said, speaking of TCU fans. "There’s a lot of excitement about where we’re at, what we’re doing, how we’re doing it.

"My job is to keep down."

And it should be noted that Patterson does that well.

Then again, it is well established that Patterson’s fear of failure is a huge driving force in TCU’s success. If you listen to him every week, there are times when it’s tempting to say: Come on Gary. Smile. Lighten up. Enjoy yourself.

Don’t think that Patterson isn’t aware of how driven he is. He actually is capable of poking a little fun at himself, but since one-third of the season has yet to be played, he doesn’t smile when he’s doing it.

He said that every year, after the season ends, "You look back and say, 'Boy that was a lot of fun, this, that and the other."

But not during the season.

"I want to enjoy the ride," Patterson said, "but it’s kind of hard to do that."

Patterson has many powerful traits, and one of the primary ones is that he has the same effect on his players as great athletes have on the outcome of games.

How many times do you hear or read that a great athlete imposes his will on a game and refuses to allow his team to lose.

Patterson does that. He imposes his will on his team. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve heard a TCU football player say this season that the only goal is "to win by one point."

But with four games remaining between TCU and its first BCS game, Patterson will make sure his team stays focused, even if it means a smile never crosses his face.

"The biggest thing you worry about is you worry about your team," Patterson said. "I know this team is focused and doing the things they need to do, but can we get through these next three or four ball games without a letdown? Can you still find a way to win? It’s not so much that you don’t want to win; it’s hard to keep that level of intensity for x-amount of ballgames."

The TCU players have been mirror images of their coach this season. They’ve had very few moments when they weren’t focused. There seems to be little doubt that they will be prepared in each of the next four games because Patterson will refuse to let them to be any other way.

An undefeated season and BCS game provide tremendous motivation for the players, but there could be another significant reward at the end of the season. At some point, they could achieve a level of success that would actually make their coach smile.

Jan Hubbard, 817-390-7760

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