Gary Patterson concerned with rule change? ‘Go get a kicker who can kick it out.’

Football at every level is trying to limit the number of kickoff returns. It’s a play that leads to a disproportionate number of injuries.

One way the NCAA is trying to go about it is by implementing a new rule for the upcoming season where a fair catch inside the receiving team’s own 25-yard line would result in a touchback and the ball would be placed at the 25.

TCU coach Gary Patterson brushed off any notion this rule change might affect how he runs a game.

“No. 1, I don’t think people are going to fair catch,” Patterson said. “Only at the end of the ballgame where you can fair catch where you’re not going to fumble, less chance of getting a fumble.

“If we’re kicking to a guy who’s a great returner … you think [KaVontae] Turpin or one of those guys is going to fair catch if you kick it to the 5? He ain’t fair catching.”

For Patterson, if the NCAA wants to limit the number of kickoff returns, they should simply move up the yard-line where kickers kick off from.

“If they didn’t want to have it [kickoff returns], just move the ball [up] and kick it out,” Patterson said. “Most have a kicker who could do that.”

As far as TCU is concerned, Patterson has always liked having a kicker who could kick the ball out of the end zone. That’s his preference. He knows the injury risks associated with the play.

“Our whole thing is that we kick it out of the end zone all the time so we don’t have 10 guys who are running down into harm’s way,” Patterson said. “When we’ve had a kicker that could kick it out, we kicked it out always.”

The Frogs have predominantly used Cole Bunce in kickoff situations the past two seasons. Bunce had 27 touchbacks on 74 kickoffs in 2016, and 34 touchbacks on 89 kickoffs last season.

Finally, for what it’s worth, Patterson dismissed the idea of seeing more squib kicks in the college game with the new fair catch rule. Again, he just doesn’t see it making the impact most expect.

“For me, just kick the ball out,” Patterson said. “Go get a kicker who can kick it out.”