TCU and Cal should be defensive battle. But does anybody like good defense anymore?

In an era when teams are setting offensive records on a seemingly weekly basis, the Cheez-It Bowl has the makings of a throwback game centered on, what else, defense.

TCU is the Big 12’s best defense, ranking No. 26 nationally. Gary Patterson is known for his defense and his patented 4-2-5 scheme continues to get the job done.

Cal is ranked No. 16 in total defense nationally. Justin Wilcox has worked wonders in turning around the Bears’ program, implementing a 3-4 defense.

So this should be an intriguing game, one that shows different defensive formations – a 4-2-5 program and a 3-4 program – can still be effective. Right?

“I don’t know,” Patterson said. “In this day and age, nobody likes good defense anymore. We can all play bad defense.”

Patterson is hinting at how football continues to become an offensive-minded game, of course. Quarterbacks are protected better than Fort Knox. Referees error on the side of offensive players more than defensive players.

Heck, Patterson mentioned how much fanfare the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs primetime game last month received. A 54-51 game that featured more than 1,000 yards of total offense (546 by the Chiefs, 455 by the Rams).

“It was one of the greatest NFL games of all time,” Patterson said with a tongue in cheek tone.

“In the Big 12, it’s, well, they don’t play any defense. They must not be very good.”

For Patterson, it’s a constant battle for people to respect what he accomplished from a defensive perspective. Yes, Oklahoma won 52-27, but TCU held Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray to 213 yards passing.

That’s the fewest yards Murray threw for in Big 12 play as he threw for more than 300 yards in every other conference game except Kansas (272 yards passing).

For Patterson and the Frogs, though, the focus is now on the bowl game and putting together one more strong defensive effort against Cal.

“Both play good defense,” Patterson said. “Both offenses are trying to prove at the end of the season that they can do the things we need to do to win ballgames. I think that’s what makes football a lot of fun. I’ll be honest with you – it is a great matchup.

“Both teams kind of come at you.”

Simply getting to a bowl game is an achievement for each team, too. Each endured three-game losing streaks in the middle of the season and had to finish well down the stretch.

TCU won three of its final four games to become bowl eligible for the 16th time in Patterson’s 18 seasons. Cal won four of its final six games to reach a bowl game for the first time under Wilcox.

Patterson wants his team to enjoy the bowl festivities in a responsible manner and also understands this is a significant trip for several of his players.

“I still remember, a long time ago, we were at a bowl on the West Coast. Our kids from Texas, it was the first time they had ever seen the ocean,” Patterson said. “A lot of our kids, this is the first time they’ve ever been to Phoenix. You get a chance to be in the desert air, see different people, do things.

“I think that’s the most spectacular thing about a bowl game – the life experiences of the people, not just them but us. We get a chance to have friends for the rest of our lives because of the help and the brotherhood we get a chance to be a part of.”

For TCU, it’s just the third game outside the state of Texas this season. The Frogs lost at Kansas and at West Virginia. Those were the only two trips outside the state, but in-season road trips are all business.

The team flies in the day before, goes through meetings and game prep, plays the game and flies home. There’s not much time to sightsee or soak in the atmosphere.

“This bowl game’s a business trip,” Patterson said. “But initially here for the first couple of days, it will be about having fun.”

This story was originally published December 23, 2018 at 11:21 AM.