TCU’s Gary Patterson fires back: I’ve never thrown anyone under the bus
TCU coach Gary Patterson isn’t happy that some felt he threw co-offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie under the bus following Saturday’s loss to SMU.
Patterson had Cumbie meet with the media afterward, something he rarely has done in his tenure. Most long-time observers couldn’t recall a time when a coordinator met with reporters after a regular-season game.
“I was a little bit disappointed in the articles written that I’d put Coach Cumbie under the bus,” Patterson said in his news conference Tuesday.
“I never said anything about Coach Cumbie. I’ve been here a long time and, in all those times, I’ve never thrown anyone underneath the bus to be honest with you. So the key is, ‘Why would you start now?’
“He does want to become a head coach. If you’re going to make decisions you want to understand what it’s like -- you should come in after losing one that you’re not supposed to lose. Get a chance to answer questions. The thing about this room, at least from my standpoint, it’s the one place you can’t lie. I’m not saying that’s the way everybody else deals with it, but from my standpoint that’s the way I deal with it.”
Patterson has been more vocal about the offense early on this season, which led to speculation of a potential rift with Cumbie. Patterson said he’d have “more say” in the quarterback decisions before the season and expressed a desire to get even more involved following the season-opening victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Then came Saturday’s decision to have Cumbie answer questions after a disappointing loss. It marked TCU’s first loss to SMU since 2011, and Patterson now has a 15-3 all-time record in the series.
But Patterson has been on a mission in recent days to refute the narrative that there’s a disconnect between he and Cumbie. Patterson repeatedly praised the offense during the Big 12 coaches teleconference on Monday, and did so again Tuesday.
The SMU loss, Patterson said, falls on him. The defense gave up 41 points and 400-plus yards.
“The only person to blame in the whole situation was me,” Patterson said. “We gave up 41 points. I was too aggressive. We made some mistakes, had some people out that at the end we didn’t know were going to be out, so we didn’t get guys ready. The bottom line to it is probably too aggressive getting people in the box to stop the run. We didn’t make plays doing it.”
Patterson also revisited his decision to go for it on fourth-and-3 from the SMU 34 with a minute left, rather than have senior kicker Jonathan Song attempt what would have been a game-tying 51-yard field goal.
The Frogs threw an incomplete pass on fourth down that sealed the Mustangs’ victory.
“Jonathan had been up to 40 [yards], we had the wind, but really he’d only been good up to about 42 yards since the injury last year,” Patterson said. “It’s one of those things that you could’ve, would’ve, should’ve. For us, you’ve got to win.”
Patterson and TCU are now ready to move into Big 12 play. The Frogs (2-1) host Kansas (2-2) at 11 a.m. Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
This story was originally published September 24, 2019 at 3:41 PM.