TCU coach’s decision to woo back safety paying off for both
It’s probably a safe bet that Gary Patterson doesn’t like anyone to know more than he does.
But if anyone is going to, it ought to be a senior safety on his defense. Make that a fifth-year senior with a degree in hand.
“He’s a guy that comes in on Monday and watches five hours of film and knows as much about what the opponent is doing as I do,” the veteran TCU coach said. “As a coach, that’s a great feeling being able to go to bed at night knowing you’ve got somebody on the field that’s going to do things as well as you’re trying to do. When you’ve got a guy like that, it’s invaluable — you can’t replace things like that.”
At least Patterson has Sam Carter there for one more game — the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Wednesday against Ole Miss.
He almost didn’t have him for any games this year.
Carter, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound safety whose 13 interceptions are the most in the Big 12 over the past three years, was ready to end his career last year and head to graduate school. A 4-8 season had worn down his enthusiasm. The grind of another year in pads was not stacking up next to a chance to start on his liberal arts master’s degree.
“Probably 85 to 90 percent,” Carter said of his chances to quit.
But Patterson wasn’t ready for that. He called him. He kept in touch. He laid out the pros and cons from Carter’s and TCU’s point of view.
“He was just frustrated,” Patterson said. “Being 4-8, losing four games by a combined 11 points and you’re playing hard — it’s just a frustrating thing for kids. I told him, ‘Why would you want to end on 4-8? Why would you want to do that?’”
It worked. Carter came back for another year, and his experience helped bring along playmakers such as safety Derrick Kindred and linebacker Paul Dawson as the Horned Frogs put up the nation's second-best takeaway defense.
“I talked to Coach P throughout the process. He talked to me about a lot of things,” Carter said. “And he really convinced me to come back. And knowing a lot of seniors were going to come back, I felt like if I would have left, I would have been letting those guys down, also. Everybody says I’m the leader, and so when you’re the leader, when things are going tough, that’s when you stick around. You don’t run. We all came in at the same time, we all want to leave at the same time.”
Carter’s return was a lift, but not a surprise.
“He leads by example, man,” left tackle Tayo Fabuluje said. “He does everything right. He’s in school. He’s amazing off the field. He’s a vocal leader. Everything he does, he does with his heart, and it shows. He’s not just here to play and leave. He’s here because he truly wants to be here. His heart’s here. He really cares for this team. I’m proud to see him come back.”
Kindred said Carter influenced him and others to watch more film, and that the defense got better as the season went along because it began paying more mind to details.
“Sometimes he’s calling out the play before it happens,” Kindred said. “With a person having that much knowledge, putting in that much work, it gives everyone else confidence. It helps everybody step their game up.”
Carter, who earned an invitation to the East-West Shrine Game, had four interceptions and five pass breakups. He was the team’s fifth-leading tackler. In the win at Texas, he had two interceptions.
Good numbers, but nothing spectacular.
“He’s not a great blitzer. He’s not a great tackler. He’s not as fast as you want him to be,” Patterson said. “But he’s the closest thing to Andy Dalton on defense that I’ve ever had in coaching.”
At TCU, it is high praise to invoke the name of the Rose Bowl-winning quarterback. But there is no chance Carter would agree.
“I’m just going to enjoy this week,” he said. “Because I know after that, I’m going to be busy. I’m going to enjoy still being in college and having fun with my teammates. I’m not looking past Ole Miss. I’m not going to look forward to what I have in front of me. I’m just going to enjoy this team and this moment, because sometimes you forget about the big picture. Going from 4-8 to 11-1, that’s major. So I’m just going to enjoy the moment.”
Patterson is fine with that.
“He deserves it. He’s done everything,” Patterson said. “This is a reward for all his hard work and trust in us and TCU.”
Carlos Mendez, 817-390-7760
The Carter file
Résumé highlights for TCU safety Sam Carter, a 6-1, 215-pound safety from New Orleans who played in high school at Alief Hastings outside of Houston:
▪ Leads the Big 12 with 13 interceptions in the past three years.
▪ Has the last two two-interception games by a Horned Frog.
▪ Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist.
▪ Has started every game the past three seasons.
This story was originally published December 27, 2014 at 8:26 PM with the headline "TCU coach’s decision to woo back safety paying off for both."