Inside the Huddle with Daymond Patterson (Oct. 20)

Oct. 21, 2011

Inside the Huddle Blog Archive

Hey everybody! I’m back again with another edition of Inside the Huddle with Daymond Patterson. I would like to thank everybody for the support you have been showing me and our football team so far this season. It is greatly appreciated. Now for some observations from last week:

Even though the team did not get a win versus Oklahoma last weekend, I feel like we have made some strides in a lot of areas. Our defense came out and played with a lot more of a physical edge and intensity than they have shown in the past weeks. They were also able to cause a couple of turnovers throughout the game and we will need them to continue that throughout the rest of the season. We were also able to put a couple of big hits on the Oklahoma players and bringing that type of physicality to this next game versus K-State will be necessary to get a win. The offense did not have its best showing of the year, but we were still able to make some plays out there and keep the game close for a large portion of the night. This week we will be looking to get back on track with making big plays enabling us to put points on the board which we are hoping to do this weekend.

As everybody knows, it is K-State week, so it is self-explanatory on how much this game means to a lot of people, not only on the football team, but in the state of Kansas. With K-State being our in-state rival, this is one of those games that you can throw out the records and all the rankings out the window. It is all going to be about who wants it more and who comes out and plays as the more physical team. K-State thus far has had a very impressive season, but we are aiming to disrupt the momentum they have going down there in Manhattan and get the Jayhawks back on the right track.

I really want to give a shout out to senior LB Steven Johnson for the way he played this past Saturday and the way he has been playing throughout the whole season. Currently, Steve is the leading tackler in the Big 12. That is pretty impressive, especially knowing how far he has come since he first arrived on campus. From Day One Steve has been a hard worker, somebody that has set high goals for himself and has always been a team player. It is just really good to see all his hard work pay off for somebody that is not only a good player on the field, but a great person off it. I am really looking forward to watching the rest of Steve’s senior year and seeing how much more he can raise his level of play and how he can help this team to be successful.

I would also like to thank Victor Ortiz for coming and talking to the team. He was a very inspirational speaker and it really meant a lot to me and my teammates to get to hear from a really great guy. I want to wish Victor the best of luck for the rest of his boxing career and I know he will continue to represent the University of Kansas to the highest of standards. Victor Ortiz wasn’t the only one that gave a great speech before last week’s game. Steve Johnson gave one of the better speeches I have heard in my time here at Kansas. I feel that Steve’s speech was a big factor in helping the team get pumped up for the game with the passion he showed, because you could tell it really came from his heart. I also joked around with him, telling him that Ray Lewis would be proud of the type of speech he gave.

Like I said earlier, it is Kansas versus Kansas State, so nothing more needs to be said. Make sure everyone comes out and supports the Jayhawks as we take on K-State this weekend. Enjoy a nice and safe–Rock Chalk–weekend!