Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Patrons of Cici’s Pizza sometimes get confused when they see Daymond Patterson’s plate.
No, he’s not taking the mountain of pizza or salad back to his teammates at the table — it’s all for him. One of the Jayhawks’ smallest players at 5-foot-9, 175 pounds, Patterson eats more than some of his biggest teammates.
“I eat a lot of pizza,” Patterson said. “But I’m a salad guy, too. I like the salad bar at Cici’s. Every time we go there, my teammates always ask me why I’m trying to eat healthy. I say ‘I’m not trying to eat healthy — I just like salad.’”
Patterson and teammate A.J. Steward eat at Cici’s at least once each week and sometimes more.
“We have a good time; just sit there and relax after practice,” Patterson said.
These days, it’s one of the few moments in the freshman’s day when he’s not thinking about football. After starting at wide receiver during the team’s 5-2 start, Patterson switched to cornerback to help shore up a struggling defense. He has spent extra time catching up with the defense schemes and playbook.
After coming off the bench in a reserve role against Texas Tech, Patterson started at corner against Kansas State. Along with Justin Thornton, who switched from safety to the opposite corner before the Texas Tech game, Patterson helped allow only 207 passing yards to Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman.
“It’s going a lot smoother than I thought,” Patterson said of the switch. “I still have a few technique issues from just switching, but being a receiver, you know what they are thinking and how they will set up a route, so that’s been able to help me a lot as far as knowing what a receiver likes to do.”
Patterson had 14 receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s four nonconference games but didn’t see the field at receiver again. Defensive coordinator Clint Bowen approached him the day after a 45-31 loss to Oklahoma and asked what he thought about switching to defense.
“He was a guy that you just knew had the physical ability to run and change direction, which at the corner position is the most important,” Bowen said. “We knew we needed a lift out there and he was a very likely candidate, so we made the move.”
After giving up some of the worst passing numbers in the nation, it seems Thornton and Patterson have helped stabilize what was once a shaky situation.
“We’ve made some strides there,” Mangino said. “We’re better. We’re probably a better football team using those kids, no question. I feel better standing here today than I did a week or two ago with that situation.”
And though Patterson said he felt comfortable at cornerback because he played both corner and wide receiver in high school, he still can’t figure one thing out.
How can a guy who weighs 175 pounds and stands barely 5-9 eat as much food as he wants, yet not gain any weight?
“I’ve never found that out,” Patterson said. “I’ve always ate a lot my whole life but never gained any weight. I’m still looking into that.”
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