Here's What Clay Patterson Wants Every Stanford Fan to Know

Stanford’s defense has been off to a hot start this season. It seemed like week in and week out, the defense would save the day on numerous occasions. The stats didn’t necessarily back it up when lumped together, but considering the fact that they played on the road and were faced with tough field position in a couple of those games, the group has been great.

The Cardinal have some notable stars defensively, but it seems like one has truly taken over as the star this season. That is defensive lineman Clay Patterson.

Patterson has been an absolute menace this season. Through four games, he has recorded 11 tackles, four of which being tackles for loss, and has three sacks to his ledger.

His most notable plays this year have been a sack for a fumble that resulted in a touchdown against Hawaii, and a forced fumble that he recovered against Boston College. All season, Patterson has made play after play, and has made about as much of an impact as a defensive lineman can make.

Stanford on SI spoke with Patterson following Wednesday’s practice, leading into Saturday’s matchup against San Jose State.

“It was obviously not the start we wanted, going 0-2 in those first two games. But then bounced back, winning that home game was huge. Huge for the culture. Huge for where we are trying to progress as a program. And then I feel like we took a step back with Virginia. Not the result we wanted, but excited to be able to continue that home winning streak back at home against San Jose State.”

Patterson spoke about the key to his big plays. “I think just preparation, you know, watching a lot of film, knowing the scheme, I think Coach Thompson and Coach April put us in great positions to succeed. I think just doing it on a practice field, like, you gotta practice how you play. So every day I come out here just trying to practice as hard as I can.”

Despite a great first few games from the defense, they didn't look like the same group against Virginia, allowing 48 points on the road. Patterson acknowledged the issues, while expressing the goal to limit games such as that.

“The process stays the same as always. We've been working towards having a good season, having our goals and achieving our goals. I don't think anything changes in that process. So just coming back, getting to work, staying positive, keeping the brotherhood tight, and all those things work together to get the outcome we want.”

Patterson's Message to the Fans

Finally, Patterson made a statement directed to Stanford fans.

“Trust in us. Trust that we'll get it done. I think we have a really good thing going with Coach Reich, and Andrew Luck. I think the team's close and we're right on the brink of having the success that fans want from us. So just trust the process and we'll put some good stuff on tape.”

This weekend, Patterson and the Cardinal take on the San Jose State Spartans, hoping to get back to the win column. On Saturday, if there’s a big play on defense, it’s fair to assume it’s almost always Clay Patterson.