Not a full quarter into the action at Virginia Tech last weekend, that chance came for the sophomore linebacker, as starter James Skalski and backup Jake Venables both went out due to injury.
After averaging eight snaps over the first nine games, the Nashville-area product stepped into the middle for Brent Venables’ defense and played a career-high 31 plays in the 45-10 win over the Hokies.
“I graded out pretty well. I was up there with Baylon (Spector) and Mike (Jones Jr.), which felt pretty good -- just because they've been starting all season,” Patterson said this week.