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Alex
Khvatov: What are
your measurements (height, weight and forty time)?
Sean
Patterson: I am 6
foot 2, I weighed in at camp at 213 pounds and my
fastest 40 is just under 4.6. It was actually a
4.58.
Alex
Khvatov: Coming out
of high school, what programs showed interest in
you?
Sean
Patterson: My
recruiting out of high school was kind of a unique
situation. I got hurt my junior year. So I missed
all of the recruiting combines. I received a lot of
interest from MAC schools and a couple of Big 10
schools. But they tailed off because of my injury.
Alex
Khvatov: What made
you choose Duquesne?
Sean
Patterson:
Duquesne recruited me out of high school pretty
hard. I actually committed to Weber State
coming out of high school in Utah. Coach Ron McBride used to coach there.
I went on a visit there and I really liked it. I
actually went out there right after I graduated high
school. It just didn’t work out for me. It had
nothing to do with football. It was more me being a
young kind and being away from home. Duquesne has
always been there. So after I came back home, that
is how I wound up at Duquesne.
Alex
Khvatov:
How much time did you spend at Weber State?
Sean
Patterson: I was
out there for the summer. I didn’t even enroll in
classes. I was a young kid. I was just homesick.
But it has worked out for the best. I am glad that
I chose Duquesne.
Alex
Khvatov:
Did you enroll at Duquesne
right after you came back home?
Sean
Patterson: When I
came back home, it was already late. Football has
already started. It was so long ago. I knew that I
was going to go there. I didn’t physically enroll
in classes until the next spring. I missed the fall
and enrolled in the spring.
Alex
Khvatov:
Describe your career at
Duquesne for us.
Sean
Patterson:
As a freshman, I saw some action. I had two or
three starts towards the end of the season. I did
well for the team. My sophomore year, I became the
starting QB. We have had a pretty good run since I
have been here. We made the transition from the
MEAC conference to the Northeast conference. I have
had a pretty good career. We were 7-4 my sophomore
year and we were 9-2 my junior year. We were
co-conference champs last year.
Alex
Khvatov:
Tell us about your sophomore campaign from a team
and individual standpoint.
Sean
Patterson: As a
team, we did well. We started off pretty slow. I
think that we lost a few games out of the gate. We
had a 3-4 record early on, but we finished the year
7-4. It was my first year as a full-time starter.
It was a big learning curve when you go from seeing
limited action to being a starter. It was good to
get that action as a freshman. I tried to continue
to grow and get better. As the year went on, I
think that I progressed and did pretty well.
Alex
Khvatov:
How about your junior season?
Sean
Patterson: Last
year was a really successful season for me
individually and our team as well. I really picked
up the running side of my football game. I rushed
for over 600 yards. I also threw for about 2,000
yards. It was a successful season. We had some
good wideouts and a good core group of seniors. I
believe that I really came into my own as a complete
QB.
Alex
Khvatov:
What have you learned about your team after fall
practice?
Sean
Patterson: We have
been gearing up for the season. We are finding out
who is ready to go out and contribute on the field.
The biggest thing for me is that we replaced a lot
of guys. It is hard to replace good players. But I
think that we have done a good job at it. We have a
lot of young guys that have come to camp. They are
focusing. They are doing what they are supposed to
do. It helps me focus better too and become a
better player as well.
Alex
Khvatov:
What are your expectations for
your senior season?
Sean
Patterson: We are
just trying to build off the success that we had
last year. We were 9-2. We were co-champions. But
we lost to Albany on the road, and they got an automatic
bid to the playoffs. I would say that anything
short of a Conference Championship and a playoff
birth would be underachieving. I just want to help
my team get better and win. It is the most
important goal.
Alex
Khvatov:
What are your strengths on the
football field?
Sean
Patterson: One of
my strengths is the ability to extend the play. I
am mobile. When the play breaks down, I have the
ability to extend the play and make things happen.
I also have a competitive attitude. I have a never
say die attitude. We have had a couple of games
during my career where we had been ridden off, but
we have come back and won in the last couple of
minutes of the game.
Alex
Khvatov:
What areas of your game do you
need to improve upon?
Sean
Patterson: As a
quarterback, you can always get better every single
day. One of the things that I have worked on this
summer is my accuracy.
Alex
Khvatov:
What is the highlight of your
career up to this point?
Sean
Patterson: I would
say the final game against Robert Morris last year.
They beat us pretty good the year before. It was
good to come out and beat them. Everybody had a
good day. It was our senior day. We got a chance
to celebrate the Championship in our locker room
after the game. I would always remember that game.
There was another game against Wagner my sophomore
year on the road. I believe that we were down 20-7
in the fourth quarter. We scored and made it 20-14.
We were pinned inside the one yard line. There was
about 2-3 minutes left on the clock. We drove 99
yards and scored with about 15-20 seconds left on
the clock. I rolled out right and one of our
receivers was crossing over the middle. I threw it
over a couple of guys’ heads, and he caught it. It
was a really good feeling for me when we scored that
TD.
Alex
Khvatov:
That is amazing. Not many people get a chance to do
that. It is almost a John Elway type of comeback.
Sean
Patterson: You
know there was actually an article that came out.
Wagner’s fans started to leave because they thought
that it was over. There was an article in one of
the New York’s newspapers where it was written
that Wagner loses on an Elway type drive. It is
funny that you said that.
Alex
Khvatov: What is your
definition of a leader?
Sean
Patterson: As a QB,
you have to set an example for everyone else. You
have to be comfortable with everyone. You have to
be the first one to practice and the last one to
leave. At the end of the day, guys look at the
quarterback. As a QB, you don’t necessarily have to
be the most vocal guy, but I am a firm believer that
you lead by example. I pride myself on leading by
example. I hold other guys to a certain standard as
well. I don’t point the finger at anyone else, but
I expect others to be accountable. Holding yourself
accountable, leading by example and holding others
to the same standard as you hold yourself.
Alex
Khvatov: What
separates you from the other quarterbacks in the
nation?
Sean
Patterson: I am a
super hard worker. I will do everything possible to
make it at the next level. There are other guys out
there, but my dual threat ability sets me apart. I
am not just a running QB or a throwing QB. If the
pocket breaks down, I will take off and make plays
with my feet. Or I can sit in the pocket and make
plays with my arm. I look to do what the defense
gives me.
Alex
Khvatov:
What is your favorite NFL
team?
Sean
Patterson: I have
always been a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. It is ironic
that I ended up going to college about two miles
from their stadium. My grandfather is originally
from Pittsburgh and my father’s
side of the family is from here. I was raised a
Steelers fan. I couldn’t root for another NFL
team.
Alex
Khvatov:
Who is your favorite NFL
player?
Sean
Patterson: I would
have to say Tom Brady.
Alex
Khvatov:
How can you root for Tom Brady when you are a die
hard Steelers fan?
Sean
Patterson: As I
have gotten older, I have learned to appreciate good
football. When I was younger, I was a super die
hard Steelers fan. I would get really upset when
they lost. I really admire the way Tom Brady plays
the game.
Alex
Khvatov:
Which players on your team are ready for a breakout
season?
Sean
Patterson:
We have an offense which features receivers.
Although they haven’t played as much, they are ready
to step up and have big seasons. Gianni Carter is a
bigger receiver at 6’3, 200 pounds. He had to sit
out last year because he was a transfer from Montana State. We are looking for him to have a
good year. Another guy is Sean Brady. He is a
younger guy. He is shifty in the slot. We are
looking for these guys to step up.
Alex
Khvatov:
What do you enjoy most about
college football?
Sean
Patterson: There
is nothing better than waking up on Saturday
morning, walking up to the stadium and getting ready
for the game. There is no other feeling like it.
Alex
Khvatov:
What do you plan to do with your life after your
football career is over?
Sean
Patterson: I
really have a passion for football and sports as
well. I would like to get involved in coaching or
the athletic administration level. I am enrolled in
the Master’s program in Duquesne right now for
sports leadership.
Alex
Khvatov:
What makes you a unique individual?
Sean
Patterson: I am
ambidextrous. I am a lefty. But I can throw pretty
well with my right hand as well. I can do most
things with both hands. I eat right handed. I golf
right handed. I swing a baseball bat right-handed.
Alex
Khvatov:
What do you like to do in your
free time?
Sean
Patterson: I enjoy
hanging out with my friends and family. I like to
golf. I enjoy going fishing.
Alex
Khvatov:
What is your best score at golf?
Sean
Patterson: I am
not that good at golf. I shoot in the high 80’s.
Alex
Khvatov:
How does it feel being a small
fish in a large pond?
Sean
Patterson: I
wouldn’t say that it is disheartening. I love
playing at Duquesne. But every once in awhile when
I come home and turn on the TV, I see Ohio State
playing in front of a large crowd. I am not in that
situation, so I don’t how it feels to play in front
of such a large crowd. I enjoy playing at
Duquesne.
Alex Khvatov: Is
the NFL a dream or a reality at this point?
Sean
Patterson: Prior
to the summer, it was definitely a dream. But I
went out to California for a couple of weeks and I had a
chance to work with a really good QB coach in Steve
Calhoun. I had an opportunity to throw with some
NFL QB’s. I saw that I can really throw with these
guys. These are the same guys that you read about
and see on TV. When you are at a small school, you
don’t get publicized as much. It is when I realized
that it could happen. I just saw it as an
attainable goal.
Alex
Khvatov:
Finish the sentence, Sean
Patterson is ….
Sean
Patterson:
On the field, I am a fierce and intense competitor
with a never say die attitude. I am willing to do
anything to get the job done for himself and most
importantly his teammates. Off-the-field, I am a
laid back, relaxed, easy-going and funny guy. I am
totally different on and off-the-field. |