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Buffalo running back and all-american Jaret Patterson has declared for the NFL draft, by doing so he has decided to forgo his senior season at Buffalo.
Psalms 91 #ForeverABull #HornsUp pic.twitter.com/6vPbZNuqNR
— Jaret Patterson #️⃣2️⃣6️⃣ (@__JP26) December 29, 2020
Patterson ended the year on the sideline, after being taken out in the conference title game by a questionable “gator roll” tackle. But even missing the last six quarters of football he managed to put together his third consecutive 1,000 yard season.
| Year | Att | Yards | YPC | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Jaret Patterson | 183 | 1013 | 5.6 | 14 |
| 2019 | Jaret Patterson | 312 | 1799 | 5.8 | 19 |
| 2020 | Jaret Patterson | 141 | 1072 | 7.6 | 19 |
If given the six quarters he probably would have caught Branden Oliver for the schools all time mark, as it was he fell just 127 yards short. There have been days where that was a quarters worth of work.
| Last Year | ATT | Yards | TD | YPC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branden Oliver | 2013 | 866 | 4011 | 33 | 4.63 |
| Jaret Patterson | 2020 | 636 | 3884 | 52 | 6.11 |
| James Starks | 2008 | 698 | 3140 | 34 | 4.50 |
| Alan Bell | 1992 | 682 | 3022 | 21 | 4.43 |
| Anthone Taylor | 2015 | 554 | 2651 | 18 | 4.79 |
| Kevin Marks | 2020 | 519 | 2621 | 28 | 5.05 |
| Anthony Swan | 1996 | 586 | 2448 | 20 | 4.18 |
| Jordan Johnson | 2016 | 446 | 2212 | 19 | 4.96 |
| O.D. Underwood | 1987 | 438 | 2,062 | 23 | 4.71 |
| Lee Jones | 1967 | 414 | 1570 | 13 | 3.79 |
| Willie Evans | 1959 | 245 | 1559 | 9 | 6.36 |
| Derrick Gordon | 2001 | 347 | 1528 | 9 | 4.40 |
| Josh Roth | 1999 | 330 | 1488 | 11 | 4.51 |
| Dave Dawson | 2005 | 251 | 1402 | 6 | 5.59 |
| Pat Patterson | 1969 | 323 | 1369 | 11 | 4.24 |
Currently CBS has Patterson ranked as the second best running back in this years class and in the top 70 overall. That’s a lock for a day one pick and it could very well mean a first round pick.
And with that defenses around the mid-american conference breathed a small sigh of relief, but only a small sigh.
Kevin Marks has proven time and time again that this offense does not miss a beat when he is on the field. As the #2 man to patterson for the better part of three seasons Marks has himself managed to climb up to #6 all time for Buffalo and could very well catch Patterson’s career totals next season if the Buffalo Offensive line returns to form.
Marks stepped in against Marshall and had the most impactful individual performance, winning the player of the game for Buffalo. The Bigger question for Buffalo is who fills the number two role?
Ron Cook Junior has the most experience, but there is a lot of untested talent among this years underclassmen. It should make for some fun position battles to watch this spring.
Jaret, if you happen to read this. Thank you for three amazing seasons, I really wish you nothing but success in the future and will be cheering for you on Sundays.