Western Courier

Issue date: 11/29/06 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Martyn Davis This year the Leatherneck football team (5-6) suffered its third-straight losing season. Throughout Patterson's eight year at Western Illinois, those are his only seasons with more losses than wins.

Leatherneck football coach Don Patterson was known for stating the age-old phrase "There's a fine line between winning and losing" during the 2006 season.

He is holding on to that line and not letting go, considering how the season turned out.

"Five losses by a total of 33 points," Patterson said from his office Monday afternoon. "How much clearer can it be?"

It burns the eighth-year coach to crunch the numbers, but simple math shows the five Gateway Football Conference losses Western suffered this season were by an average margin of 6.6 points per game.

Consider the only other loss was to a Wisconsin team, who is seventh in the Bowl Championship Series standings, and that makes a 5-6 season.

As I sat down with Patterson to close the book on this past season, it seemed as if the Nov. 11 loss to Missouri State was still a fresh wound despite it being nearly three weeks old.

Kyle Dierking: How tough was it to suffer the team's third-consecutive losing season?

Don Patterson: It was painful. Even down to the last weekend it looked like we could get over the hump with a 6-5 record. Then to not do it against Missouri State is a difficult pill to swallow. We played perhaps our poorest game of the year when you factor in the turnovers. It wasn't a lack of effort - I'm just talking about results. We lost to an inferior football team.

KD: Is that a game that will stick in your mind for a while?

DP: Yeah, it will. We turned it over four times on offense and didn't generate any turnovers on defense. It's a problem when you turn the ball over, just ask the Chicago Bears.

KD: With Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Youngstown State winning in the Division-I Playoffs this past weekend, does it solidify the Gateway as being the toughest league in the nation?

DP: It certainly adds to that mindset. Some would say 'let's reserve judgment because two of the three wins were over the Ohio Valley.' That's true, but I don't think Southern Illinois and Illinois State played their best games. You have to give Youngstown some credit for beating a good James Madison team. It speaks volume that the conference is 3-0 and this week the big test is out in Montana. If Southern Illinois can rise to the challenge out there, then there will be no one questioning the superiority of the Gateway because Montana's the No. 2 seed.

Continued...

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