MOBILE, Ala. -- As an alternate brought in to replace an injured player, Boston College offensive lineman Matt Patchan will barely get half the preparation time for Saturday's Reese's Senior Bowl as his South squad teammates.
But for a guy who has been a college football player for six years, perhaps things should come a little easier to him, anyway.
"I've played against the majority of these guys already. I've been six years in college ball, so I've probably played against 75 percent of these guys, but they're all good guys and good competitors," Patchan said.
Injuries throughout his five years at Florida helped Patchan get a rare sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA, and he used it to transfer to BC for a fresh start. His status as a degree-holder allowed him to be immediately eligible for the Golden Eagles. But although he has playing experience in both the SEC and ACC, Patchan knows he's got plenty of work to do this week. He will still be playing catch-up Friday as the team goes through its walk-through.
"They gave me a playbook (Wednesday), after practice, just in time for me to learn up on some stuff and come out here (Thursday)," Patchan said "I'm still learning. But mainly I'm trying to get better and listen to these coaches."
Jacksonville Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said his staff will be duly impressed with any of the South squad's three injury replacements who are able to pick up assignments in just a few days.
"They've come in with great attitudes. The tight end from Colorado State (Crockett Gilmore), he sort of came in with Ron Middleton, our tight ends coach, he coached tight ends in the East-West game. I think that made a smoother transition. We were fortunate there," Bradley said. "They're great guys. We're watching them, too. Because, what a challenge for them to come in and catch up on all the learning in a short period of time. ... This is a good thing. You come in here, and if you can pick it up that quickly and perform, what a feather in your hat."
Patchan replaced Tennessee's Ja'Wuan James, who sprained his knee and didn't practice after Tuesday. Patchan arrived in Mobile just a day later.
"I've got a lot of tape over the years, so I'm hoping to come out here and validate the tape," he said.
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