College Football

Mizzou QB Chase Patton on faith, serving God as a backup

Chase Patton’s college-football career hasn’t exactly followed a common path. The senior quarterback for Missouri has never started a game for the Tigers, which would have been a shock to him had you told him that a few years ago. That’s because Patton wasn’t just a high school stud in his prep days at Columbia (Mo.) Rock Bridge High; he was Rivals.com’s fourth-rated dual-threat quarterback recruit in the nation, picking Mizzou over offers from Tennessee, UCLA and Iowa, among others.

So learning to accept life as a backup –- first to Brad Smith and now to Chase Daniel –- was a tough process, to say the least. It’s been a long road for Patton, but the next chapter is yet to be written. ESPN the Magazine recently featured Patton on its cover, writing about how Patton’s NFL prototype build and arm strength help make him as good a pro prospect as Daniel.

If an NFL team wants to take a shot at him in the 2009 draft, Patton would be ecstatic. He’d go after it with everything he has. Because of the lessons he’s learned in college, though, he can find his hope in something other than football. Patton learned how to serve Christ as a backup. He realized God was using him in ways he didn’t even know, molding him into a man who Scott Ashton, Mizzou’s FCA campus representative, calls “the real deal … this guy is sold out for Christ, and it’s amazing.”

Senior QB Chase Patton has never started a game, but that hasn't stopped him from serving Christ as a backup.

Patton recently took some time to share about his life lessons, how he serves God as an athlete, and what he thinks about his football future.

Q: The article in ESPN the Magazine did a good job of portraying how difficult it was for you to accept that you’d probably be a backup for your entire college career. As such a highly rated recruit, how did you handle it spiritually?
A: “Yeah, like you said, I came in as a freshman pretty decently recruited, I guess. I just had the plan in mind that Brad Smith was going to be here a couple years, and I would redshirt under him and learn from him, and then I could take over when he left. With Chase Daniel, he ran the same [spread] offense in high school and just really had a good grasp of it, and he came in and really showed well. At that time, I was kind of struggling a little bit with the new offense. So he took the spot and has run with it ever since, and he’s a great quarterback, so I’ve kind of been one step behind the whole way.

“Just being a quarterback in high school and usually pretty good at what I did, it was kind of a trying time. There were a lot of chances for me to be disappointed and frustrated and upset. It was really cool, though, because a lot of my family is here in town, including my wife, Ashley, who I was dating at the time. I just had a lot of people there that were supporting me and encouraging me in my faith. Encouraging me that football is a part of life, and the Lord will use me in so many ways that I might not even know about –- whether it’s the way I handle myself through this situation or how I can witness to people.”

Q: What have you learned through that process?
A: “I just learned a ton about how the Lord works in our lives and how sometimes, your prayers can be answered the way that you don’t want them to be answered, but it’s the way that is going to build your character up. And it’s the way the Lord wants to use you.

“It was just a big time to grow in my faith and really rely on Him more than I ever had, and I feel like I’ve gotten closer in my relationship with the Lord because of that. And now that I look back on it, I’m really glad I had the opportunity to go through that situation.”

Q: It seems like many quarterbacks in the same situation would transfer to another school. Did you ever think about that?
A: “When I committed here, I really wanted it to be a true commitment. I’m not going to lie, I did go through a time where I did a lot of ‘what-if’s,’ and, ‘Should I transfer?’ –- things like that. But that was the point where I really got encouraged that the Lord could use me here, and as much as I’m competing at quarterback, He can use me in the situation I’m in here. What went into my decision to come here was a lot of prayer and thought and time with the Lord, so I really trusted that decision. And as hard as it is being a competitor and letting that side try to influence [my decision], I’m really glad I stuck around here and stayed committed to the team.”

Q: So, in the end, what made you stay, and how satisfied are you with that decision?
A: “Yeah, I’m definitely glad I stayed. The first reason I decided to come here over Tennessee, UCLA, Iowa and other schools was basically [that even though] they all had the same selling points –- good facilities, good coaching staff, good education –- it just came down to a gut feeling and a lot of prayer. I just spent a lot of time praying and making sure it was the right place. I tried not to let the hometown thing become a factor, but I think in the long run it really has been a blessing to be here at home.”

Chase Patton's 6-4 frame and rocket arm make him a solid NFL prospect.

Q: Even though you’re not the starter, how cool is it that it looks like you now could have a future in football?
A: “I truly have been blessed by that this past year and how much I have learned and grown because of it. With the whole ESPN article thing, I think it’s just kind of a little blessing. You know, life lessons such as perseverance and hard work and things like that may pay off in the end with football. That’s still down the road a little bit, but just to have the possibility there, I feel like it’s a little blessing that the article came out. Other than that, I’ve learned to trust in the Lord –- not try to control things, which is so easy to do in a tough situation.”

Q: With that star-type background of yours, what have you learned about how you can still serve God and glorify Him as a backup?
A: “It’s just allowing Him to rule my life and do His work in me, not trying to control it. It’s just being an encouraging teammate and putting my preferences behind me with my situation and the cards I’ve been dealt. It’s just striving to be the best at those things and the things that He has blessed me with.

“In reality, if I step back and look at it, I’m here getting a full-ride scholarship and a great education, getting to experience a lot of great times on the football field. And I’m becoming a better quarterback because there’s a lot that goes into being a backup. You have to prepare just as hard as the quarterback because you know that you’re one play away. I’m just striving for excellence in that and what I’ve been given, what the Lord has given me.

“I’ve had quite a few opportunities to share with people, and I think with that ESPN feature, I had no idea how many people could be encouraged by me persevering through that. So I feel like just by doing that and giving that all to the Lord, He can use that in ways that I don’t even know. So I’m just trusting that what He’s doing in my life is glorying Him as much as possible.”

Q: Were there any particular Bible verses or passages that you can remember that helped you through that?
A: “I think it’s Galatians 6:10-19 that talks about putting your armor on every day, battling what life throws at you and being able to give that up to the Lord and fight for Him. That’s what I turn to a lot, but nothing else really specific.”

Q: So looking forward, with your chances in the NFL, does seeing a guy like Matt Cassel help? He backed up Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then Tom Brady in the NFL, but now he is finally starting, so is that encouraging?
A: “Yeah, it’s definitely a cool thought, just to know that the NFL doesn’t leave a stone unturned and that there is a possibility. It is cool to see Matt Cassel getting his shot and knowing that it can happen. It’s just kind of weird to think about –- all I can do at this point is just work as hard as possible and become the best quarterback I can in the situation I have. If somebody wants to take a shot at me in the NFL, that’d be awesome, and I’d go at it 110 percent and try to make as much of it as possible. It’s just crazy. I don’t even really know what to think of it yet. But all I can do is just focus on what’s going on right now and make the most of it.”

Photos courtesy of Mizzou Athletic Media Relations.

Tags: Backup, Chase Daniel, Chase Patton, College, FCA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Football, Missouri, Rock Bridge High