Here he was Saturday morning, sitting alone in the stands at University of Phoenix Stadium. Not so far away, a throng of reporters surrounded Adrian Peterson during the Fiesta Bowl's media day activities.
Patrick just laughed at the scene, and shook his head. He figures he'll be doing more of the same come Monday, when Peterson's return to action will almost certainly be his last action as a Sooner.
"I'm gonna tune in on every play,” said Patrick, who will back up Peterson at tailback. "We'll stay tuned in to see what he does.”
The sentiment was echoed by several other Sooners. Although the tailback continued Saturday to insist he hasn't yet made the decision whether to jump to the NFL, his teammates figure he's gone.
And they don't want to miss the last highlight.
"When you're around a special guy like this, you definitely want to savor the moments,” senior defensive end Calvin Thibodeaux said.
Said coach Bob Stoops: "We're anxious to get him out there and play, see him play like we're so used to watching him.”
And that brought up another line of questioning.
Despite an abbreviated career — in three seasons, Peterson has missed all or most of 11 games (of a possible 38) – the tailback has helped push the Sooners to plenty of wins. Along the way, Peterson has achieved several milestones. He needs 151 yards to surpass Billy Sims as the all-time rushing leader at a school once known for rushing. He has 22 100-yard games (one shy of tying Steve Owens' school record) and six 200-yard games (one shy of tying Sims' school record).
But it's the highlights — those A.D. Moments of speed, power and instincts — that his teammates remember most.
"Man, he's got a lot of 'em,” senior defensive end Calvin Thibodeaux said.
Which created just a bit of a problem, because it seems like every Sooner has a different favorite.
There's that first carry against Texas in 2004, when Peterson was a freshman. OU had possession at its 4 when Jason White tossed to Peterson, who raced 44 yards around right end.
"It was like, we finally turned the big fella loose,” said OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables.
Peterson finished the day with 225 yards, announcing his presence to college football nation. But it was that first carry that announced Peterson's presence to Texas.
Thibodeaux liked that run. But he chose Tulsa, 2005.
OU held a tenuous, 17-15 lead late in the fourth quarter but faced fourth-and-1 at the Tulsa 41.
Peterson met Tulsa cornerback Roy Roberts near the line of scrimmage, and ran over him. Fifteen yards downfield, he spun around after a hit by a linebacker. He backpedaled a few yards, turned around and was gone.
"We needed a big run, and he just powered up,” said Thibodeaux, using video-game terminology. "That was a really special run. He just went through the guy, and it was like the guy started blinking — you know like in the (video) game, you hit the guy so hard he starts blinking?
"He just started blinking.”
Senior linebacker Rufus Alexander chose another important moment as his favorite. Against Oklahoma State in 2004, the Sooners won a tight game when Peterson bolted for 80 and 56 yards on consecutive carries.
The 80-yard burst pushed OU's lead to 14. Peterson burst up the middle, spun away from two linebackers and then ran away from the Cowboys.
"Eighty-something yards, he spun through the hole, that was phenomenal,” Alexander said.
Other Sooners had other runs. Some didn't even try: There were so many highlights, so many special moments.
"Every game is a highlight reel for that guy,” senior defensive end C.J. Ah You said. "Pretty much every time he touches the ball, he's gonna do something special.”
And so, considering the likelihood Peterson's final touches as a Sooner will come Monday, his teammates don't want to miss anything.
"It's gonna be a great thing, just to see him come out and perform,” Patrick said. "That's a major deal for everybody.”
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