Count Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley among those who feel TCU botched the end of the Gary Patterson era.

Riley spoke to reporters on Tuesday, saying he was “sick” when he learned that TCU’s all-time winningest coach wouldn’t finish out the season.

“Seeing Gary Patterson go out in the middle of the season is just — I don’t know what to think of it, man,” Riley said, according to a report on ESPN.

“I was sick when I heard the news, to be completely honest. I know it’s a tough business. Our jobs are scrutinized and we’re big boys and can live with big-boy decisions. But man, what he did at that place and to not even finish out the year, I don’t know.

“Gary Patterson not finishing a season at a place he built? Man, that ain’t right.”

Patterson had the option to stay on as a lame-duck coach the rest of the season, TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati has said. But Patterson opted to walk immediately once told he would not be retained as the school’s head coach in 2022.

Donati defended his decision on the timing of it, saying on Tuesday that he felt informing Patterson once the decision had been made was the fair thing to do. Additionally, Donati said, the school has to conduct a thorough coaching search and have the next coach in place by early December with the early signing period starting Dec. 15.

In addition to lamenting Patterson’s departure, Riley spoke out on Texas Tech firing Matt Wells in the middle of the season, despite his having a winning record.

“It’s not good for our game, not good for our league,” he said. “I hope we can find a better solution than this because I’m afraid it’s going to become the trend. If you’re asking maybe a reason why, I think everybody is scared they’re going to miss out on who they want to hire.”

Fellow Big 12 coach Dave Aranda of Baylor weighed in on Patterson leaving earlier this week.

Aranda recalled studying “bootleg” videos of Patterson installing a defense early in his coaching career.

“My heart breaks for him,” Aranda said, according to 247Sports. “I can remember coming up as a young coach and finding bootleg videos of Coach Patterson putting in a defense. There was like a five-tape series that was filmed somehow, and I’ve got two tapes. I’m trying to find where the other tapes were at. I had my hotmail account trying to find people that have this and have that. What is this coverage he’s talking about?

“I can remember when, after the Rose Bowl game, when Coach [Chad] Glasgow was talking about the defense. There’s like a Nike something that you have to pay money to get into I didn’t have any money. I was asking my mom for money so I can pay to listen to Coach Patterson talk about their defense. It’s a lot of memories learning ball and learning teaching methods. What to do. What not to do. It’s a sad day. As a coach, you never want to see it, but it’s a part of it.”

Patterson has not spoken publicly since his departure.

Patterson leaves as the face of TCU football, going 181-79 since taking over in December of 2000. He was the second-longest tenured active head coach behind Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz.

But Patterson and TCU had gone 21-22 since 2018. The Frogs dropped to 3-5 this season and 1-4 in conference play following a 31-12 loss at Kansas State on Saturday.

Jerry Kill, who served as a special assistant on Patterson’s staff the past two seasons, is taking over the program on an interim basis. TCU hosts No. 14 Baylor on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

TCU is in the early stages of a national search to replace Patterson.

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