Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
It’s not often you see a starting quarterback throw for almost 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns in one season and then throw for almost 1,000 yards in four games with 10 touchdowns and just one pick. That is what you would consider a solid quarterback.
It’s also rare to see that same quarterback fighting for a starting spot the following season. However, TCU senior Casey Pachall is in that exact situation because of his off-the-field problems. He was suspended indefinitely after the fourth game of the season because of a number of problems topped off by a suspicion of drunken driving.
The drunken driving arrest was the straw that essentially broke the camel’s back in this situation. Head coach Gary Patterson had enough and made sure he sent a message to Pachall by suspending him and days later, announcing that the quarterback would be leaving TCU to get treatment for his drinking and substance problems.
This situation led to freshman quarterback Trevone Boykin to start the final nine games for the Horned Frogs and posting some pretty impressive numbers.
The freshman quarterback passed for over 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Horned Frogs while also rushing for nearly 400 yards. Boykin added an extra dimension to the TCU offense with his legs and that is something that would be nice to have for the next three seasons.
However, Pachall is back with the team and Boykin is now fighting for his starting spot back. This raises the question: does Pachall deserve a second chance?
Well, since he has technically already got one from Patterson by being allowed back with the team, the question should be about whether he deserves to start.
In my opinion, Pachall has already been given many opportunities with this team and he didn’t take it seriously. He should be punished further for letting his team down and putting a bad image on the university. Boykin was fantastic in his absence and showed that life after Pachall wouldn’t be so bad– granted, their record was 3-6 in the nine games he missed, but the TCU defense was less than impressive.
So, no Pachall doesn’t deserve another chance with the Horned Frogs. He should have been forced to make a fresh start elsewhere and break ties with the school he let down.
