Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
It was a season of ups and downs for the TCU Horned Frogs in 2012 as the team struggled to a 7-6 record after starting quarterback Casey Pachall left the team to get treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. TCU was 4-0 before Pachall left the team. As spring practice goes on for TCU, it is obvious to me that they need Pachall to lead the offense for any success in 2013.
Pachall threw for 948 yards in four games with 10 touchdowns and only one interception. He is the leader of this team without any doubt. You can’t just replace a player who started in 2011 and expect the team to just keep going. It usually doesn’t work that way unless you get a special kid to replace him. Trevone Boykin did a decent job with Pachall out but he isn’t the same quarterback that Pachall is.
I’m sure there will be many people who don’t want to just have Pachall get his job back right away. TCU needs to have him back under center though if they want to have any chance in the Big 12 this season. The schedule lays out in a way where you need to have a quarterback who is experienced to get another bowl berth. There are several different road games along the way and Pachall’s game experience should be able to lead the Horned Frogs to better results.
It is going to be a difficult decision for coach Gary Patterson to make, but the only choice is to go with Pachall because he is the one to lead this team to an eight or nine-win season.
Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports, like his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google.
