TCU will begin spring practice on March 1st so it is time to start looking at the individual positions and some of the position battles to watch for. The Frogs are bringing in some fresh faces that could contribute, but they also have some holes to fill as well. Let's start this series off with one of the more interesting positions, and that's the quarterback.
2012 Recap
Casey Pachall: 4 Games- Passing: 64/97 for 948 yards, 10 TD's, 1 INT, 66% CMP. Rushing: 21 attempts for 23 yards.
Trevone Boykin: 12 Games (9 as starter)- Passing: 167/292 for 2,054 yards, 15 TD's, 10 INT's, 57.2% CMP. Rushing: 127 attempts for 417 yards, 3 TD's.
Tyler Matthews: Redshirted in 2012.
Zach Allen: Early enrollment, will take part in spring practice.
Looking Forward
The quarterback position this spring is an interesting one. The Frogs have three very talented QB's on the roster so how will the final depth chart look when TCU faces LSU to open the season at Cowboys Stadium?
Here are a few things to watch for with the quarterback position in spring practice. My predictions on what I think will happen are in parenthesis below.
- Does Casey Pachall automatically become the starter once again and get all the first team reps, or will Pachall start at second or third on the depth chart and have to earn his job back?
(On the first day of practice Coach Patterson will declare the QB position wide open for whoever wants to step up and take it, but we will all know that's a lie. The job is Casey Pachall's to lose. CP4 will work with the second team offense for the first week before taking his starting job back for good.)
- How did the time off affect Pachall's arm, timing, and confidence?
(I don't see Pachall showing any signs of rust at all. I actually think he will be more focused than we have seen him in a while. Once he gets the pads on and the blood flowing, he will be back to the Casey Pachall we all remember. The biggest issue for me is him regaining the trust of his teammates.)
- How much has Trevone Boykin improved his passing ability and does he have a legit shot at winning the starting job?
(As we learned last week, Boykin has been working with his own personal quarterback coach to help him in the passing game. I think we will see an improved Boykin just because of the experience he earned this past season, but it's hard to improve a throwing motion in just a couple of months. I do think Boykin will see his fair share of playing time at QB in 2013, but I do not see him winning the starting job.)
- Can Tyler Matthews compete for the backup quarterback position or will he remain third on the depth chart?
(This one is hard for me to predict. I definitely think Boykin will see more playing time than Matthews at quarterback this season, but if Pachall were to get injured, I wouldn't be surprised if Matthews got the opportunity over Boykin. At the same time, it is hard for me to push Boykin out of the backup position because I do think he can be a successful college quarterback.)
- What will Zach Allen look like against college completion?
(I didn't see much of Zach Allen while he was in high school so I am interested to see his arm strength and how he looks against a TCU defense.)
The quarterback position is going to be fun to watch. Each player is talented and can bring something different to the table. At the end of spring practice, I think the depth chart will look the same way it did to begin the 2012 season. Hopefully everything goes smoothly. We all saw how important the QB position was last season.