With Aug. 30’s season opener against Samford fast approaching, the TCU football team appears a step closer to finding its starting quarterback.
“We’re down to two,” TCU head coach Gary Patterson said after practice Monday.
The Frogs have two scrimmages left in training camp, but hope to have a decision made by Saturday between junior Trevone Boykin and senior transfer Matt Joeckel. Patterson said there is no clear separation between the two yet.
“Both of them [have] had their moments,” he said.
Boykin returns after starting 15 games for TCU in his college career, but Joeckel, a former Texas A&M Aggie, brings four years of experience to the competition. Joeckel had 293 yards and two touchdowns in limited time last year.
Patterson praised both quarterbacks’ leadership skills, but added what happens in game situations matters most.
“I’ve been fired up about both their leadership,” he said.
“The key is still, ‘What does the guy do on Saturday?’ Going into the final scrimmage, Johnny Manziel was the third-team quarterback. Now he has a Heisman trophy and he’s starting for the Cleveland Browns.”
The quarterback group as a whole threw five interceptions in practice Monday, and three came off batted balls.
“We gotta get the ball out of our hands,” Patterson said. “We gotta get it to the person that’s supposed to catch it.”
One possibility if the difference remains negligible would be starting Joeckel under center and moving Boykin out to receiver. Boykin had 26 receptions for 204 yards last season.
“We’ve talked about it, but we really haven’t addressed that,” Patterson said.
The Frogs’ first game of the 2014 season is scheduled to kickoff at 6:00 p.m. CT from Amon G. Carter Stadium.