Seven touchdowns and 82 points later, Trevone Boykin’s season took a dramatic turn.
The junior quarterback from Mesquite isn’t just enjoying a breakout season anymore, he’s now producing on a level that rivals the best players in all of college football.
In the week since last Saturday’s 82-27 drubbing of Texas Tech, Boykin has generated Heisman Trophy hype on websites such as ESPN, CBSSports, and NCAA.com. The Twitter hashtag #BoykinforHeisman exploded onto the scene.
Even the opposing coach, Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury, decided to talk up Boykin after the rout.
“I said it going in I thought he was a top-three Heisman guy. After watching him live and in-person, he’s got to be the frontrunner,” Kingsbury said. “He’s that good. He’s the best player in the country in my opinion.”
TCU head coach Gary Patterson was a little more temperate in his opinion of his junior quarterback, stressing that only a team-first attitude will help Boykin reach such a lofty personal achievement.
“For Boykin to be a guy who can enter the top-three we’re going to have to win a lot of ballgames,” Patterson said. “If that means he has great stats, then he’s a guy with a great year that should be considered.”
Patterson took a moment to reflect on Boykin’s development throughout his time at TCU, adding that he’s matured considerably over the past three seasons.
“It’s a great story, with his background and everything that he’s been through. It just shows how life in this world can change pretty quickly” Patterson said.
Much has changed for Boykin in just one year as a part of TCU football. In last year’s game against West Virginia, Boykin caught 11 balls for 100 receiving yards – showing his versatility as an athlete.
Boykin’s candidacy isn’t the first time Patterson has been asked about Heisman Trophy consideration for his players.
“I’ve been through this before with LT, Andy Dalton and the Rose Bowl year, all of it,” Patterson said. “The best thing you can do is keep climbing the pyramid and only worry about the things that you’re able to control.”
If TCU keeps on winning, the Boykin hype will only increase. But Patterson stressed multiple times that Boykin needs to focus on the task at hand if he wants to continue seeing personal success.
“He’s got to be careful, if you’re in game and start to think about numbers, then you force things,” Patterson said. “Let the offense run itself, don’t force anything, and keep winning.”
The Boykin-led Horned Frog offense is the only FBS attack averaging over 50 points per game, with an average of 50.4 each weekend.
Last season, TCU averaged roughly half of that, with 25.1 points per game.
Boykin’s progression and the new Air Raid offense have been crucial to the offensive improvement, and Heisman voters will gravitate to a good success story.
The junior quarterback has already tripled the amount of passing touchdowns he had all last season, 21-7, and he is 90 yards away from doubling his total passing yards to 2,396.
Patterson is right about one thing: the Frogs have to keep winning for Boykin to receive serious Heisman Trophy consideration.
In the last 15 years, only two players have won the Heisman Trophy for a team that lost more than two games: Tim Tebow in 2007 and Robert Griffin III in 2011.
Boykin and the Horned Frogs will face their last ranked opponents in the next two weeks, traveling to West Virginia this Saturday and returning home for the Kansas State matchup next weekend.
If the Frogs win those games and Boykin continues his current level of play, maybe #BoykinforHeisman can turn into something greater than a hashtag.
