TCU quarterback Casey Pachall was suspended indefinitely, hours after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated – his second brush with trouble this year and one that clouds the 15th-ranked Horned Frogs’ push for a Big 12 title.
Coach Gary Patterson announced the suspension, saying his quarterback ”obviously needs help.”
The 21-year-old Pachall was arrested just after midnight when he was pulled over after running a stop sign near TCU’s Fort Worth campus, police Sgt. Pedro Criado said. Pachall’s blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit of 0.08 percent, Criado said, declining to provide specifics.
A two-year starter for the Horned Frogs (4-0, 1-0 Big 12), Pachall was released on $1,000 bond from a jail in nearby Mansfield, said jail Officer Nathan Van Ryan. There was no information on an attorney for Pachall.
Pachall’s arrest came eight months after he admitted to police that he smoked marijuana and failed a drug test just two weeks before his roommate was arrested in a drug sting operation.
News of the arrest came as TCU coaches were finishing up the game plan for the Big 12 home opener Saturday against Iowa State (3-1, 0-1).
”I’ve got a young football team and a person who obviously needs help,” Patterson told The Associated Press. ”Until I can come up with some answers, it’s not about one season, it’s about a lot of seasons.”
Pachall has 948 passing yards and 10 touchdowns with one interception, and he’s fourth in the Big 12 and fifth nationally in passing efficiency.
After replacing Andy Dalton, the winningest quarterback in TCU history, Pachall set TCU single-season records last season with 2,921 yards passing and 228 completions. He threw 25 touchdowns with seven interceptions.
Redshirt freshman Trevone Boykin is the likely starter at quarterback Saturday. Boykin has played in three games this season, completing nine of 10 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. He has 12 rushes for 122 yards.
Before Pachall’s arrest, there was anticipation that Boykin could see action at tailback against Iowa State since Matthew Tucker is dealing with an ankle injury. The Frogs had already lost leading rusher Waymon James to a season-ending left knee injury sustained at Kansas three weeks ago.
”This is not about this season,” Patterson said. ”This about a young man’s life, about a whole bunch of kids.”
