Deuce Boogie Nights

With Casey Pachall likely done for the season, Trevone Boykin returns to the throne and looks to finish what he started.

By Marshall Weber 

Somethings in life are just eerily inevitable; Kevin McAllister getting separated from his family every Christmas, the Cadbury egg getting smaller each year, and Trevone Boykin being elected by some greater force to lead his team. With the Boykin situation, we are somewhere in between an episode of The Twilight Zone and the Bill Murray classic, Groundhog Day...doomed to repeat our fate.

Merry Christmas ya filthy animal 

In 2012, Trevone Boykin was a rollercoaster for himself and fans alike. It began after he was thrown into the fire against Iowa State just a few days after Casey Pachall was suspended for his DUI. A game in which he came up short and TCU ended up losing its first home game in the Big 12. 

I remember that game quite vividly. The brooding cold and overcast sky paralleled what I and other Frog fans felt in our heart as the clock wound down and the score stayed 37-23 in favor of the Cyclones. There seemed to be no hope. Our defense still hadn't taken the shape of the greatness it later would that season. I mean, they let up 37 against Iowa State. What was there to be optimistic about? Our starting Quarterback and Running Back were gone, our defense was questionable. It looked as if our inaugural season in the Big 12 would be one to forget.

Then the Baylor game happened. Debuting the Purple Chrome-Domes, Boykin lead TCU to a 49-21 walloping in their reignited rivalry against the Bears. Boykin looked incredible in that game, completing 22 of his 30 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns. His versatility and speed were also on display as he rushed for 56 yards and one touchdown. But it wasn't so much the stats that were impressive. It was his overall demeanor. He was confident, poised, and dominant. His only rushing score looked like something out of the Johnny Manziel playbook as he completely demolished the Baylor defender and ran him over like a Mack Truck would a Fiat. Everyone was now on the Deuce Boogie train. 

Then came another turning point in the Frogs' 2012 campaign. 

The triple overtime loss to Texas Tech exhausted the team and fans alike. The game was back and forth throughout, but it looked like Tech was going to to pull away late in the fourth quarter. That was until Boykin hit LaDarius Brown on a 60 yard bomb and brought the Frogs within three points. The onside kick failed, but TCU forced Tech to punt and Oberkrom knocked one between the uprights to take the game into overtime. The game came out in Tech's favor and once again Boykin was the scapegoat. 

Now everyone seemed to be off the Boykin train. 

The next week against Oklahoma State didn't do him any favors either. Despite leading at the half, the Frogs were completely dominated by the Cowboys in the second half and lost the game 36-14. Boykin and the rest of the offense...and really the whole team for that matter...were simply exhausted. Not having the depth of a Texas, Alabama, or even Miami...the Frogs suffered that game. Boykin also went down with a shoulder injury in the game, which he would later return after the training staff popped his shoulder back into his body 

TCU rebounded against West Virginia, but with little credit given to Boykin. Thankfully Josh Boyce's 2 point conversion catch and Jason Verrett's blocked kick overshadowed a lot of the criticism. The following game was a night game against the then seemingly National Championship bound Kansas State and the likely Heisman winner Collin Klein. While the defense shined, especially Devonte Fields, the loss was once again in Boykin's hands. Who, by the way, missed a good portion of the game because he was still suffering from the injury suffered in the Oklahoma State game. 

But just like The Goonies never say die, neither does Trevone Boykin. 

TCU went into Austin that Thanksgiving evening with little chance from the outside world to win that game. The game was highlighted by Frog defense as they kept Horns contained all night. Neither offense looked particularly pretty, but Boykin was as good as he needed to be…rushing for a team high of 70 yards. He didn’t even break 100 yards passing…but then again he only threw nine times (Insert Ed Rooney voice). But as the commander of the Frogs’ offense, he did everything perfectly. He was exactly the quarterback TCU needed him to be that game.

The OU game was more typical of Boykin, as he completed 60% of his passes and threw for 230 yards while picking up almost 40 on the ground. But once again Boykin found himself leading another late charge. Finding who else but LaDarius Brown for a deep pass, the Frogs came a holding call away from taking the Sooners into overtime. 

After the season ended, we were so eager to put this kid aside and dreamed of Casey's comeback. Yes, acting like some of the fans of teams we hate, we were ready to completely rid ourselves of someone who saved our season.Through the latter half of the season and the entire off-season, we acted like we didn't deserve Boykin. But maybe Boykin didn't deserve us. We mocked his Instagram and his dream of winning a Heisman trophy. Yes, we mocked a kid's desire to get better. As we laughed and hid behind our computers and smart phones, Boykin was in the gym or on the field working his ass off to be our next quarterback.

2013

So after only two games into the 2013 season, Casey Pachall is once again out as our quarterback. So here we are, doomed to repeat our fate. 

But then again... are we doomed or destined?

I'll pick the latter.

Boykin returns yet again under similar circumstances. But not particularly by choice. The kid who we briefly praised as he kept us bowl eligible and out of obscurity, but who we were so quick to throw to the curb when Pachall announced he’d be returning last January.As good great as Pachall was, the cold truth is that he never quite saw the talent that Boykin has. Yes, he did see an RGIII Baylor and Boise State...but they weren't sandwiched between Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas State. The bottom line is that we were spoiled as fans. We didn't even warm up till Dalton until midway through the Rose Bowl season. Yes...his senior year. Why? Because he lost in the Fiesta Bowl of course. Logical.

I foolishly thought that having a two-Quarterback system would help us this year and would be one of the defining characteristics that helped us get back to glory. But having two quarterbacks actually thwarted our chances. However, in both the LSU and Southeastern Louisiana games, it was once again Boykin leading us down field and creating opportunities. Maybe the players trust him more than Pachall or maybe it's because he's a mobile quarterback with a weak offensive line. But one thing’s for certain, Boykin believes in himself, regardless of whether the fans do. 

I'm just as upset as anyone that we've lost Casey. Especially given all that he'd had happen to him. But nevertheless I'm excited for Boykin’s return, as should all Frog fans. Yet some are already demanding Tyler Matthews. Someone who we've seen only throw a handful of passes. Against Southeastern Louisiana. Once again. Logical. 

Even it’s as simple as Pachall’s inability to catch a break…the fact remains that Boykin’s our quarterback for the foreseeable future. 

It’s true that lightning never strikes twice, however its effects tend to linger long after the initial impact. So maybe this is eerily familiar situation isn’t by chance at all. 

Boykin has plenty of electricity left...we just have to reset the breaker.