Time to continue our series on the best and worst moments of 2012 for each team in the Big 12. Next up: TCU.
Worst moment: Starting quarterback Casey Pachall says goodbye after costly mistake
TCU was riding high at 4-0 and ranked in the top 15 when word leaked out the morning of Thursday, Oct. 4, that Pachall had been arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. He was in the prison until that afternoon, but after failing a drug test earlier in the year and admitting his use to police, Pachall knew there was a problem. He left school and enrolled in a treatment facility, but coach Gary Patterson made it clear that the door would still be open for Pachall to return if he fixed the problems that cost him a whole lot."I don't think one game, three games would have made a difference," Patterson said of the idea of suspending his quarterback. "You try to change people's lives. That's what this is all about." It was an ugly incident for Pachall, but it's a bright moment in Patterson's career, who did good by a kid who had cost him and his team plenty in their first season in the Big 12. Pachall has reportedly submitted paperwork to re-enroll. It was a rough day for TCU, and made it obvious that any hopes of a Big 12 title were done.
Best moment: Frogs win Battle of the Big 12 Newbies
TCU had lost three of four games since losing Pachall and its only Big 12 win had been over Baylor, who began Big 12 play at 0-4. Quarterback Trevone Boykin unbelievably found Josh Boyce for a 94-yard score to tie the game, and a trick play put TCU in the end zone against West Virginia in the second overtime. Patterson elected to go for two, and Boyce made a big play again, scooping a low throw before it hit the turf and clinched the win. It set off a big celebration and officially made TCU bowl-eligible in one of the most difficult seasons of Patterson's tenure at the school.
More best and worst of 2012: