The TCU Horned Frogs Likely to Hand Offensive Reigns to Casey Pachall

The TCU Horned Frogs would love to have quarterback Andy Dalton back for just one more season.

After going undefeated in 2010, and going into their last season as a member of the Mountain West Conference, it would only make sense why they would want to go out on top.

But, unfortunately for the football program and head coach Gary Patterson, they will have to usher in a new era as Dalton has moved on to the next level of his football career, leaving the head coach to look for the man who will best lead this program into the Big East Conference in 2011.

If their spring game was any indication it looks as if the one filling the position might be a foregone conclusion.

Coming into their spring game, TCU had a quarterback battle going on between Casey Pachall and Matt Brown.

When the game came to a close, Patterson wouldn't say he was completely happy with what he saw but did say the offense needed to be more consistent and they needed to limit the number of sacks. But when it came to the quarterbacks, it was clear who the head coach was happier with.

"I thought Casey Pachall played pretty dang good," Patterson told the media on Monday. "Running the football, running the offense, he didn't turn the ball over; I thought he did very well."

However, Pachall was a little harder on himself than was his head coach. "I felt like I did several things good, but didn't do as good as I wanted to. There were several throws and reads I didn't make and I felt like I should have. As an offense, we were a little slow. Little mistakes cost us each drive. But that's something we will get fixed."

The heir apparent to Dalton came in to the program in 2009 as a very highly touted recruit. He's been able to learn from the former TCU quarterback and it showed during his time with the media as well as his throws on the field.

Sure he might have more work to do but when it comes to Patterson and his coaching staff deciding on who their starter will be when the 2011 season opens, Pachall seems to have the inside track. It doesn't hurt that he's taken snaps with the practice team since he came in right out of high school.

"It does feel like I've been here for a while because I came in early," Pachall told Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star Telegram. "That first spring was a little tough. Being what you'd consider a high school kid coming in and competing against all these athletes it was a little overwhelming at first, but eventually I started getting a hold of things."

That experience has led to the kind of performance the young quarterback put on during their spring game a few weeks ago. It's that experience that will give him a little more confidence to win the starting job and be able to win the confidence of his teammates right off the bat.

There will be growing pains and he will make mistakes here and there. How Pachall learns from those mistakes and gets better is how he'll be critiqued and looked at by both the fans and the media.

The Horned Frogs are in good hands with Casey Pachall. Sure he's no Andy Dalton but he doesn't have to be. Give him a little time and you may see he's a man all his own.