TCU’s Casey Pachall leaving school to enter rehab after DWI arrest

Former TCU quarterback Casey Pachall is back with the Horned Frogs program, according to head coach Gary Patterson. Pachall left TCU in October to seek treatment for a substance abuse problem, and he will be in school when classes resume on Monday.

“[Pachall] looks great,” Patterson said. “It’s like he looked when he was a freshman. Right now, we feel really good about this. It’s never going to be 100 percent perfect but there is a chance we did the right thing and made a difference.”

The door is open for the two-year starter to return in 2013, said the coach.

Pachall’s DWI arrest followed a failed drug test and his admitted use of cocaine and ecstacy earlier this year. He’s also the latest Frog to be sidelined by off-field matters. TCU has dealt with arrests, suspensions, injuries and transfers aplenty since announcing their move to the Big 12 for 2012.

Pachall was suspended last week from the team indefinitely, following his arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

By contrast, Pachall has thrown 10 touchdowns on the year against just one interception.

Via Brett McMurphy of ESPN:

The junior signal-caller for the No. 15 Horned Frogs was arrested for driving while intoxicated on Wednesday night. That DWI came a few months after Pachall’s admission of a failed drug test and recent cocaine and ecstasy use.

While TCU’s offense hasn’t been up to its usual standards this year (No. 47 in scoring) thanks to many a red zone mistake, Pachall has been solid, ranking No. 5 in the country in passing efficiency and No. 6 in yards per attempt, with 971 total yards, 10 touchdowns and just one interception on his stat sheet.

Boykin has gotten all of the relief attempts so far this year, throwing 10 times in three appearances. Almost all of that work came against Grambling, when he was a perfect 8-for-8. On the year, his passer rating of 185.16 is right around Pachall’s, but, you know, sample sizes.

Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson made the announcement on Thursday, according to the article, as Pachall was pulled over by Fort Worth police for going through a stop sign. The quarterback had a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit, though the exact number wasn’t specified.

Pachall was arrested close to TCU’s campus and jailed in Mansfield, where he was held on $1,000 bond.