Duggan not yet cleared, Downing has missed time

On his weekly conference call with the media, TCU Football coach Gary Patterson addressed the health — or lack of health — of his quarterbacks. “Not cleared yet”, was the Horned Frog coach’s answer in regards to reports that Max Duggan has been seen back on the field for TCU, and he further elaborated, saying that while Duggan is back with the team at practices, he has not yet been medically cleared to compete.

Additionally, Patterson revealed that Matthew Downing, the expected starter in Duggan’s place, has missed ten days of practices over the last several weeks — though he did not specify if that was due to injury or other reasons. In their stead, other guys have been taking reps with the ones (namely Stephon Brown), but in his words “nobody has stepped up”.

This becomes a concerning situation for TCU Football and its fan base; with the season opener less than two weeks away, both the guy expected to start at the beginning of fall camp, and his replacement, haven’t been getting reps at practice. And with the top two guys out, no one has grabbed the opportunity to take the job in their place.

We can find solace in the fact that Duggan may indeed return to the practice field, full time, in the coming days — and those that have been around the program long enough know better than to expect full transparency from the coach in this scenario. What benefit would it be for the Frogs to reveal whether or not Duggan is returning to their next opponent? Of course, if you’re Iowa State, you’re likely preparing for the sophomore QB regardless, as no one else of TCU Football’s roster has any real game film to speak of.

And hey, it’s only Monday, and plenty can change in the next two weeks. The ball coach doesn’t want you to sweat it, either way: