It appears TCU has dodged a rather significant injury bullet.
During Saturday’s humiliation of Texas Tech, wide receiver Josh Doctson rolled an ankle in the third quarter and did not return to the game. Doctson hasn’t practiced since, although head coach Gary Patterson has seen what he described as “drastic improvement” and is optimistic the receiver will be available for the West Virginia game Saturday in Morgantown.
“It’s drastic improvement,” Patterson said. “He’ll make the trip.”
Speculation had been making the rounds that Doctson suffered the dreaded high-ankle sprain, which usually sidelines a player for a couple of weeks or more. Citing a team source, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that’s not the case.
Doctson currently leads the Horned Frogs in receptions (35), receiving yards (573) and receiving touchdowns (seven). In a week 8 win over Oklahoma State, Doctson fell one yard shy of tying the school’s single-game yardage record of 226.
The news wasn’t all positive on the injury front, however, as No. 2 quarterback Matt Joeckel has seen his season come to an end. The transfer from Texas A&M suffered a knee injury in the win over Tech.
This is Joeckel’s final season of eligibility, which means his collegiate career is over.
“It’s a shame,” Patterson said. “We gave him an ovation in the meeting on Sunday because of everything he did for us as a team, the way he came in, the way he helped Trevone [Boykin].”
Freshman Zach Allen will move into the role of Boykin’s primary backup.