Horned Frogs’ Batteaux Can Do It All

Talk about your versatile athletes.

Texas Christian quarterback Patrick Batteaux doesn’t have very impressive passing numbers, averaging a mere 52 yards a game and passing for only one touchdown while throwing seven interceptions.

On the other hand, that’s not bad for a player who was the team’s leading receiver last season.

Batteaux switched positions at the request of new TCU Coach Dennis Franchione and started 10 of 11 games for the Horned Frogs as an option-style quarterback. He’s the third-leading rusher on the team at 48 yards a game in an offense that relies heavily on 1,000-yard rusher Basil Mitchell.

Batteaux also was a reserve on TCU’s NCAA tournament basketball team last season.

The position change in football happened because Franchione remembered recruiting Batteaux out of high school as a quarterback when he coached at New Mexico. When he arrived at TCU, he sought him out.

“He thought I was joking with him at first,” Franchione said. “He said, ‘Yeah, sure.’ He was playing basketball at the time. The next couple of times I saw him, I said, ‘I’m really serious, come try it.’ ”

Eventually, Batteaux did.

“I hadn’t played quarterback since high school,” he said. “He asked me to try it, and if it didn’t work out, I could go back to receiver.”

Matter of fact, that’s probably exactly what will happen next year in Batteaux’s senior season. Promising quarterbacks Matt Schobel and Sean Stilley are waiting in the wings.

No problem, Batteaux said.

“Nothing really has been said,” he said. “I’ll do anything to win. Whatever it takes--pass the ball, catch the ball.”

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USC linebacker Chris Claiborne said he’ll probably make an announcement about whether he’ll leave early for the NFL a few days after returning to Los Angeles after the Sun Bowl. Coach Paul Hackett said he thinks “it’s 50-50” and that the prospect of USC having a strong team next year is a factor. . . . Linebacker David Gibson didn’t practice but Hackett was encouraged by the progress of his sprained ankle and he is expected to play. Tailback Chad Morton has been limited in practice but said his sore ankle feels much better, and he should be fine.