Race

O’Boyle’s versatility rules for Chadron State all over the field

Courtesy of Kevin Jelden

Chadron State's Patrick O'Boyle isn't just the team's quarterback. He's also the Eagles' holder and long snapper on punts and part of the coverage team on kickoffs.

Needing a spark in its season opener, Chadron State turned to backup quarterback Patrick O’Boyle.

O’Boyle led the Eagles to three touchdown drives and a 42-25 win over Missouri University of Science and Technology as he went 3-for-3 in the air with 91 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 79 yards with another score.

But O’Boyle doesn’t just play quarterback. On extra points, he is the holder. On kickoffs, he plays on the coverage team. On punts, he is the team’s long snapper. In his niche, four-position role, the senior O’Boyle has earned a spot on Chadron State’s (1-1) 12-player leadership council.

“I’m just a guy that if they ask me to play free safety on defense, I’d go out there and do my absolute best,” O’Boyle said.

In 2013, the Eagles unveiled the “Pat Project” — their version of the wildcat offense. The package centers on O’Boyle going in at quarterback and other players also substituting to fit his passing and scrambling skills. The “Pat Project” forces defenses to prepare for O’Boyle and cuts into their time to prepare for the rest of the team.



“They were struggling to try and stop it and whenever a defense is struggling, you want to continue to attack that part of their defense,” Chadron State head coach Jay Long said of the “Pat Project” against Missouri S&T. “It was something that really helped us out.”

This past spring, the Eagles’ long snapper graduated. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound O’Boyle volunteered to try the new position. After practicing throughout the spring, he earned the starting long snapper job on the punt team.

When O’Boyle told his father and former high school football coach, Tom O’Boyle, that he would be long snapping, Tom O’Boyle laughed.

“Who better understands that the most important completion is the center to the quarterback or the center to the punter on the offensive side of things?” Tom O’Boyle said. “He loves being in the clutch, critical situations and coming through.”

Being a coach’s son exposed O’Boyle to more game film and all the positions in football from an early age. Now, watching more film is more important than ever with his new roles on special teams.

Throughout most of his life, O’Boyle only played quarterback in football. He served as a holder for extra points for all of high school and college.

He also played basketball in the winter, ran track in the spring and played baseball in the summer. Learning how to transition from one sport to the next has eased O’Boyle’s crossover between positions.

“To see the game from so many aspects, you learn to take on different roles,” said Danny O’Boyle, O’Boyle’s brother and a Chadron State wide receiver. “I really think that’s helped him especially now where he’s playing so many different roles on our team.”

O’Boyle’s upbringing is continuing to pay off. The two brothers still argue about who is faster. They were raised as all-around athletes, not stuck in any one position.

“My dad really tried to instill in us that it’s a team game and it takes a team effort,” Danny O’Boyle said. “You can’t just do it with one guy.”





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