TCU Horned Frogs vs Air Force Falcons Football Preview

This week, the foremost challenger to Boise State in the non-automatic-qualifier chase for the BCS national championship needs to make a statement... but in a particular kind of way.

The TCU Horned Frogs haven’t been playing great offense, but they’ve definitely been playing extremely good defense in recent weeks. Air Force is TCU’s latest test, and as the Falcons come to Amon Carter Stadium, the homestanding Frogs need to show that their offense can finally flourish as much as their defense.

If TCU feels it's not getting the respect it deserves in 2010, and that it's being leap-Frogged in the polls (pun intended), there's a reason for it all: Coach Gary Patterson's club just isn't moving the needle with its offensive performances. TCU scored just six first-half points a few weeks ago at Colorado State, and this past Saturday against BYU, TCU scored all of three points before exploding for 14 quick points in the final 90 seconds of the first half. Utah is looking more and more like the legitimate favorite in the Mountain West, so TCU needs to make a first-half statement in this contest; otherwise, Air Force has a genuine shot to win this game outright.

Don't dismiss Air Force's chances on Saturday. The Falcons, plainly put, were looking ahead to TCU last weekend. Even though they come from one of America’s service academies, the boys from the United States Air Force can still forget to tend to the present moment. Air Force had been so sharp and focused through the first six weeks of the season that its 27-25 loss at San Diego State should be viewed as an aberration, and not as a true sign of this team’s quality. It’s human nature for a Mountain West Conference club to emphasize a date with TCU on the schedule, and to ignore (and underestimate) San Diego State in the process. With that point in mind, one should definitely expect coach Troy Calhoun to have a very motivated team heading into this game.

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Air Force has often played at TCU’s Amon Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas; that’s because Air Force has regularly played in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl over the past three seasons. The academy has visited Fort Worth each December to take on California (2007) and Houston (2008 and 2009), so Air Force will be used to the atmosphere in the ballyard and won’t be intimidated at all. As long as the Falcons can maintain possession with their triple-option offense, Air Force can shorten this game and force TCU to play a near-perfect game on offense. Because the Horned Frogs have not been very consistent on offense this year, the Falcons have a very realistic chance of keeping this game close well into the fourth quarter, when they can steal one from TCU.

It must be said, though, that the Horned Frogs, for all their inconsistencies on offense, are playing the best brand of defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas is presiding over a unit that has not allowed a touchdown since a Sept. 24 win at Southern Methodist. The Frogs are first in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 9.3 points per contest. Even if the offense is sluggish, TCU not only can still prevail. Air Force will be hard pressed to ring up a big number of points, meaning that as long as the Horned Frogs don’t commit multiple turnovers, they can cobble together just enough offense to win this tilt. If TCU’s defense can coax any turnovers from the Falcons, this game could get ugly, and coach Gary Patterson’s players could run away from Air Force in the second half.

What would really help TCU, though, as alluded to above, is if the Frogs can get jumping on offense and pull away from the Falcons in the first half, not the second. Then pollsters would take note... as would the Utah Utes, who are waiting for TCU on November 6 in Salt Lake City.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer