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Midwestern State to play Abilene Christian with playoff spot on the line
Oklahoma’s defense looks to find its edge again
Longhorns’ special teams now almost expected to score
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TCU has carried itself with a steady, business-first approach that has served the Horned Frogs well in some hostile environments this season.
The workmanlike aura has manifested itself throughout the season as the No. 6 Frogs (8-0, 4-0 Mountain West) have refused to let unseemly weather — rainstorms during the Clemson and SMU games and record-low temperatures at Air Force — trip them.Nor have the Frogs let early turnovers, putting them in holes against SMU and Colorado State, distract them from taking care of business.Only two games this season have been close, a 14-10 victory at Clemson and a 20-17 win at Air Force, with the Falcons scoring a touchdown with less than a minute remaining.So any fears of a letdown in the final four weeks of the season, starting with a MWC game at 3 p.m. today at San Diego State (4-4, 2-2), would seem unfounded. The Frogs have a big test at home against Utah on Nov. 14, but they could ultimately be measured by how they maintain their intensity in the other three games.Despite showing no signs of weakness, the Frogs’ focus is still on the mind of coach Gary Patterson. "Can we get through these next three or four games without a letdown?" he asked rhetorically during his media luncheon Tuesday. "And if you do have a letdown, can you still find a way to win?"The Frogs have proven they don’t take any game for granted, having wins against overmatched teams such as Texas State, SMU and UNLV. TCU is 4-0 all time against the Aztecs, but this year’s San Diego State team is much improved over last season’s 2-10 squad.With the exception of winless New Mexico, the Frogs’ final stretch is filled with teams still playing for a bowl berth. And in Utah’s case, the Utes (7-1, 4-0) are still playing for a MWC title and have beaten TCU three consecutive times.With so much on the line, leaders such as Andy Dalton and Joseph Turner on offense and Jerry Hughes and Daryl Washington on defense are leading more by example and less by emotional displays."On previous teams, we’ve had that 'rah-rah’ guy before games in the locker room," four-year starting cornerback Rafael Priest said. "Fifteen minutes before the game, you’d hear guys banging the lockers or screaming or walking around hollering. That’s how they got prepared. This team, we sit back and listen to our music, but we’re prepared. That’s our way of getting to where we need to be. We don’t have that many guys that do all that type of stuff."It’s a sign of this team’s maturation and confidence that it doesn’t need any overt displays of inspiration in practice or in the locker room before a game. "Maybe there’s less to be said," Turner said. "If everybody is out there doing their job, then there’s not much to say. When we’re practicing our best and working our hardest, it’s hard for Coach to say something, because we’re all taking care of each other. We all do a great job of coaching each other."
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