Glenn Connelly, Assistant Photo EditorWhen a football coach says an opposing quarterback “manages the game well,” it’s usually a nice way of saying, “He doesn’t have much to do with why his team is winning.”
On Tuesday, San Diego State head coach Chuck Long gave TCU quarterback Jeff Ballard – eighth in the Mountain West Conference in pass efficiency – that distinction.
Combine Ballard’s inefficiency with the SDSU (2-7, 2-3 in MWC play) pass defense, ranked ninth in the nation, and stopping Ballard won’t likely be a game plan priority for the 1 p.m. contest on Saturday in Forth Worth, Texas.
But just about any other Horned Frog on the field will require much more attention from Long.
“We have a big challenge this week in TCU,” Long said. “They’re a good football team; they’re a talented football team. Coach (Gary) Patterson has built that program up in a good way, and they have a good team again this year.”
At 7-2 and 3-2 in league play, it’s hard to say otherwise. And, at the same time, the team that started the season as the only ranked MWC squad in The Associated Press poll (No. 21) has looked beatable this season.
TCU has lost two games, both in league play – albeit to the first- and second-place MWC teams (BYU and Utah). And last week, the Horned Frogs edged a .500 New Mexico squad after blowing a 24-point halftime lead.
But don’t tell junior quarterback Kevin O’Connell – who will again split time with redshirt freshman Kevin Craft on Saturday – that this is a different TCU team.
“They’re the same type of team; they still thrive off of turnovers,” O’Connell said. “We’re just hoping to come out and … just run the ball, take our shots when we have them and limit our mistakes.
“But it’s going to be a tough environment; they pack that place pretty good. It’s going to take a total team effort, but it’s definitely something that we’re capable of doing.”
That is, if O’Connell’s offensive line can handle the Horned Frogs’ front seven.
TCU’s rushing defense is fourth in the nation, allowing just 72 rushing yards per game. The only three teams better than the Horned Frogs at stopping the run: No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Michigan and Miami.
“They have some great linebackers and two of the best ends (Tommy Blake and Chase Ortiz) in the conference, if not the nation,” senior center Patrick Justman said. “Up front, it’s going to be a very physical game, so hopefully we can pound the ball. It seems that teams that have been able to do that (against TCU) have been able to win.”
Added Long: “We have to find ways to run it … and keep them off balance. Just because teams say they are good against one thing, you still have to try and give it a shot.”
