At a Glance
Who: SDSU at TCU
What: The Aztecs kick off their MWC schedule with the Horned Frogs. Where: Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas
When: 3:00 p.m., Saturday
TV: The Mtn.
Radio: AM 600 KOGO (San Diego)

The Big Issue
Coming off its first victory of the season against Idaho last Saturday, the San Diego State football team won’t have much time to celebrate as it heads to Texas to play Mountain West Conference rival TCU this weekend.

“TCU is an excellent football team,” head coach Chuck Long said. “Everybody is talking about BYU and Utah, but I don’t know why they aren’t talking about TCU. They are excellent on both sides of the football and have a number of returners back from last year.”

The Horned Frogs will head into this Saturday’s matchup fresh off a loss to No. 1 Oklahoma last weekend. The Sooners scored 35 points against a TCU defense which has allowed just 233.6 yards per game this season.

“You take out five or six big plays that Oklahoma had against them and their defense did a great job,” Long said. “They stopped their run game and Oklahoma relied on big plays to beat them. TCU is a good football team and this will be a big challenge for us this week.”

SDSU is 0-3 all-time against the Horned Frogs, but if it has the same successes it had against Idaho last Saturday, that trend could change. “Our mentality has to shift going into conference play,” senior linebacker Russell Allen said. “This is our chance to get started off on the right foot (in MWC play).”

Key Matchups
When the Aztecs have the ball: Sophomore wide receiver Vincent Brown (above left) had one of the best games in San Diego State history last weekend against Idaho, catching eight passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns. If SDSU has any shot at taking down a powerful TCU team, it will need to get similar production from not only Brown, but redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Lindley. Lindley also had a record-setting day Saturday throwing for 433 yards and four touchdowns, but facing a Horned Frog secondary will be no easy task.

TCU has several defensive backs that could play in the NFL in upcoming seasons, and safety Steven Coleman (above right) is no exception. Coleman leads the Horned Frogs with three interceptions this season and has added five pass break ups. Joining Coleman in the defensive backfield will be starting corners Rafael Priest and Nick Sanders, who have a combined eight career interceptions. The TCU defense is allowing just 29.4 rushing yards per game this season, which means Lindley, Brown and the Aztecs will have to get by this secondary to pull out a victory.

When the Horned Frogs have the ball: SDSU has struggled against mobile quarterbacks this season, giving up 36 yards on the ground and three touchdowns to San Jose State running quarterback Kyle Reed. This weekend, the Aztecs will have to stop TCU quarterback Andy Dalton, who has rushed for 216 yards and five scores this season. Dalton, however, is also a passing threat, and with wide receiver Jimmy Young (bottom right) roaming the field, SDSU will need a great performance from its defense if it has any shot at winning Saturday. Young has compiled 26 catches for 348 yards this season.

The Aztecs secondary, led by Vonnie Holmes (bottom left), has been one of the strong points for a 1-3 squad this season, allowing 202.2 yards per game. Their run defense, however, has been porous, giving up more than 210 yards per contest. With the Horned Frogs bringing four offensive threats who have rushed for more than 100 yards this year, the key matchup to watch for will be how SDSU handles a potent TCU rushing attack.

The Numbers
San Diego State University

• Record
  • 1-3, 0-0 MWC
• Pass yards per game
  • 302.8
• Rush yards per game
  • 65.5
• Total yards per game
  • 368.2
• Pass yards against per game
  • 202.2
• Rush yards against per game
  • 210.58
• Total yards against per game
  • 413

Texas Christian University

• Record
  • 4-1, 1-0 MWC
• Pass yards per game
  • 181.8
• Rush yards per game
  • 219.4
• Total yards per game
  • 401.2
• Pass yards against per game
  • 204.2
• Rush yards against per game
  • 29.4
• Total yards against per game
  • 233.6

Injury Report:
Defensive Tackle Neil Spencer: Shoulder (Out)
Left Tackle Mike Matamua: Foot (Out)
Center Tommie Draheim: Shoulder (Out)
Defensive End Tony DeMartinis: Knee (Out)
Defensive Tackle Ernie Lawson: Ankle (Doubtful)
Running Back Davon Brown: Shoulder (Questionable)

Forecasting the Mountain:
Editor’s note: Each week, The Daily Aztec will pick the winners of every Mountain West Conference game.

Thursday, October 2
No. 15 Utah vs. Oregon State

Friday, October 3
No. 8 BYU at Utah State

Saturday, October 4
San Diego State at TCU, Air Force vs. Navy, UNLV at Colorado State, Wyoming at New Mexico

Name: Edward Lewis (25-11)
Title: Sports Editor
Prediction: TCU, Utah, BYU, Air Force, UNLV, New Mexico
Quotable: “I’m 11-2 since my guarantee, and with TCU averaging 219.4 rush yards per game this season, I’m going to add one more stroke to the win column Saturday.”

Name: David Pope (26-10)
Title: Assistant Sports Editor
Prediction: TCU, Utah, BYU, Air Force, Colorado State, New Mexico
Quotable: “I have the highest total season points in The Daily Aztec fantasy league, but I’m in sixth place out of eight. I hate sports.”

Name: Eric Shannon (27-9)
Title: Managing Editor
Prediction: TCU, Utah, BYU, Air Force, UNLV, New Mexico
Quotable: “Forget fantasy football, I’m in first place in The Daily Aztec pick’em!”

Name: Glenn Connelly (23-13)
Title: Assistant Photo Editor
Prediction: TCU, Utah, BYU, Air Force, UNLV, New Mexico
Quotable: “The Aztecs look to resume their losing ways this weekend on the road; I’m still bitter they messed up my picks last week.”