The Horned Frogs of TCU toppled out of the Top 25 with a big loss against Texas, and they will have their hands full against the undefeated Air Force Falcons as well on Thursday night at Falcon Stadium.
The Horned Frogs jumped out to 10-0 halftime lead against the Longhorns last week, and it looked like they would be able to hold their own with the mighty national power. Then TCU was destroyed by turnovers and an inability to stop the run in what became a 34-13 rout on the road. The Horned Frogs committed four turnovers and allowed 176 rushing yards against the Longhorns, and if you want to compete with the big schools you have to be able to stop the run.
Andy Dalton was 23-for-27 for 208 yards, but he failed to lead the Horned Frogs into the end zone while throwing an interception. Also, three of the Horned Frogs' turnovers came on fumbles. TCU's meager return of 43 yards on the ground was paltry to say the least, and they will have to find a way to get the ground game going so Dalton does not have to do it on his own.
Air Force came away with a 20-12 win at Utah last week, and they have a rushing game that could hurt the Horned Frogs as they showed against the Utes. Quarterback Shaun Carney rushed for 113 yards and the Falcons ran for 334 yards as a whole, while the offense committed only one turnover on the day. The Falcons also held Utah to 73 yards on the ground, and forced two turnovers which came on interceptions.
The problem with Air Force is that they are a one-dimensional team as Carney had only 14 passing attempts, completing eight of them for 56 yards and no touchdowns. Of course, if you keep the football on the ground it will minimize your risk of turning it over, but teams can simply key on shutting down the running game. If Carney is forced to throw more regularly, the Falcons could be in trouble.
TCU comes in as 7.5-point favorites on the road, with a total of 42.
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