Visiting TCU to show what Aztecs hope, strive to be under Hoke

Mountain West rival TCU, which visits San Diego State on Saturday, has become a dominant force in the conference and on a national scale. (AP Photo/Mike Stone)

Two teams, separated by more than 1,000 miles and even farther apart in talent and expectations meet Saturday afternoon at the Q.

San Diego State, sitting at 4-4, hosts Mountain West Conference power TCU looking for its third win in a row. The 8-0 Horned Frogs are ranked 6th in the nation and rolling into town with aspirations they can run the table and earn a BCS Bowl berth. It would amount to a big payday and a big boost in their credibility — and further the MWC case for BCS respect.

State head coach Brady Hoke says TCU is everything the Aztecs aspire to be. They’re “quick, play fast, play tough, tons of depth,” Hoke said of the Horned Frogs. “They are deficient in no department.”

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The Red & Black are playing hard for a new coaching staff, but their roster pales in comparison to what the team wearing Purple will bring to town Saturday.

“They are big, they are athletic, they play hard every down and they have numbers,” said Hoke when referencing what coach Gary Patterson has put together at the Fort Worth school.

TCU served notice early this could be a special team, winning on the road in the ACC at Virginia and Clemson. They followed that up by bashing fellow MWC power BYU in Provo.

The young Aztecs offensive line will face the best pass rusher in the conference in defensive end Jerry Hughes. He has nine quarterback sacks this year and a total of 24 over the last year and a half.

TCU is choking off opponents, holding them to 235 yards a game with a defensive standard never seen in the conference. The Frogs have 11 takeaways, an astounding 26 sacks and an additional 45 tackles for losses.

“They live off negative plays,” Hoke said. They shove you into second and long, and third and worse with that defensive group.

State must also tangle with third-year starter Andy Dalton and a hybrid spread-option attack that features a scrambling quarterback and heavy-duty senior tailback Joe Turner.

Texas Christian has been challenged once this season, struggling at Air Force.

“It rained and snowed, the field was torn up, Air Force ran the ball and played keep away, and yet TCU overcame it all,” said Hoke

Ryan Lindley, who has engineered two gritty come-from-behind wins, may be under siege all day, unless SDSU lets him operate out of the shotgun and goes to shorter, quicker passing routes.

TCU’s campus is more than 1,000 miles away. Its program is thousands of miles ahead. The Aztecs are 43-83 since their last bowl appearance. In a similar time frame, the Frogs are an amazing 91-28. State gets a sneak preview of what a good program is all about. They also get a gauge of how much farther they have to travel — not to get to that campus — but to that football neighborhood.

Lee Hamilton hosts “Sportswatch” weekdays on XX-1090 (3-7 p.m.), broadcasts NFL games for the Compass Media Networks and won a San Diego Press Club award for his SDNN columns.

Tags: BCS, Bowl Championship Series, Brady Hoke, Gary Patterson, Mountain West, MWC, San Diego State, SDNN, TCU

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