Mountain West Fearless Predictions, Oct. 4
San Diego State (1-3) at TCU (4-1),
, 6:00 EST The Mtn.
Why to watch: San Diego State might have struggled through the first three games of its season, but there’s nothing that playing Idaho won’t cure. Thanks to a huge day from QB Ryan Lindley, the Aztecs blew away the Vandals 45-17 for a little confidence boost going into the start of Mountain West play. Meanwhile, TCU’s BCS buster dreams fizzled out in a 35-10 loss to Oklahoma. Whatever … that’s the No. 1 team in America the Horned Frogs lost to. This is strong, tough TCU team that should be considered among the favorites for the Mountain West title, and soon it’ll start to get the press and the respect that Utah and BYU are getting.
Why San Diego State might win: Shellshock. Yeah, TCU is all about winning the Mountain West, but losing to OU in blowout fashion means the team has to avoid a serious letdown. After all, San Diego State isn’t BYU. The Aztecs have to get the passing game going early and Lindley has to be moving around from the start to counteract the aggressive TCU pass rush.
Why TCU might win: San Diego State is totally one-dimensional; it can’t run. TCU has had to deal with New Mexico’s Rodney Ferguson, Stanford’s Toby Gerhart, and Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray, and it’s still No. 1 in the nation against the run. While the stats are a bit skewed because of all the yards loss on sacks and tackles for loss, the run defense really is that good. If the San Diego State passing game isn’t special, this won’t be pretty.
Who to watch: Lindley, a redshirt freshman, is the playmaker the offense will have to revolve around for the next four years. He’s a tough, passer who bombed away for 433 yards and four touchdowns against Idaho and has been decent for stretches over the first four games. However, he struggled against the San Jose State pass rush and couldn’t come up with the one really big play to get by Notre Dame. He’ll have to be nearly perfect in his decision-making.
What will happen: It’ll take about a half for TCU to wake up, and then the defense will take over and shut down and shut out the Aztec offense in the second half.
CFN Prediction: TCU 38 … San Diego State 13 ... Line: TCU -24
Must See Rating: (5 Palin vs. Biden - 1 Beverly Hills Chihuahua) … 2