San Diego State @ Texas Christian preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 7, 2009 ) Texas Christian 55, San Diego State 12

Texas Christian's Amon G. Carter Stadium is set to undergo a $105 million renovation after this season.

To honor that endeavor, No. 3 TCU will wear its traditional purple and white uniforms when it takes on San Diego State on Saturday in the Mountain West Conference.

The Horned Frogs (10-0, 6-0 Mountain West) are trying to finish the season strong, and make a little history for themselves. They are trying to become the first non-BCS conference team to play in the national championship game, which could pit the No. 1 offense (Oregon) against the No. 1 defense (TCU).

Last week, TCU had its most impressive victory of the season when it crushed then-No. 5 Utah 47-7 at Salt Lake City.

Senior quarterback Andy Dalton completed 21-of-26 passes, and threw for a career-high 355 yards and three touchdowns. TCU’s offense showed its big-play potential, too, as Dalton hooked up with Josh Boyce for a 93-yard scoring strike in the first quarter, the third-longest play in school history.

Frogs do-it-all man Jeremy Kerley had a 26-yard touchdown pass to Bart Johnson out of the Wildcat formation, or as they call it, the Wild Frog formation. It was Kerley’s first career touchdown pass.

Although the offense showed its firepower, the Frogs’ top-ranked scoring defense played well once again. Sophomore linebacker Tanner Brock set a career-high with 12 tackles, and grabbed his first interception.

In their six Mountain West games, the Frogs have outscored their opponents 236-23, and allowed three touchdowns. TCU leads the nation in scoring defense (8.5 points per game), total defense (215.5 yards), pass defense (121.9), fewest first downs allowed per game (12) and opponent third-down percentage (23.8).

San Diego State (7-2, 4-1) comes into the game on a four-game winning streak for the first time since 1988.

The Aztecs defeated Colorado State 24-19 last week. San Diego State played well on defense as it allowed 297 yards of total offense, including 31 on the ground. Junior linebacker Miles Burris led the team with a career-high 10 tackles, including two sacks and two forced fumbles.

Offensively, the Aztecs were led by freshman running back Ronnie Hillman, who finished with 151 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries. Senior fullback Brandon Sullivan scored two touchdowns - one rushing, one receiving.

TCU has never lost to San Diego State since both joined the Mountain West in 2005. The Frogs are 5-0, and have outscored the Aztecs 93-7 in two previous meetings at Carter Stadium.