Week 4: TCU at SMU

There's some cautionary history here for TCU, but that's about all that stands in the way of a blowout for the Horned Frogs.

TCU lost to SMU in 2005, a week after knocking off Oklahoma. In this case, the longtime Metroplex rivalry is being renewed a week before the Frogs play Oklahoma, but the coincidence is surely enough for TCU coach Gary Patterson to give his team something to think about.

Otherwise, it would be easy to overlook the Mustangs. If the program is going to be rejuvenated by coach June Jones' passing offense, it hasn't happened yet. Freshman quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw five interceptions in a 43-7 loss at Texas Tech and the defense allowed 693 total yards, including 513 through the air.

In a 31-14 win over Stanford, TCU showed that it tends to stick to the usual plan, even if a defense is vulnerable to the pass. Instead of trying to exploit Stanford's weak secondary, the Frogs simply rushed for 233 yards, led by quarterback Andy Dalton's 91 yards. He also passed for 145 yards just for the sake of balance.

The TCU defense was tough against the Cardinal. Stanford posted only 193 total yards, and one of its touchdowns came via a blocked punt. So the SMU offense will do well to match the 274 yards it posted against Texas Tech, while the Frogs tune up for their date with the Sooners.

Things to watch:

TCU scored on a blocked punt and an interception return in taking a 21-7 halftime lead over SMU last September, and the teams were scoreless in the second half.

The Horned Frogs have lost only one turnover this season and are tied for first in the country with a plus-9 turnover margin.

TCU has not trailed in any of its three games, jumping to leads of 16-0, 28-0 and 14-0.

After five years in blue helmets, SMU has returned to the white helmets of the "Pony Express" era. The Mustangs have both blue and red jerseys available for home games.

Key player (Horned Frogs) — Matt Panfil, DE

Panfil was everywhere against Stanford, recording two sacks, a pass deflection, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He will be asked to rush the passer repeatedly against SMU and should welcome the assignment. Panfil has seven tackles for loss in three games.

Key player (Mustangs) — Bo Levi Mitchell, QB

The quarterback means everything to a June Jones-coached offense, and Mitchell was not good against Texas Tech, throwing five interceptions. The level of competition will not get any easier for him this week, but Jones is sticking with him.

TCU by 31