No. 5 TCU (4-0, 0-0 MWC) at Colorado State (1-3, 0-0), 2 p.m. (The Mtn)
Line: TCU by 34 1/2.
Series Record: TCU leads 6-1.
Last Meeting: TCU 44-6, 2009.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
It’s the Mountain West opener for both schools. The Horned Frogs will be out to impress voters after slipping a spot in the polls following a 41-24 win over SMU. The Rams are coming off a last-second 36-34 win against Idaho that snapped a 12-game skid.
KEY MATCHUP
Colorado State QB Pete Thomas against the TCU secondary. The freshman quarterback threw for 386 yard and three TDs against the Vandals. Thomas, the third-youngest QB in team history, led the team on the winning drive, setting up Ben DeLine’s 35-yard field goal as time expired. The Horned Frogs boast one of the top pass defenses in the nation, allowing 143 yards a game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
TCU: Returner Jeremy Kerley, who had 234 all-purpose yards against SMU. He averaged 34.4 on kickoff returns and 11.5 on punts last weekend. Kerley also leads the team with 17 receptions.
Colorado State: RB Raymond Carter had more than 100 yards rushing and receiving in a win over Idaho. He’s the first Rams player to accomplish that feat since Lawrence McCutcheon on Oct. 31, 1970.
FACTS & FIGURES
TCU has won six straight over Colorado State. … This is TCU’s first game outside the state of Texas this season. … The Horned Frogs have won 17 consecutive regular-season games. … TCU is the highest-ranked team to play at Hughes Stadium since the Rams were beaten 48-34 by No. 5 Colorado on Sept. 7, 1996. … This will be senior QB Andy Dalton’s first game at Hughes. He didn’t play against the Rams in 2008 because of an injury. … For every fan that attends the game, Colorado State coach Steve Fairchild and his wife will donate 10 cents to the school’s Cans Around the Oval campaign, which benefits a local food bank. … Colorado State will hold a moment of silence for Anthony Cesario, an offensive lineman for the Rams who died last Saturday of heart-related issues. He was 34.
