AIR FORCE ACADEMY — For Air Force coach Troy Calhoun, there’s a mystery surrounding fourth- ranked TCU this season.
And the mystery only heightens the challenge facing the Falcons today when they play the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, Texas.
“I’m shocked to think that there are three teams better than TCU in the country,” Calhoun said, disputing the polls. “I say that based on merit and performance.”
Calhoun aimed his comment at The Associated Press poll that ranks the Horned Frogs behind Oregon (7-0), Boise State (6-0) and Oklahoma (6-0).
TCU coach Gary Patterson isn’t getting into the argument about the rankings and isn’t concerned if his team is being overlooked.
“I haven’t paid much attention to it,” Patterson said. “If we don’t win the next five games, no one will be talking about it anyway. Maybe the question comes down to style points. Do you have to score 59 points a game? For me, it’s ‘what exactly is winning and how you go about it?’ “
The Horned Frogs have gone about winning their seven games with plenty of style on defense. They lead NCAA Division I-A in scoring defense (9.3 points a game) and are second in total defense (218.2 yards per game).
In its past three games, TCU has allowed one field goal — defeating CSU 27-0, Wyoming 45-0 and BYU 31-3. Its defense has faced 84 opponent possessions and sent the opposition off the field after three downs 42 times.
“Going on what I’ve seen in the last three years, this probably is TCU’s best team,” CSU coach Steve Fairchild said.
Added BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall: “TCU is a very good football team just like they have been the past few years, but now even more experienced.”
Patterson said experience, especially with quarterback Andy Dalton, makes this team special.
“To me, the way you judge quarterbacks is whether they win or lose,” Patterson said. “At the end of the day, it’s ‘did the quarterback win?’ It’s difficult to put a value on what he’s done for us. You can’t compare him today to what he was as a freshman.”
Dalton is 36-7 as a starter, and five of the losses came in 2007 when he was a redshirt freshman. Dalton leads Mountain West in total offense with 259 yards a game.
His effectiveness in the offense has helped gather the impressive defensive numbers.
“Your best defense is when your defensive players are standing on the sidelines with their arms crossed,” Patterson said. “The way we’ve been able to control the ball, we’re averaging 50-some plays a game on defense.”
But Air Force offensive coordinator Clay Hendrix doesn’t minimize the problem of facing TCU defenders.
“They try to out-tough you, and they combine that with really good schemes,” Hendrix said. “We can test them in ways they haven’t been tested by some other teams.”
Patterson noted the success of the TCU program has changed the dynamics of games. Patterson is 92-28 in his 10th season, and the Frogs have won 18 consecutive home games.
“We used to be the hunter, but now we’re the hunted,” Patterson said. “We’re getting everybody’s best shot. We lost some high-profile players from last year’s team, but we still have players who can play awfully well. Everybody wanted to know if we’d be better than last year. We don’t have to be. We have to hunt together.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
