Missing Ladanian Tomlinson on the side lines didn't stop the Frogs from beating San Diego State at Qualcomm stadium. The Frogs dominated in all facets of the game, and the Aztecs didn't give TCU any trouble in San Diego as they had in the past. Andy Dalton used his arm and his feet to thrash the Aztecs defense, and the Frogs number one overall defense held the Aztecs to 12 points. Of course, those 12 points nearly matched the offensive output of TCU's last three opponents, but you won't hear Coach Hoke talk about moral victories.
TCU (9-0, 5-0 Mountain West) remained in the chase for a BCS bowl berth by staying undefeated. Since joining the Mountain West, TCU has never lost to SDSU (5-0). Over the last five seasons, TCU is also undefeated at Qualcomm Stadium, including last year's Poinsettia Bowl victory over Boise State.
The Horned Frogs jumped in front with touchdowns on five of their first six possessions. Dalton scored on runs of 13 and 7 yards as TCU held a 31-6 halftime lead. He also hit Ryan Christian on TD passes of 44 and 29 yards. TCU managed 312 yards on the ground against a meager SDSU run defense and 551 yards of total offense. The defense managed to pick off Ryan Lindley twice and hold the Aztecs to just 279 yards of total offense. Next week, TCU has a showdown at home against Utah.
There isn't much to say about the Aztecs who gave up 55 points and only scored 12, so I will stick to the positives, because there are a few. QB Ryan Lindley only had one TD pass, but has thrown for at least one touchdown in each of the last 15 outings, which ties the MWC record. The SDSU offensive line did its job too, TCU did not record a tackle for a loss or a sack this afternoon until the fourth quarter.
The Frogs finished with only three tackles behind the line of scrimmage, after entering the game with 45 (5.6/g) in its previous eight outings in 2009. Place kicker Lane Yoshida had a good game, hitting a 45 and a 48 yarder. Finally, the Aztecs scored a touchdown for the 35th straight game. The Aztecs complete a 3 came home-stand next weekend against Wyoming, in a game that will almost certainly knock one of the teams out of bowl contention.