The Edge

Passing offense:
TCU: Redshirt freshman Tye Gunn will again start for the injured Sean Stilley. He completed passes to eight different receivers in last week’s victory against Houston. Expect the same against Army.

Army: Army has already used five quarterbacks this season. Zac Dahman, an Army plebe from Fort Worth, will start against TCU. Dahman has attempted 100 passes this year without throwing a touchdown. He has five interceptions. Sophomore William White leads the receiving corps with 17 catches and 223 yards.

Advantage: TCU

Rushing offense:
TCU: True freshman Lonta Hobbs and junior Ricky Madison played well against Houston. Both backs should see extensive work out of the backfield to wear down Army’s undersized defense.

Army: Third-year football coach Todd Berry changed Army’s offense from an option attack to a one-back offense. As a result, Army no longer boasts their usual gaudy rushing statistics. Senior running back Josh Holden leads the team in touchdowns, with four, and he averages 47.8 rushing yards a game. Dahman is not a running threat like previous Army quarterbacks.

Advantage: TCU

Passing defense:
TCU: Senior Jason Goss is fifth in the nation with four interceptions in five games. Senior safety Jared Smitherman is a terror in the secondary, with 30 tackles, five of them for a loss.

Army: The Black Knight passing defense is 28th in the country, allowing just 182.2 yards a game. However, they have intercepted just two passes this year. Senior linebacker Jason Frazier is an undisputed leader for the Army defense. He leads the team with three sacks.

Advantage: TCU

Rushing defense:
TCU: The Frog D is now seventh in the nation in rush defense, allowing just 82.6 yards a game. Senior linebacker LaMarcus McDonald leads the team in every tackling category.

Army: Army’s defensive line only averages 254 pounds. Division I-AA Holy Cross ran for 178 yards on their defense in a 30-21 win. Junior linebacker Ryan Kent leads Army with 39 tackles.

Advantage: TCU

Special teams:
TCU: Terran Williams, a senior, should see returnable punts. Junior kicker Nick Browne leads the nation in field goals made a game. Senior Joey Biasatti will need a better performance than last week since this game could turn into a field position battle.

Army: Senior Aris Comeaux, a track standout for the Black Knights, returned a punt for a touchdown last week against East Carolina. He is dangerous in the open field. White averages a solid 22.4 yards a kick return. The Army punting unit is atrocious. They are last in the NCAA in net punting, averaging 19.9 yards.
Advantage: TCU

Intangibles:
TCU: TCU cannot look ahead to an important C-USA matchup against Louisville next week. Otherwise Army will make the game much closer than anticipated. TCU’s defense nearly leads the nation with 20 forced turnovers. Army’s offense has turned the football over 19 times. As ESPN’s Chris Berman would say, “Something’s got to give.”

Army: No matter what the score is, Army players will never let up. While they currently do not have the talent to compete every week at a Division I-A level, the Black Knights play smart football with an unparalleled determination. They will have the boisterous support of their student body and past alumni for Army’s Homecoming.

Advantage: TCU

Prediction: TCU 31, Army 7

— Jay Zuckerman