The Edge
Compiled by Carlos Alvarado and Brent Yarina

TCU PASSING GAME
Brandon Hassell is looking confident at the helm and a lot can be attributed to the trust offensive coordinator Mike Schulz has in his junior quarterback. The emergence of Cory Rodgers has been a pleasant surprise for the Frogs. Reggie Harrell continues to have a solid season and the return of Bruce Galbert to the lineup has been helpful.

LOUISVILLE PASS DEFENSE
The Cardinals are ranked 94th in pass defense, allowing 246 yards a game, including a couple of poor showings against teams like Army and Temple. They are young and inexperienced. Going against a TCU offense that seems to be clicking on all cylinders, following a 62 point performance at Houston, the Louisville secondary is in for a long night. Opponents have had great success against this secondary, meaning the much improved TCU offense may be too much for this defense to handle.

TCU RUNNING GAME
Robert Merrill and Lonta Hobbs are a dangerous 1-2 punch. They both run hard and have the ability to break big runs. While Merrill has the higher yards a carry average, Hobbs continues to be the Frogs’ go-to-guy inside the redzone. Together they form the backbone of one of the league’s most dangerous rushing attacks.

LOUISVILLE RUN DEFENSE
Junior linebacker Robert McCune and senior linebacker Rod Day lead the Cardinals athletic defense. If TCU is unable to run up the middle, the perimeter might not be as open to the offense as it was against Houston. The Cardinals have not been dominant against the run and, with the exception of their game against Syracuse, has yet to face a team as determined to run the ball as TCU.

TCU PASS DEFENSE
The secondary has looked pedestrian the past few weeks. Much of that can be attributed to the lack of pass rush and containment by the front six. The Frogs have not gotten to the opponent’s quarterback enough to allow the secondary to make plays. The coverage has been fine, but the combination of touch passing and blunders have hurt the Frogs. The loss of junior weak safety Marvin Godbolt has been felt more as the season has progressed.

LOUISVILLE PASSING GAME
The balanced offensive attack leads to some modest numbers from the quarterback position. Junior quarterback Stefan LeFors has only 10 touchdowns on the season, but he gets the job done. Junior wide receiver J.R. Russell is yet another big-play receiver the TCU defense must shut down. Russell leads the team with 41 receptions for 692 yards. Senior tight ends Rhonnie Ghent and Richard Owens could be a big factor in the passing game if TCU is unable to stop the running game.

TCU RUN DEFENSE
Conventional running plays have not fared well against the TCU defense. The problem has come against quarterbacks running bootlegs or when TCU has lost containment, allowing the quarterback to run all over the field. The run defense has held up all year, but it must be disciplined and not allow it’s poor fundamentals from the past two games to creep in again.

LOUISVILLE RUNNING GAME
Ranked 9th in the country, Louisville is running hard via the legs of sophomore running back Eric Shelton. This is not the Louisville run offense that TCU has faced in the past. Shelton already has more rushing yards than any UL running back in the past two seasons. The running game is a key component to the Cardinals high powered attack. The run fuels their balanced attack and is the biggest reason for their high offensive ranking.

SPECIAL TEAMS
With two of the better kickers in the nation squaring off Wednesday night, this game could be decided by the special teams units. Senior kicker Nate Smith has missed only one field goal all year for Louisville, capping off a fine senior season. Nick Browne is as close to a sure thing as you can get from the placekicker position. As a whole, both teams match up fairly evenly. TCU has a fine returner in Cory Rodgers, but he must avoid the muffed punt in order for him to showcase his big-play ability.

OVERALL TCU
faces a balanced offensive attack that has the ability to sustain long drives and wear down the smaller TCU defense. If the TCU offense is unable to sustain its own drives and put points on the board early, Louisville will have the luxury of using its entire offensive package for the entire game. The Frogs have not shut down UL in the past and don’t expect it to change this year. TCU must shut down the Cadinals’ running game and Eric Shelton in order to win. A TCU victory brings the Frogs one step closer to becoming C-USA champs.

PREDICTION: Carlos Alvarado - Lousiville 34-17 Brent Yarina - Frogs 28-24