TCU is 44-0 under head coach Gary Patterson when giving up 17 or fewer points (photo by Terry Callahan).

There may be uncertainties surrounding the TCU team that comes to Gerald J. Ford Stadium Saturday night. Nobody is quite sure who the Frogs’ top ball carrier will be (although there is speculation that senior starter Aaron Brown will have his suspension reduced from four games to three, thereby making him eligible to suit up … and he is listed second on the TCU-issued depth chart this week). Will starting TCU quarterback Andy Dalton ever throw a touchdown pass? (Answer: yes.)

One thing that’s no in question is where the Frogs focus the majority of their attention. Dalton might be an improving quarterback, and when he’s not suspended, Brown is an able ball carrier, but the heart and soul of the TCU team — as it is every year — is its defense.

DEFENSE

The Horned Frogs operate largely out of a 4-2-5 base, and considering they’ll be facing SMU’s Run-and-Shoot attack this weekend, they might not stray from that formation at all. The system clearly works — TCU is ranked second in the nation after three games in total defense, giving up 174.0 yards per game (trailing only Florida State’s average of 170.0 yards allowed). More specifically, the Frogs are third in the nation in rushing defense (43.3 yards per game) and second in pass efficiency defense, allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete just 45.9 percent of their pass attempts, with six interceptions and just one touchdown.

In addition, TCU is 44-0 under head coach Gary Patterson when allowing 17 or fewer points.

SMU head coach June Jones said in his weekly press conference that TCU runs the same defensive schemes it ran when he coached against the Frogs as the head coach at Hawaii. But in addition to running familiar schemes, the Mustangs will face a team that also has a lot of experience.

Safety Stephen Hodge had 8.0 sacks last year, the most in the nation for a defensive back (photo by gofrogs.com).

“You look at their defense, and you see a lot of juniors and seniors,” SMU right guard Bryce Tennison said. “They’re not only good at what they’re doing — they’ve been doing it a long time.”

The experienced Frog defense starts up front with three seniors (NT Cody Moore, DT James Vess and RDE Matt Panfil) and a junior, LDE Jerry Hughes. Vess sat out last season, but had a sack in four of TCU’s last seven games in 2006. The ends are fast — Hughes was a high school tailback, while Panfil was a safety … and quarterback. The 6-foot-2 Hughest is off to a “fast” start, with three sacks and five tackles-for-loss in his team’s first three games.

TCU starts two linebackers — each of whom made the Butkus Award Watch List. Senior MLB Jason Phillips is being touted as a preseason All-America candidate, and was tabbed as the Mountain West Conference’s preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Through three games, Phillips is his team’s third-leading tackler, with 15, including a team-high 10 in last week’s win over Stanford.

Next to Phillips will be Butkus Watch List honoree Robert Henson, TCU’s leading tackler after three games with 21, who also has 3.5 tackles-for-loss.

Because the Frogs’ front seven gets after the quarterback so effectively, TCU is able to employ five defensive backs almost all the time … a trend that surely will continue against the pass-happy Ponies. They’re led by senior strong safety Stephen Hodge, whose eight sacks last year led the nation for defensive backs, and senior free safety Steven Coleman, who has had an interception in each of TCU’s first three games.

Tennison said TCU’s defense is very similar to that of the Rice Owls, against whom SMU started the season Aug. 29.

“They do a lot of the same things Rice did, and they do them really well,” Tennison said. “Their front four lost those two defensive ends from last year (Chase Ortiz and Tommy Blake), but they’re still really good. But as good as they are, we really have to worry a lot about the guys behind them, too. They’ll do a lot of ‘dogs’ and blitzes with their linebackers and DBs, and they swarm to the ball. There’s a reason they’re ranked where they are.”

OFFENSE

The Frogs have based their offense around the run for years, and senior tailback Brown is on the preseason Doak Walker Award Watch List … but hasn’t played yet, having been suspended for the first games ); but again, Patterson alluded to the possibility this week that Brown’s suspension might be shortened by a game.

In Brown’s stead, former WR Ryan Christian (5-11, 188) has started at RB, averaging 63.0 yards per game over the first three games. The second-most effective rusher has been QB Andy Dalton, a pass-first record-setter Katy High School before giving way to Bo Levi Mitchell who now runs a more balanced offense that includes a lot of option elements. As a passer, Dalton has completed 47-of-74 passes (63.5 percent) for 396 yards (132.0 per). He has yet to throw a touchdown, and has thrown one interception.

Andy Dalton starred at Katy High School — before Bo Levi Mitchell took over (photo by Terry Callahan).

“He’s a good running quarterback,” SMU sophomore Pete Fleps said. “He knows how to run, but just as importantly, he knows when to run. No. 18 (Christian) is very quick — he’s a great lateral runner. The other guy (backup Joseph Turner, who had three touchdowns on his first five carries two weeks ago against Stephen F. Austin) is bigger, more powerful. They balance each other pretty well.”

Dalton engineers the TCU offense behind a line that averages a shade under 6-5, 308. The leader of the line is center Blake Schleuter, a preseason All-America candidate who is considered among the strongest lineup in the nation.

“They have a good offensive line,” Fleps said. “The first thing we’ll notice is that the splits (between linemen) won’t be nearly as wide as they were against Tech, but this is more like we’re used to. But they’re strong, and they block well.”

TCU doesn’t throw a lot (35.9 percent of their plays), but when they do, their top target is sophomore Jimmy Young, whose 16 catches make him the only Frog in double digits for receptions.

“He has great hands,” freshman safety Chris Banjo said. “We’ve watched them on film, and if it gets near him, he catches it.”

Despite the fact that TCU prefers to run the ball, the Mustangs expect their guests to go to the air more Saturday. Fleps said the Frogs still will attempt to establish the run, but Banjo said he expects to see the ball in the air more Saturday than in the film the Mustangs have studied.

“We don’t expect them to stray completely from what they do,” Banjo said, “but yeah, I assume they’ll throw a little more.

“They’re a very good team. We have to be ready for anything.”

To pull the upset Saturday, SMU will have to score on a Frogs team that is outscoring its opponents, 41-8, and putting up more than twice the yardage it’s allowing to its opponents (398.0-174.0). The biggest key to TCU’s success might well be turnovers: the Frogs have lost no fumbles this year and thrown just one interception, while taking the ball from their opponents nine times (three fumble recoveries, six interceptions).