Dominating defense: TCU allowed only FG in October

FORT WORTH, Texas — TCU opponents are 0-for-October getting into the end zone — zero touchdowns, one field goal and all three teams held to 191 total yards or less.

"Let's see, the last three weeks, they're giving up one point a game," said Air Force coach Troy Calhoun, whose team plays at fourth-ranked TCU on Saturday night.

While good defenses have been common for the Horned Frogs under Gary Patterson, their defensive coordinator before becoming head coach 10 years ago, what they have done so far this month is downright dominant.

Before BYU managed a 27-yard field goal in the third quarter last Saturday, there were shutouts against Colorado State and Wyoming. TCU (7-0) is the only FBS team this season to hold consecutive opponents scoreless.

And this is after sack leader Jerry Hughes and leading tackler Daryl Washington were taken in the first two rounds of the NFL draft last April. The Frogs also lost a pair of four-year starting cornerbacks after leading the nation in total defense for the second straight season.

Despite losing Hughes (the first-round pick by Indianapolis) and Washington, who is starting for the Arizona Cardinals, Patterson was confident that he had a lot of guys who had played "awfully well" alongside those standout players in TCU's unique 4-2-5 defensive set.

"They are starting to believe in each other," Patterson said. "You lost a couple of good players and early we could run around, but we were giving up easier plays. ... We had to hunt together. That's what we started doing."

In Patterson's system, the extra safety provides more speed and versatility to react to what offenses are doing. Among the defense's mottos are alignment and assignment, meaning every player has to line up in the right spot and take care of his responsibility.

There is also an emphasis on depth, so a lot of players shuffle in and out of games. Plus, with such lopsided scores — the Frogs have outscored their last three opponents 103-3 — second- and third-teamers often get extra time on the field.

"Guys have really bought into the system. They trust coach Patterson to put them in the right situation," said Andy Dalton, TCU's four-year starting quarterback. "They're going out and executing, flying around and playing outstanding defense.

"They're up there with the best defenses we've had around here."