Wednesday, November 21, 2001

The Edge Box
How the two teams match up:

Passing offense

TCU
Junior quarterback Casey Printers has had consecutive 300-yard passing games. The Louisville defense has been vulnerable, and he and receivers Adrian Madise and LaTarence Dunbar must find the chinks.

Louisville
Louisville quarterback DaveRagone (2,697 yards, 20 touchdowns, 59.8 completion percentage) must be salivating at the prospect of facing the Frogs. Top target Deion Branch (69 receptions, 1,055 yards 16.5 average per catch) has been prime time as well.

Edge: Louisville

Rushing offense

TCU
Ragone can’t burn the TCU defense if he’s on the sidelines. The Frogs need a sustained running game and must control time of possession to have a chance.

Louisville
Louisville splits carries between T.J. Patterson (552 yards, 5.0 per carry) and Tony Stallings (574 yards, 3.9 per carry), although their purpose is to keep defenses from playing deep zones all game.

Edge: Even

Rushing defense

TCU
Stopping the run will again be a must for the Frogs. Stopping the run will mean more blitzing to disrupt Ragone. Interesting stat: TCU (No. 25) is allowing 8.24 fewer yards per game than the Cardinals.

Louisville
The Cardinals have been vulnerable to the run, allowing 135.7 yards per game. They cannot let TCU dictate the game’s pace and eat up large amounts of the clock.

EDGE: TCU

Passing defense

TCU
TCU has faced some top-flight passing offenses, but none with the prowess of the Cardinals. The Frogs have had 13 days to prepare, but call the burn unit. This one could get ugly.

Louisville
The Cardinals, allowing 194.18 yards per game, get lit up on occasion as well. East Carolina’s David Gerrard threw for 284 yards last Thursday.

Edge: Louisville

Special teams

TCU
Place-kicker Nick Browne has made 11-14 field goal attempts, including 5-6 from beyond 40 yards. Senior Jason Goss is averaging 12.1 yards per punt return.

Louisville
The Cardinals have some of the better specialists in C-USA. Punter Wade Tydlacka has averaged 40.3 yards per punt. Place-kicker Nathan Smith has made 6-6 from 20-29 yards, but is just 7-12 from beyond 30.

EDGE: Even

Intangibles

TCU
The Frogs’ hopes for a fourth-straight bowl berth died in, ironically, Alabama. But by winning the last two, TCU can secure a winning season.

Louisville
The Cardinals defeated East Carolina and can clinch the conference title outright with a win Friday. They must, however, avoid looking ahead to a Liberty Bowl matchup with the potent BYU Cougars.

EDGE: Louisville
Prediction: Louisville 45, TCU 13