GAME NOTES: Two teams at opposite ends of the spectrum in the Mountain West Conference settle into Carter Stadium in Fort Worth this weekend, as the fourth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs continue to eye a spot in a BCS Bowl Game as they take on the New Mexico Lobos.

Until now, TCU has taken care of every team the schedule has presented, ripping off 11 wins in as many chances in 2009, and a total of 13 consecutive victories dating back to last season. The Horned Frogs have gotten the job done with a wildly successful offense and a stingy defense that has allowed just two opponents (Texas State and Utah) to score more than 17 points this year.

Last weekend, TCU went from being tied 10-10 with Wyoming in the second quarter to dismantling the Cowboys in the second half with a 35-point run, en route to the 45-10 triumph.

As for the Lobos their long, strange trip under new head coach Mike Locksley has been marred by one misstep after another. However, last weekend the team finally found a ray of hope in an otherwise dark and dismal campaign, posting a 29-27 come-from-behind win against Colorado State. The victory snapped a lengthy 14-game slide for the Lobos.

"It was a four-quarter ballgame like we expected," coach Locksley said after the long overdue win. "We had all three phases come through and make plays for us to win this game, which makes it even sweeter."

The decision actually came down to kicker James Aho who booted a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter after the Rams had taken the lead on a huge defensive play that resulted in a touchdown.

"I was thinking of my seniors and how hard they've worked this year," said Aho of his critical attempt with just 12 seconds remaining in regulation. "I had to repay them for all the hard work they put in. I was thinking of them and my aunt, who died of breast cancer. It's Breast Cancer Awareness night here and she was in my thoughts as I lined up."

Quarterback Donovan Porterie converted 22-of-37 passes for 197 yards and a couple of touchdowns, getting by with a pair of picks and three sacks, while Desmond Dennis rolled up 133 yards and a score on a mere seven carries on the ground.

From a defensive standpoint, the Lobos recovered three fumbles and picked off a CSU pass in order to help themselves get into the win column finally. Carmen Messina, one of the nation's top tacklers, tallied 11 stops, while Frankie Solomon make nine tackles and had one forced fumble and one recovery. Messina still ranks first in the country with an average of 13.27 tackles per contest, but all that means is that too many of his teammates are missing in action when they should be making plays.

At no point this season has the UNM defense allowed less than 23 points, which is why the group currently ranks 108th in the country and last in the conference with 34.6 ppg surrendered. What is most troubling about this unit is the inconsistency, one week permitting just 96 passing yards to New Mexico State and the next watching Texas Tech air it out for 453 yards and three scores. Sometimes you can never be sure what you are going to get with this group.

The TCU offense took a little time to warm up last week, but once it got rolling only the clock could stop the Horned Frogs as they closed out their meeting with Wyoming on a 35-point run. With running being the key word here, the Frogs generated 355 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, thanks in large part to Matthew Tucker who gained 134 yards and two TDs, followed by Joseph Turner who also turned in a two-touchdown performance.

Orchestrating it all was Andy Dalton who converted 10-of-19 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown. If there was one flaw with the offense it was that Dalton threw an interception and the team fumbled away the ball three other times, with one of those being returned almost the length of the field for a touchdown.

A finalist for National Coach of the Year, Gary Patterson has been leading one of the best stories in college football this season, but it hasn't been an overnight success and the Horned Frogs haven't really snuck up on anyone.

"I think they like that we aren't out there beating our own chests," coach Patterson concedes."We just do the things we need to do. I think people like the way we play, how hard we play, we do it with class and we are very workmanlike. It's not one of those things where you have a lot of dancing going on."

Although, one could say that this team has been dancing up a storm on offense, ranking second in the conference and fifth in the nation in rushing with 261.5 ypg. Turner, Tucker and Ed Wesley have all gained more than 600 yards on the ground this season and have combined for 23 touchdowns. Even more amazing is the fact that this team overall has 34 rushing scores, compared to just six for the opposition.

That's been the key with the Horned Frogs all season is that opponents cannot just scheme to try and beat this team on offense or defense, it has to be done on both fronts. The defense is allowing a mere 238.8 ypg (fourth in the nation) and 12.6 ppg (sixth), thanks in large part to the efforts of guys like Jerry Hughes who ranks 10th in the country with almost one sack per game.

Last season TCU, which is still fourth in the BCS rankings as of Sunday, posted a 26-3 win against the Lobos to take a 7-3 edge in the all-time series, but assume that this year there's more to prove in the final game of the regular season for TCU.