TCU slides to No. 12 after icy, dicey victory

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The heaters were raging on the Texas Christian sideline, players taking turns toasting their frozen fingers and feet on an evening when temperatures dipped into the teens.

TCU linebacker Daryl Washington didn't need to snuggle up to a heater, though. The senior was keeping warm by bringing down ball carriers.

Washington had a team-high 10 tackles as the Horned Frogs held off Air Force 20-17 in an icy mist Saturday night to run their record to 5-0 for the third time since 1942.

Still, the win couldn't prevent the Frogs from slipping in the latest AP poll, sliding from No. 10 to No. 12.

Asked after the game if he thought the voters should consider the conditions and not so much the final score, TCU coach Gary Patterson simply said, "I can't worry about them. All I'm going to try to do is be 12-0."

With the dicey victory over the Falcons (3-3, 2-1 Mountain West Conference) on a shivering night, TCU remained in a position to play the part of Bowl Championship Series buster. It's a role the team shares with undefeated Boise State, which moved up a spot to No. 5 after a bye week.

Not that the Frogs were thinking about any of that late against Air Force.

They simply were trying to prevent a win from slipping away. TCU turned the ball over three times, including twice after driving inside the Air Force 10.

The miscues made for a precarious finish, one that was secured only when the Frogs (5-0, 1-0) recovered an onside kick attempt with less than a minute remaining.

"That is a tremendous football team," Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. "They came in here, played well, under some circumstances that were probably a little bit different -- at least in terms of the climate -- and they handled it exceptionally well."

Patterson won't quibble with a win, especially one at Air Force -- the site of a stunning loss in 2007 when the Frogs blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead and lost in overtime.

"People around the country know what kind of team Air Force is," Patterson said.

TCU's defense did its part, bottling up Air Force's option attack for chunks of the game.

But the Falcons found traction on the slippery turf late, finishing with 229 yards rushing against TCU's top-ranked run defense.

"Air Force is a great team; they run the option really well," Washington said. "We had to come out and execute. We did a great job of doing that."

Playing in the shadow of All-America teammate Jerry Hughes, Washington often is overlooked.

Yet it doesn't bother him. In fact, with opponents game planning to slow Hughes at defensive end, Washington is freed up to make plays.

"He takes a lot of pressure of me and the rest of the team," Washington said.

Washington has been biding his time over the years, waiting for his chance to shine. He's been groomed by TCU linebackers before him, those now playing in the NFL. The Frogs have been a linebacker factory in recent years, producing Jason Phillips (Baltimore Ravens), Robert Henson (Washington Redskins) and David Hawthorne (Seattle Seahawks).

"They guided me," said Washington, who had two career starts coming into this season. "Those are great players. All I can do is learn from them and continue to do what I'm doing."