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FACTS & STATS: Site: Amon G. Carter Stadium (44,008) -- Fort Worth, Texas. Television: The Mountain. Home Record: UNM 0-4, TCU 2-1. Away Record: UNM 0-1, TCU 2-1. Neutral Record: UNM 0-1, TCU 0-0. Conference Record: UNM 0-1, TCU 2-0. Series Record: TCU leads, 9-3.

GAME NOTES: Despite sitting atop the Mountain West Conference standings at this point in the season, the TCU Horned Frogs could still use a boost of confidence as they kick off the second half of the 2011 campaign. That confidence builder should be arriving early on Saturday afternoon as the Frogs entertain the disappointing New Mexico Lobos in league action at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.

TCU, which is still expected to contend for the MWC title this season, got off to a rough start when it bowed to Baylor in the opener, 50-48, on the road. The team also hit a snag when it failed to take down local foe SMU at the start of the month, but managed to bounce back with a 27-14 triumph over San Diego State on the road a couple weeks back to remain undefeated in league action.

While the Horned Frogs were enjoying some time off from the playing field, the school was making moves elsewhere as TCU told the Big East Conference it was no longer planning on joining the league for next season and instead accepted an invitation to become a member of the Big 12 Conference instead, giving the Frogs a much stronger foothold for recruiting against the rest of the power teams in the Lone Star State.

As for the Lobos, they continue to flounder this season as one of only three schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision yet to record a single win. In fact, New Mexico's losing streak stretches back to the 2010 campaign and right now runs for nine games, matching the ineptitude of the Florida Atlantic Owls for the longest losing streak in the nation. UNM, which has fallen in 18 consecutive road tests dating back several years, is shooting for its first MWC road-opening triumph since 2007.

New Mexico is coming off a dismal 49-7 road loss to Nevada in non-conference play at Mackay Stadium last Saturday afternoon. Again this weekend, the Lobos will be gunning for their first victory since recording a narrow 34-31 win over Wyoming at home last season when the team finished a disappointing 1-11 overall.

TCU destroyed New Mexico in 2010, 66-17, opening a 9-3 margin in the all-time series in the process.

Against Nevada last weekend, the Lobos managed to produce a mere 257 yards of total offense, the team also losing 56 yards in field position due to seven penalties along the way as well. Quarterbacks Tarean Austin and B.R. Holbrook combined to convert just 11-of-29 passes for a mere 89 yards and an interception, while the former registered a team-best 41 yards and the lone TD for the program on three rushing attempts. Very little has gone right for the Lobos this season and were it not for the 45 points the team dropped on Sam Houston State in an overtime loss, the offense would look even more abysmal with an average of less than 17.7 ppg which right now is seventh in the conference and 110th in the nation. Austin has given the program a lift from time to time, converting close to 52 percent of his pass attempts for three touchdowns through five appearances, but there's only so much one player can do for an ailing team such as this.

Trying to slow down the Wolf Pack last Saturday was like standing in front of a runaway freight train as New Mexico was rolled over by 338 yards and six touchdowns on the ground by the hosts. Not only that, the pass defense surrendered another 260 yards through the air, so there was little the Lobos could do as they fumbled their way to yet another setback. A bit of optimism was supplied by Destry Berry who matched Carmen Messina for the team lead with 11 tackles, the former also being credited with a blocked kick as well. Few teams in the FBS have struggled as much on defense as the Lobos this season, the unit ranked dead last nationally in run defense (247.0 ypg), last in pass efficiency defense (174.67) and 119th in points allowed (44.0 ppg). Opposing quarterbacks have had a field day against the secondary through six games, converting passes at an incredible 74.9 percent for 15 touchdowns and a mere two interceptions. This team needs help in all facets of the game though, not just on defense.

Except for the loss to SMU when the team posted just 150 net rushing yards, the Horned Frogs have continued to take apart opposing defenses at the line of scrimmage while breaking in their replacement for former star quarterback Andy Dalton. In five of six games thus far, TCU has generated at least 200 yards on the ground, the team scoring at least two rushing TDs in four of six outings, so the strength of the Frogs is still there when called upon. Waymon James may have the most yards for TCU with 398, but it is Matthew Tucker who has found the end zone the most times for the program with his seven rushing scores to date. Quarterback Casey Pachall is settling in rather nicely and has shown some incredible accuracy in the early going by hitting 69 percent of his passes for 15 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

For the last several years the TCU defense has performed like none other in recent history, holding opponents to a minuscule number of yards and so few points that the offense really didn't have to make that much of an effort in order to get into the win column. This year the numbers have not been quite as favorable for the Horned Frogs, but that was to be expected given how many players from a leadership standpoint completed their tenure in Fort Worth. All four of the team's victories have seen the Frogs hold opponents to less than 20 points, which is rather remarkable considering the two losses for the program have resulted in those opponents combining for 90 points. Needless to say, those two outings have skewed the team's overall average of points allowed (25.5 ppg) into an area that they are not used to at all.

Considering how poorly the Lobos have played this season, this matchup could be just what the Horned Frogs need to bolster their confidence and get them moving in the right direction with the second half of the season lining up.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: TCU 49, New Mexico 13