Horned Frogs Football Week 1: TCU-Arkansas Pine Bluff Gameday Information

Friday, August 30, is Go Purple Friday: Wear purple on Friday, August 30, and receive discounts and offers from Go Purple partners. More information: here

National College Colors Day: On Friday, August 30, students, parents, family, fans and alumni across the country will celebrate National College Colors Day. This day, which is founded by the College Licensing Company in 2004, is celebrated by wearing your college’s favorite colors and college/university apparel.

ESPN College GameDay Week 1: ESPN’s College GameDay will kick off the 2019 season in Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth on Saturday, August 31. Auburn and Oregon are playing in AT&T Stadium in Arlington on August 31. TCU plays Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Amon G. Carter Stadium on August 31. During the college football season, GameDay airs live on ESPN on Saturdays, from 8-11 am CT. Oregon and Auburn are scheduled to kick off at 6:30 pm. TCU and Arkansas-Pine Bluff are scheduled to kick off at 7 pm. This is the third consecutive season for GameDay to make a stop in Fort Worth. The show was on the TCU campus before the TCU-Ohio State game at AT&T Stadium on September 15 of last season, and was on TCU’s campus before the TCU-West Virginia game on October 7 of the 2017 season. ESPN hosted all of its shows from downtown Fort Worth when Super Bowl XLV was played at AT&T Stadium in 2011. Sundance Square also was the show’s location during the College Football Playoff National Championship following the 2014 season, and returned the following fall before the Alabama-Wisconsin game at AT&T Stadium in 2015. Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, David Pollack and Maria Taylor will be featured on GameDay this season.

Game 1 of the 2019 TCU Football Season: TCU Horned Frogs versus the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions: Saturday, August 31, 2019, at 7 pm (Central), Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas; TV: FSN (TV Talent: Mark Followill, Brian Baldinger, Lesley McCaslin); Radio -- WBAP 820 AM, KTCU 88.7, Sirius 113, XM 200  (Radio Talent: Brian Estridge, John Denton, Landry Burdine); Spanish Radio: KFZO 99.1 (Radio Talent: Miguel Cruz, Elvis Gallegos).

TCU Gameday Information: here

Fan Experience at Amon G. Carter Stadium:

• Because of construction on the east side of the stadium, Frog Alley has moved to the area in front of Schollmaier Arena.
• Beer is being sold at all concession stands throughout Amon G. Carter Stadium, when gates open (two hours before kickoff), until the start of the fourth quarter. All beer will be available for $7 and sold in aluminum bottles. Available selections include Coors Light, Miller Lite, SOL, Revolver and Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water, along with other local brands depending on demand up to a total of eight brands. Each person will be allowed to purchase two beers maximum per transaction. In keeping with industry safety standards and due to the adaption of public beer sales, there is a new No Re-entry policy.  If a patron needs to leave during the course of the game due to a medical situation, two gates will be open to accommodate this need. Gate 4 on the west and Gate 9 on the east side. Patrons will need to be scanned out so their ticket can be used for re-admission. Fans who leave Amon G. Carter during the game will need a new ticket to re-enter.
• New Designated Driver program. There are four stands around the stadium where fans can make a pledge not to drink alcohol and receive a free Pepsi product at any concession stand.
• Pre-game Happy Hour Concessions. Starting when the gates open and going until 30 minutes before kickoff, there will be special prices on some concession items inside the stadium, including: 44 oz Pepsi, $3; large popcorn, $3; peanuts, $3; nachos, $2.25; hot dog, $2; and $2 off all beer. 
• This year, before the frogs run onto the field, fans will see them getting hyped up thanks to new pregame tunnel cameras.
• A new north-end videoboard, with a state-of-the-art sound system, makes its debut in Amon G. Carter Stadium this season. The videoboard measures 108-feet-by-48-feet. There also are new speakers in new locations throughout the stadium. 
• Construction continues, with completion scheduled for the 2020 season, on the stadium's $100-million premium seating expansion. The project includes two levels of luxury seating above the current upper deck on the east side of the stadium. There will be a new Legends Club, 22 new suites, 48 loge boxes, over 1,000 club seats and two private clubs. These enhancements are the first since the $164-million rebuild of Amon G. Carter Stadium was completed in 2012.
• New timeout clocks will allow fans to monitor the length of TV timeouts during the game. The new clocks will be located on the sideline.
• New grab-and-go convenience stores are located around the stadium, with new food options.
• Several giant cooling fans have been added to the concourses.
• There is a new Social Media Center at The Carter. Interact at the social photo booth, meet and take pictures with special guests and post on social media.
• There are new Fanthology Food Carts, offering new food options, including milkshakes, loaded waffle fries, chicken wings, street tacos and nachos.
• There are some new food vendors in the stadium and in Frog Alley. They include Dwell Coffee & Biscuits, Señor Matador’s Tacos, Rudy’s BBQ, and Austin City Tacos.
• Riff Ram App: Available in the Apple App Store or in Google Play.

TCU Football 2019 Hype Video: here

TCU's "Hello, FunkyTown. The Frogs are back” Video: here and here

TCU Earn the Chip Video: here

TCU-Arkansas Pine Bluff Game-Watching Party Locations: here

Color Coordination for the TCU-Arkansas-Pine Bluff Game: Wear your favorite TCU colors.

TCU's Previous Game: This is the first game of the 2019 season for TCU. The Frogs' last game was a 10-7 overtime win over California in the Cheez-It Bowl in Phoenix on December 26, 2018. TCU was 7-6 in 2018. 

Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Previous Game: This is the first game of the 2019 season for Arkansas- Pine Bluff. The Golden Lions’ last game was a 15-10 win over Texas Southern on November 17, 2018. APB was 2-9 in 2018.

TCU-Arkansas-Pine Bluff Rivalry: This is the first football game between TCU and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which plays in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Horned Frogs are facing an opponent from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) for the fourth time in their recent history. TCU defeated Southern University, 55-7, in the 2018 season-opener. TCU beat Jackson State, 63-0, in the Frogs' 2017 season-opener. The Frogs blanked Grambling State, 56-0, in their 2012 season-opener. The game against Grambling State marked the first game in the rebuilt Amon G. Carter Stadium, and was the110th career win for Gary Patterson, making him TCU’s all-time winningest coach. Southern, Jackson State and Grambling State compete against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). TCU is 12-1 against FCS opponents under Patterson.

TCU-Arkansas Pine Bluff Connections: APB has on its roster nine players from Texas. Freshman wide receiver Steven Jones is from North Crowley. TCU has on its roster no players from Arkansas.

2019 TCU Football Fact Book: here

2019 TCU Sports Fall Guide: here  

TCU Campus Tour Video:  here

2019 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Football Guide: here

2019 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Football Video: here 

Frogs Missing in Action: Placekicker Cole Bunce suffered an injury during a vehicular accident. He most likely will miss the season. Cornerback Noah Daniels suffered a season-ending injury during a summer practice session.

The Line: There is no line since it is a game between a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team (TCU) and a lower-level Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team (Arkansas-Pine Bluff).

Midnite's TCU-Arkansas-Pine Bluff Prediction: TCU 51, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 10

TCU Notables:

• Beginning his 19th season as TCU's head football coach, Gary Patterson is the nation’s second- longest tenured head coach. He trails only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (21st year).
• Patterson ranks first among active head coaches in most wins (167) at his current school. Ferentz is second, with 152 wins at Iowa.
• Patterson ranks fourth among active FBS coaches in winning percentage (minimum 10 years behind Chris Petersen (Washington), Dabo Swinney (Clemson) and Nick Saban (Alabama).
• TCU opens the season with the Big 12’s longest active winning streak at three games.
• As TCU’s head coach, Gary Patterson is 14-4 in season-openers.
• Patterson has won 17 straight home-openers for a 17-1 career mark.
• Patterson’s 167 victories at TCU rank first nationally for most wins by a head coach at his current school.
• TCU is 45-8 in home night games under Patterson.
• The Horned Frogs are 86-21 in 18 seasons under Patterson at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
• TCU is 12-1, with a 12-game winning streak, versus FCS opponent s under Pat terson.
• TCU is opening at home for the eighth time in Gary Patterson’s 19 seasons as head coach. During that stretch, the Horned Frogs will have had nine road games, eight home dates and two neutral-site contests (Arlington, Texas).
• TCU is 14-4 in season debuts under Patterson and 74-39-9 overall in openers.
• TCU has won its last five season-openers and 14 of the past 16, including victories over No. 5 Oklahoma in 2005 and No. 22 Oregon State in 2010.
• TCU has won its last 17 home-openers, tied for the nation’s eighth-longest active streak.
• TCU is 17-1 in home-openers under Patterson.
• TCU is 114-35 in Saturday contests since 2005 and 21-11 on other days of the week (1-0 on Sundays, 0-1 on Mondays, 2-0 on Tuesdays, 3-0 on Wednesdays, 7-8 on Thursdays and 8-2 on Fridays).
•  In six of the last eight odd-numbered years (2003, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2017), TCU has won at least 11 games.
• Over the last five seasons, TCU (47-19, 30-15) has the Big 12’s second-best overall and conference records.
• TCU is one of six programs nationally to finish in the top 10 of the final polls at least three times (2014, 2015, 2017) in the last five seasons. The others are Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma.
• Gary Patterson’s 19 seasons as TCU’s head coach are more than the combined tenures of the 11 other FBS head coaches in Texas.
• Under Patterson, TCU has posted seven top-10 finishes and 11 in the top 25. The Horned Frogs have won at least 10 games in 11 of the last 16 seasons.
• Patterson has accounted for 25.7 percent (167 of 651) of TCU’s all-time football victories.
• Since 2001, Gary Patterson’s first full season as TCU’s head coach, the Horned Frogs have been the most successful program in the state of Texas.
• Since 2005, TCU has the best record (135-46) in Texas among the 12 FBS programs.
• Dating back to September 21, 2014, TCU has been ranked in one of the major polls in 50 of the last 75 weeks.
• Since 2008, Gary Patterson is second nationally among active head coaches in most Associated Press Top-10 finishes, with six. Nick Saban leads, with 11.
• TCU ranked No. 1 nationally last season for most offensive tackles (six) in the NFL.
• Since 2005, TCU tops all private schools in victories and winning percentage (135-46; .746). USC is second (119-50; .704).
• Since the NCAA began tracking statistics in 1937, TCU trails only Alabama for the most times leading the nation in total defense. The Crimson Tide have been No. 1 seven times, while all five No. 1 rankings for the Horned Frogs are in the last 19 seasons.
• With the exception of 2015, TCU has been first or second in the Big 12 in total defense each year.
• TCU has at least one sack in 67 of its last 70 contests.
• Since beginning Big 12 play in 2012, TCU leads the conference in most games with at least three sacks.
• TCU has the longest streak among Big 12 schools with 22 consecutive seasons with at least 25 sacks.
• Since beginning Big 12 play in 2012, TCU is tied for third nationally with five different players returning punts for touchdowns.
• At 333 games (November 16, 1991; Texas 32, TCU 0), TCU has the nation’s second-longest current streak for not being shut out. Florida leads, with 385 consecutive games of not being shut out.
• TCU’s streak of scoring in 333 consecutive games is fourth on the NCAA’s all-time list, trailing only Florida (385, 1988-present), Michigan (365, 1984-04) and BYU (361, 1975-03).
• In Gary Patterson’s tenure as head coach, TCU has had 48 players drafted with 119 in NFL camps.
• TCU has 23 former players on current NFL rosters. Eighteen have earned their degrees.
• TCU ranked No. 1 nationally with the most offensive tackles (six) in the NFL last season.
• TCU has eight players with their degrees already in hand: Shameik Blackshear, Alex Delton, Nate Guyton, TreVontae Hights, Julius Lewis, Ryan McGee, Sewo Olonilua, and Jonathan Song.
• TCU has qualified for a bowl game in 19 of the last 21 seasons. The Horned Frogs have earned a bowl trip in 16 of Gary Patterson’s 18 seasons as head coach.
• Nearly 35,000 TCU fans traveled to the 2011 Rose Bowl. Over 20,000 made the trip the previous year to the Fiesta Bowl. At its first New Year’s Six bowl, TCU had 15,000 fans at the 2014 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

TCU is 651-547-57 (.541) in its football history that began in 1896.

Have Fun Tailgating Before and After the Football Games: Donor parking lots open five hours prior to kickoff. For games that start before 2:30 pm, lots must be cleared by three hours after the games end. For games that start at 2:30 pm or later, lots must be cleared 90 minutes after games end, or by 11 pm (whichever comes first, due to city ordinance).

Countdown to Kickoff: Three hours prior to kickoff: Frog Alley opens. Two-and-a-half hours prior to kickoff: Frog Walk begins. Two hours prior to kickoff: gates open; autographs by members of other TCU athletic teams. One hour prior to kickoff: TCU Marching Band and Spirit parade. Thirty minutes prior to kickoff: Frog Alley closes and pre-game show begins.

TCU Gameday Parking and Traffic Information: here 

Amon G. Carter Stadium: A new north-end scoreboard makes its debut this season.

Construction continues, with completion scheduled for the 2020 season, on the $100-million Amon G. Carter Stadium premium seating expansion. The project calls for two new levels of luxury seating above the current upper deck on the east side of the stadium. The new Legends Club and Suites will include 48 loge boxes with two private clubs, over 1,000 club seats and 22 luxury suites.  

These enhancements are the first since the $164-million rebuild of Amon G. Carter Stadium was completed in 2012. That project was funded entirely by donor support and featured a seating capacity of 45,000. The six new Founders Club suites, located at midfield on the concourse level, were sold at $15 million each to provide lead gifts totaling $90 million. On the west side of the stadium, there are 25 suites, all sold.

Additional information about The Carter: here

Information about stadium rules and regulations: here

Important! Security measures at TCU Athletic Events: Only the following items are permitted into TCU athletic facilities:

• Bags that are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and not exceeding 14 inches by 14 inches
• One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar)
• One unopened bottle of water
• Small clutch bags, approximately the size of a hand, with or without a handle or strap can be taken into the stadium with one of the clear plastic bags
  

Exceptions are made for medically necessary items after proper inspection at the stadium gates. Backpacks, diaper bags and other similar bags are not be allowed.

2019 Game 2 for TCU: TCU will clash with Purdue at 6:30 pm (Central; 7:30 Indiana Time), on Saturday, September 14, in Ross-Ade Stadium, in West Lafayette, Indiana. The game will be televised by the Big Ten Network.