TCU Football: Red Wolves Heading to Fort Worth for September 19 Battle

TCU fifth-year quarterback Jaden Craig (#1) will lead the TCU offense against Arkansas State.

By Tom C. "Midnite" Burke

The last confirmed sighting of a wild wolf in Texas was in 1970, when two Mexican gray wolves were trapped and killed in the Big Bend region near the city of Alpine. 

The last wild red wolves in Texas were collected in 1980, to start a captive-breeding program, marking their extinction in the wild. 

A group of red wolves tried to make a return in Texas in September 2000, but they handily were eradicated by a bunch of nasty Horned Frogs.

Tom C. "Midnite" Burke

Wildlife intelligence reports indicate that some red wolves will again attempt to reestablish themselves in the Lone Star State this Saturday, September 19. That’s when the Red Wolves from Arkansas State University will meet TCU’s Horned Frogs in Amon G. Carter Stadium, on the TCU Campus, in Fort Worth, Texas, at 7 pm (Central). The football game, which has been announced as a sellout, will be televised by ESPNU.

This will be the third-ever confrontation between the Wolves and the Frogs. They first played each other on September 25, 1999. TCU won 24-21, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, which is the home of Arkansas State. On September 23, 2000, the Horned Frogs slaughtered the Red Wolves 52-3, in Fort Worth.

TCU will enter Saturday’s game with a 1-1 record and fresh off a 63-7 victory over Grambling State in Fort Worth on September 12. In defeating the Tigers, the Frogs rolled up 676 total offensive yards and defensively only allowed 210 yards, of which only 20 yards came on the ground.

The Horned Frogs opened their 2026 season on August 29 with a 15-10 upset loss to the University of North Carolina in the 2026 Aer Linus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland.

Following their contest with ASU, the Horned Frogs will open Big 12 Conference play with a game at UCF on Saturday, September 26. That game will kick off at 2:30 pm (Central) and be televised by FS1.

Arkansas State is 1-1. The Red Wolves opened their season on September 5 with a 42-24 loss to Memphis. On September 12, Arkansas State beat West Georgia 52-7. After playing TCU, the Wolves will host Kennesaw State in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on September 26.

TCU opened as a 20.5-point favorite over Arkansas State at DraftKings Sportsbook.

https://www.si.com/betting/sportsbook-promos/draftkings-promo-code

Betting lines may vary by sportsbook and are subject to change before kickoff.

Midnite Madness predicts a 45-17 TCU victory.

Other Week 3 Games Involving Big 12 Games

·       Friday, September 18

o   Houston at Texas Tech

·       Saturday, September 19

o   Tulane at Kansas State

o   Bowling Green at Iowa State

o   Arizona State at Kansas

o   Miami (Ohio) at Cincinnati

o   Utah State at Utah

o   Louisiana Tech at Baylor

o   Murray State at Oklahoma State

o   Georgia State at UCF

o   Colorado at Northwestern

o   BYU at Colorado State

o   West Virginia at Virginia

o   Northern Illinois at Arizona

Dykes Says Arkansas State is Solid

“Arkansas State is a good, solid football team,” said TCU head football coach Sonny Dykes. “Butch (Jones) is a good football coach. He’s been around a long time and has had success everywhere he has been. His teams always play hard. They usually create a little bit of havoc on defense.

“They have a good returner, dangerous. They’ve really done a nice job of creating turnovers. I like their back-end guys. They can play the ball and make plays. Their quarterback is big and played really well last week. He’s big, strong and has a good arm. He can make the throws. He’s a good decision-maker. An effective runner who is hard to tackle. They have a big running back that runs hard and speed at the receivers.”

Dykes says he expects the Arkansas State offense to try to establish the run, which will be a good test for TCU’s defense.

“We’re going to need to play well up front,” explained Dykes. “We’ll need to be physical and do a good job of getting off blocks, and leverage the ball properly.”

Dykes was encouraged by how the Horned Frogs bounced back from their season-opening loss to North Carolina with the victory over Grambling State.

“We cut our penalties in half. We’ve got to continue to do that,” said Dykes. “I hated that we turned the ball over (one fumble lost). We’ve got to make sure we don’t do that. But we did execute better. A big improvement in that.

“We had five drops, you know, and probably left 150 yards out there. We’ve got to make those plays. If we want to be a good football team, we can’t have five drops. We’ve dropped eight balls in two games. That’s not something we normally do. We have some young players, but that’s no excuse. We’ve got to be consistent in catching the ball, especially the deep balls.

“Defensively, we’ve been good. We finished the game strong against Grambling. We had good execution. We played a lot of guys and I was very encouraged by the young guys’ effort, intensity and attention to detail. Defensively, we need to find a way to start games a little bit better. We’ve given up drives early in games. This is the biggest area we could improve on from a defensive standpoint.”

Dykes said edge rusher Zach Chapman and wide receiver Jordan Dwyer are doubtful for the Arkansas State game. Preseason All-Big 12 safety Jamel Johnson is expected to play.

Butch Jones Leads Arkansas State

Butch Jones is Arkansas State’s head coach. He is in his sixth season of leading the Red Wolves and his name probably is familiar to college football fans. At ASU, Jones is 26-37 overall and 16-24 in the Sun Belt Conference.

Jones has led Arkansas State to three straight bowl games, including back-to-back bowl wins in the 2024 68 Ventures Bowl and the 2025 Xbox Bowl. A-State is one of 18 Group of Six programs to earn at least three consecutive bowl bids through the 2025 season. 

Jones came to Arkansas State from a stint at Alabama from 2018-2020. In 2020, Jones served as a special assistant to the Alabama head coach Nick Saban. He was an offensive analyst in 2018 and 2019.

Prior to Alabama, Jones spent five years (2013-2017) as head football coach at the University of Tennessee. He was head coach at the University of Cincinnati from 2010 t0 2012 and the head coach at Central Michigan from 2007 to 2009.

Over his 16 seasons as a head coach, Jones’ teams have combined to win four conference championships, play in 11 bowl games and finished ranked in the AP Top 25 six times. He is the only active, and one of just three all-time, FBS head coaches to lead four different programs to multiple bowl games. He earned his 100th career victory in 2024, to make him one of 16 active FBS head coaches to achieve the milestone. 

“Our competition is now a lot steeper. A lot more challenging,” said Jones about A-State’s impending game against TCU. “We have to become a much better football team, just in the overall small details of winning football games.

“We will be playing a TCU football team that I totally anticipate will challenge for the Big 12 Conference championship. They are extremely, extremely talented and very, very well coached. In all three phases of the game, we are going to be challenged.

“It’s going to take everything we have, and obviously, like any coach will tell you, it starts with a great week of preparation. We have to get monumentally better from a fundamental standpoint. If not, when you play a talented, complete football team like TCU you will get exposed.”

TCU fans will notice at least two familiar faces on the Red Wolves’ coaching staff – former Horned Frogs Kenny Hill and Garret Altman.

Prior to this season, Hill was named the Wolves’ running backs coach. Hill spent the previous two seasons at Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas, as co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach. Before his stint at Incarnate Word, Hill was an offensive quality control coach at Cal for two seasons.

Hill was a quarterback at TCU from 2015 to 2017. After concluding a standout 2017 senior season as TCU’s starting quarterback, in which he led the Horned Frogs to an 11-3 record, Big 12 Championship Game appearance and No. 9 final ranking, Hill remained with the Horned Frogs as a member of the coaching staff. He served as a student assistant and then graduate assistant, before becoming an offensive analyst in 2020 and quarterbacks coach in 2021.

Also, prior to this season, Altman, a former TCU offensive lineman, was named the Red Wolves’ offensive coordinator. Altman spent the previous two seasons I Nashville, Tennessee, with Vanderbilt, as the Commodores’ quarterbacks coach. Before his stint at Vanderbilt, Altman was an offensive analyst for two seasons at New Mexico State (2022-23) and a graduate assistant for four seasons (2018-21) at TCU. He was an offensive lineman at TCU from 2013-17.

Wolves Familiar with Big 12, Texas

Arkansas State is in the Sun Belt Conference, which is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football members are in two divisions. The East Division includes Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Marshall and Old Dominion. Arkansas State is in the West Division, which also includes Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana at Monroe, Louisiana Tech, South Alabama, Southern Mississippi and Troy University.

In 2008, Arkansas State changed its mascot from the Indians to the Red Wolves. Its colors are scarlet and black.

The Red Wolves have claimed 12 conference championships. Arkansas State's most recent conference championship came in 2016. The team claims one national championship, which came in 1970 at the NCAA College Division level.

When Arkansas State goes up against TCU, the Wolves will be playing their 21st game ever against a Big 12 Conference opponent. A-State is 2-18 against Big 12 competition. A-State’s last win against a Big 12 foe came in 2020, when the Wolves defeated Kansas State 35-31 in Manhattan, Kansas. The other win against a Big 12 opponent came 2008 at Kyle Field, when Arkansas State defeated then-Big 12 Conference member Texas A&M, 18-14.

Arkansas State will be playing in Texas for the 67th time in its history. The Wolves are 35-31 in the Lone Star State.

Arkansas State Offensive Overview

In its two games, Arkansas State has rolled up 76 points and 825 total yards. The Red Wolves’ offense is averaging:

• 38 points per game
• 412.5 total yards per game
• 182.5 rushing yards per game
• 230 passing yards per game

The Wolves have scored eight touchdowns, including five on the ground and three through the air. They have thrown four interceptions, lost one fumble and allowed four sacks.

Junior quarterback Trey Owns (#9), who is from Houston and is a transfer from the University of Texas, has completed 34-of-47 passes for 460 yards and three touchdowns. He has been intercepted four times and has a long completion of 75 yards. His passing yards rank fourth in the Sun Belt Conference.

Senior wide receiver Chauncy Chubb (#2) leads a group of four receivers who each has at least 80 yards in receptions. Chubb has grabbed 10 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown. He is averaging 64.5 receiving yards per game. He has a long completion of 28 yards.

Senior wide receiver Hunter Summers (#3), who is from Prosper, Texas, and who is a transfer from Tulane, has caught six passes for 107 yards. He is averaging 53.5 receiving yards per game and has a long reception of 40 yards.

Fifth-year senior running back Kenyon Clay (#5), who is a transfer from Southern Mississippi, has caught four passes for 89 yards and one touchdown. He has a long reception of 75 yards.

Senior wide receiver Jaylen Bonelli (#10), who is a transfer from Wagner, has a touchdown reception.

Arkansas State’s running attack is led by Clay. He has rushed 25 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns. He is averaging 49.5 yards per game. He has a long run of 11 yards.

Freshman running back Solomon Baggett (#23) has run eight times for 70 yards and one touchdown. He has a long run of 33 yards.

Fifth-year quarterback Drew Dickey (#7), who is a transfer from Vanderbilt, and fifth-year running back Timothy Carter (#31), who is a transfer from Incarnate Word, each has a rushing touchdown.

Arkansas State Defensive Overview

The Wolves’ defense is allowing:

• 24.5 points per game
• 384.5 total yards per game
• 181 passing yards per game
• 203.5 rushing yards per game

Arkansas State has allowed seven touchdowns, including four rushing and three passing. The Red Wolves have forced two fumbles, recovered two, recorded two sacks and intercepted four passes.

The Red Wolves’ six takeaways in their first two games is their most through two contests since 2008, when they had six takeaways.

Senior linebacker Robert Stevens III (#23), who is a transfer from Lafayette College, leads the Arkansas State defense. He has made 15 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack. He also has an interception, one quarterback-hurry and one forced fumble.

Stevens was named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Wolves’ win over West Georgia. He totaled six tackles, including a tackle for loss, a quarterback-hurry, forced fumble and interception in the contest. His forced fumble led to a 68-yard touchdown return by teammate Noah Flores. Stevens became the first A-State player to force a fumble and intercept a pass in a game since 2024.

Sophomore linebacker Joe Drew (#16) has made 13 tackles.

Senior defensive tackle Elias Sherman (#92), who is a transfer from the University of Maine, has made 13 tackles, including one tackle for loss and half of a sack. He also has two quarterback-hurries

Fifth-year senior safety AG McGhee (#6), who is a preseason first-team All-Sun Belt honoree, has eight tackles and a pass breakup.

Senior safety Five Hamilton (#5), who is a transfer from Kennesaw State, has eight tackles, one interception and one pass breakup.

Sophomore defensive tackle Ryan Reese (#54) has made eight tackles, including one tackle for loss and a half a sack. He has two quarterback-hurries.

Senior safety Brandon Greil (#15) has a sack, one interception, a quarterback-hurry and a fumble recovery.

Junior cornerback Dontrae Henderson (#0), who is a transfer from Indiana, has an interception.

Senior cornerback Noah Flores (#3), who is a transfer from Utah State, has a fumble recovery.

Arkansas State Special Teams Overview

Arkansas State’s punter is senior Daniel Vuckovic (#90), who is a transfer from Northern Illinois. He has punted four times for an average of 35.5 yards per punt. He has a long punt of 50 yards. He has not had a punt blocked this season.

The Wolves’ field goal kicker is senior Van Andel (#34). He has converted both of his field-goal attempts. He has a long field goal of 48 yards and has not had a field goal attempt blocked this season.

Frogs Continue Quest for Greatness

A win over Arkansas State would be another milestone on TCU’s journey from a good football team to a great football team. Plus, it would be the second of three consecutive wins necessary for the Frogs to stoke the fans’ belief in the team.

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TCU Football: Frogs Light Up Grambling State, 63-7, for First Victory of 2026

By Tom C. "Midnite" Burke

TCU Athletics used new LED lighting to “light up” storied Amon G. Carter Stadium on the TCU Campus in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday, September 12.

The Horned Frogs reciprocated by lighting up the scoreboard during their 2026 home-opener and earning their first victory of the season, 63-7 over Grambling State University, which is a Historically Back College and University (HBCU) that is a member of the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC).

TCU, of the Big 12 Conference, has had a lot of offensive success in home-openers, scoring at least 30 points in its last 19 openers in The Carter. In the 21st century, TCU is 24-3 in home-openers, with two of the three losses coming to power-conference opponents.

Tom C. "Midnite" Burke

Midnite Madness predicted a 38-13 TCU victory. The Frogs were nearly a 45-point favorite over the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Tigers. 

With the win, TCU improved to 1-1. The Horned Frogs’ next game is at home, against Arkansas State, on Saturday, September 19. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm. The game will be televised by ESPNU. It will be “Family Weekend” on the TCU Campus.

TCU begins Big 12 Conference play on Saturday, September 26, against UCF, in Orlando, Florida. Kickoff is set for 2:30 pm (Central). The game will be on FS1.

With the loss, Grambling State fell to 2-1. The Tigers have a bye on September 19. On September 26, Grambling will play its SWAC-opener against Prairie View A&M, in the Cotton Bowl, in the “State Fair Classic.” The Texas State Fair opens in Dallas on Friday, September 25.

The LED lights, as well as the enhancement of the south end zone scoreboard, were the latest updates to TCU’s historic football stadium, in which the first football game was played on October 11, 1930 (TCU defeated the University of Arkansas 40-0).

There also were the Big 12/Monster Energy logos and the Spectrum logos that were displayed on the field.

The Big 12 is making every team in the conference display a Monster Energy logo on their field and wear such a logo on their uniforms, in exchange for about a million bucks per conference member.

TCU Athletics and Spectrum recently announced a multiyear partnership naming Spectrum the Official Internet, Wireless and Television Service Provider of TCU Athletics. Spectrum also was named the Presenting Sponsor of the Frog Walk, which is a pregame tradition of every TCU home football game.

The much-ballyhooed new LED lights were underwhelming and the use of them during a period between the third and fourth quarters was bizarre and utterly bewildering to long-time football fans.

Thankfully, the Frogs and the Grambling band did not disappoint.

The "World Famed" Grambling State marching band, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, dazzled the game’s 37,600 broiled spectators with the type of jazzy and gyrating halftime show that seldom rocks a TCU football crowd. After the performance, much of the crowd exited the stadium, in search of cooler environments, despite an ensuing performance by the TCU Marching Band, which is the largest in the school’s history.

The temperature at kickoff was 100 degrees, the hottest recorded game in Amon G. Carter Stadium history, and many of the attendees had tailgated for several hours prior to the game, in temperatures that reached as high as 104 degrees.

Watch the Grambling band enter Amon G. Carter stadium: here

Watch the Grambling band's performance during halftime of the game: here 

TCU Aggressive vs. Grambling

The heat didn’t bother the Horned Frogs. TCU aggressively took control of the game by scoring a touchdown on its first drive and never letting up. The Frogs led 28-7 at halftime. TCU scored two touchdowns in the third period and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to post its highest point total (63) since scoring 63 points against Jackson State in 2017.

The dominating college football week-2 victory over the Tigers was exactly what the Horned Frogs needed after opening their season on August 29 with a lethargic 15-10 upset loss to the University of North Carolina in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland.

Despite its aggressive approach, particularly on offense, TCU only had five penalties for 60 yards against Grambling. This was a much-needed improvement from the 11 penalties that the Frogs accumulated in their embarrassing loss to the Tar Heels.

Prior to the game against Grambling, TCU head football coach Sonny Dykes said, “It has been a long two weeks after the loss (to North Carolina). We are ready to get the bad taste out of our mouths." 

Against Grambling, the Frogs replaced the bad taste of defeat with the sweetness of victory by better showing off the play-calling abilities of their new offensive coordinator, Gordon Sammis, and the passing and running of new quarterback Jaden Craig, as well as the quickness and physicality of their continuously improving defense under defensive coordinator Andy Avalos.

"I was proud of our team,” said the 56-year-old Dykes, who is in his fifth year as TCU’s head football coach. “I was encouraged by our maturity and the way we continued to focus and pay attention to details and do things the right way as the game went on.”

Never Forget: 9/11

The mood Saturday night was, of course, more festive than the mood on the TCU campus and across the country on September 12, 2001, which was the day after terrorists attacked America on its soil.

Prior to the game, TCU fans, some of whom weren’t born 25 years ago, were casually reminded of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, when terrorists killed some 3,000 people through the hijacking of four airplanes, with two of them crashing into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, a third crashing into the Pentagon and the fourth crashing into a field in Pennsylvania instead of somewhere in Washington, D.C., thanks to the heroic efforts of the plane’s passengers.

On September 8, 2001, TCU was coming off a 38-10 victory over SMU in Dallas and headed to a September 15 home game against Marshall, which was canceled because of the 9/11 events, and not rescheduled. TCU only played 11 regular-season games that year, with a 6-5 regular-season followed by a loss to Texas A&M in the GalleryFurniture.com Bowl, which was played in Houston’s iconic, decaying Astrodome.

Big 12 Teams Have Big Week 2

Here are results of Week 2 games involving other Big 12 teams:

• Friday, September 11: 
• Missouri 38 (2-0) at Kansas 21 (1-1)

•  Saturday, September 12
• #6 Oregon 31 (1-1) at Oklahoma State 29 (1-1)
• Washington State 7 (0-2) at Kansas State 34 (2-0)
• Arizona State 20 (1-1) at #10 Texas A&M 48 (2-0)
• UT Martin 7 (1-2) at West Virginia (2-0)
• Weber State 21 (1-2) at Colorado 52 (2-0)
• Arizona 17 (1-1, 0-1) at #15 BYU 28 (2-0, 1-0)
• UCF 7 (1-1) at Pittsburgh 12 (2-0)
• Southern 6 (1-2) at #22 Houston 77 (2-0)
• Western Carolina 10 (1-2) at Cincinnati 62 (2-0)
• Iowa State 13 (1-1) at Iowa 16 (2-0)
• #13 Texas Tech 35 (2-0) at Oregon State 24 (0-2)
• Prairie View A&M 3 (1-2) at Baylor 44 (1-1)
• Arkansas 10 (1-0) at #20 Utah 43 (1-0)

New Polls After Week 2

TCU and Baylor are the only Power 4 Conference teams in Texas that are not ranked in this week’s Associated Press top 25 poll.

Big 12 teams included in the AP poll after week 2 action are: BYU, 11th; Texas Tech, 13th; Utah, 17th; Houston, 22nd; Oklahoma State 29th; Arizona, 37th; and Kansas State, 39th.

TCU and Baylor also are the only Power 4 Conference teams in Texas that are not ranked by the Coaches.

Big 12 teams included in the Coaches top 25 rankings after week 2 action are: Texas Tech, 12th; BYU, 13th; Utah, 17th; Houston, 23rd; Kansas State, 29th; Oklahoma State, 36th; and Arizona, 46th.

TCU is ranked 57th and 58th, respectively, in the Week Two re-rank of all 138 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams by USA TODAY Sports, and The Athletic.

TCU, Dykes Undefeated Against Grambling

TCU is 2-0 overall against Grambling.

In their first meeting with the Tigers, the No. 20 Horned Frogs won, 56-0, on September 8, 2012. The victory was then-TCU head football coach Gary Patterson's 110th win at TCU, as he passed Dutch Meyer as the winningest head coach in TCU football history. The matchup also was the first game in the renovated Amon G. Carter Stadium, as well as the Frogs' first as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The Frogs finished the season 7-6 overall, 4-5 in the Big 12.

TCU’s game against Grambling this past Saturday was the Frogs’ first game against an HBCU since 2019, when the Horned Frogs defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 39-7 in the season- and home-opener on August 31, 2019.

In other games against HBCU opponents, TCU defeated Jackson State 63-0 on September 2, 2017, and the Frogs defeated Southern 55-7 on September 1, 2018.

TCU is 22-2 overall against FCS teams. TCU’s first loss to an FCS team came on October 18, 1986, when the Frogs lost to North Texas State 24-20 in Fort Worth. The Frogs’ second loss to an FCS team came in 2001. TCU lost in Fort Worth to Northwestern State 27-24, in overtime.

Dykes is 3-0 against Grambling. In his first game as head coach of Louisiana Tech, Dykes defeated Grambling 20-6 in Shreveport, Louisiana, on September 4, 2010.

Dykes became head football coach at Cal after the 2012 season. Cal opened its 2015 season with a 73-14 home-game win over Grambling on September 5.

Tigers Have Successful FCS History

The Tigers have been one of the most prominent programs at the FCS level. Grambling State has won eight SWAC conference championships and six Black College National Championships since 2000.

Grambling has one win against a 1-A/FBS team. That victory came on September 28, 1985, when the Tigers defeated Oregon State 23-6, in Independence Stadium, in Shreveport, Louisiana.

TCU’s Offensive Against Grambling

The Horned Frogs’ offense was without starting wide receivers Jordan Dwyer, who is a fifth-year senior transfer from the University of Idaho, and Dozie Ezukanma, who is a junior, for the second straight game. The absences of Dwyer and Ezukanma didn’t deter senior quarterback Jaden Craig, who is a transfer from Harvard. Craig’s passing and running sparked the Horned Frogs’ win.

Craig accounted for 291 total yards and a touchdown in the game’s first half. For the game, Craig completed 24-of-31 passes for 391 yards, a career high. He threw four touchdown passes, which tied a career high, and had a long completion of 57 yards. His average completion went for 16.3 yards. Craig threw no interceptions. He was sacked once.

Craig became the fifth TCU quarterback to throw for 350 yards and four touchdowns on fewer than 35 attempts. He joined Max Duggan, Kenny Hill, Trevone Boykin and Brandon Hassell.

Craig led the Big12 Conference and was second in the nation in passing yards in week 2 action. 

TCU fans were shocked at Craig’s lack of running in the season-opener against North Carolina. He finished with minus-22 yards on four carries in the loss. Three of the carries were sacks by the Tar Heels' defense.

Against Grambling, Craig ran eight times for a career-high 53 yards. He averaged 6.6 yards per rush. Three of his runs resulted in first downs. Craig had a career-long run of 31 yards. The run set up a nine-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Ka’Morreun Pimpton, who is a transfer from LSU.

Craig completed passes to seven different receivers. Ten of his pass completions resulted in gains of 15 yards or more, and those 10 plays accounted for 298 yards of the total passing yards.

Craig looked much more comfortable running the TCU offense than he did in his first game as a Horned Frog and he seemed to thrive in the aggressive nature of the play-calling. Multiple times in the game, Craig showed flashes of why TCU coveted him in the offseason transfer portal and why NFL teams eagerly await his entry into the NFL Draft.

"There was improvement that we needed to see,” said Dykes. “He (Craig) took a step in the right direction. Seemed like he was pretty settled in from the get-go, I was glad to see it. That's what we needed. I thought he ran well when he needed to. We encouraged him to do that, and I think it helps settle him in when he runs."

TCU had 679 total yards against Grambling. The Frogs averaged 9.8 yards per play.

TCU scored in its 422nd consecutive game, the second-longest streak in NCAA history, behind Florida’s 474 consecutive games.

The Horned Frogs recorded 33 first downs, the 10th most in program history.

In addition to the 391 yards gained through the air, the Frogs rushed 37 times for 285 yards and four touchdowns. TCU averaged 7.7 yards per carry.

Twelve of the 27 rushing attempts resulted in gains of 10-plus yards or more, accounting for 197 of the 285 total rushing yards.

Senior tight end Kari Ashley, who is a transfer from Navarro Junior College, led TCU’s receivers. He had seven receptions for career highs of 119 yards and two touchdowns, of 29 yards and 15 yards. The 29-yarder came in the third quarter and was the first of his career. Ashley is the first TCU tight end to have over 100-receiving yards in a game since Jared Wiley did so against Baylor on November 18, 2023.

Sophomore wide receiver Ed Small caught five passes for 101 yards. At the end of the second quarter, he had a reception of 57 yards, which is the longest of his career.

Junior wide receiver Jeremy Scott, who is a transfer from South Alabama, had five receptions for 87 yards and one touchdown, his first as a Horned Frog.

Pimpton caught two passes for 37 yards and one touchdown.

Seven Frogs other than Craig had rushing yards against Grambling.

Junior running back Jeremy Payne led all ball carriers with 79 yards on nine rushes. He averaged 8.8 yards per carry and had a long run of 32 yards. Payne had TCU’s lost fumble. He was running for a touchdown when he was caught from behind. The Grambling defender dislodged the ball from Payne and the football rolled through the end zone for a Grambling touchback.

Sophomore running back Jon Denman had six rushes for 41 yards and a touchdown. It was his second touchdown in as many games this season.

Freshman running back Amante Martin had 38 yards on four carries, and he scored the first touchdown of his career.

Junior running back Joe Pitchford had four carries for 25 yards and one touchdown.

Fifth-year senior wide receiver Major Everhart carried the football one time for eight yards and the second touchdown of his career.

TCU by far wasn’t perfect on offense. There were several drops by receivers, and the Frogs fumbled three times, losing one. TCU converted only two-of-seven third downs, but two-of-two fourth-down conversions.

TCU Defensive Against Grambling

Grambling came into the game averaging 48.5 points a game. The TCU defense held the Tigers to nearly 42 points below their average, even though the Frogs were playing without injured preseason All-Big 12 senior safety Jamel Johnson.

The Horned Frogs held the Tigers' offense to 210 total yards; 190 passing yards and 20 rushing yards. This was the first time TCU had held an opponent to under 25 rushing yards since Purdue had only 23 rushing yards in a 34-13 loss to the Horned Frogs in West Lafayette, Indiana, in 2019.

TCU defenders allowed only seven first downs by Grambling, recorded two sacks and multiple tackles for loss, and intercepted two passes, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Thirteen Frogs recorded multiple tackles.

Junior safety Kaden McFadden, who got the start with Johnson out, led TCU defenders with six tackles, a career high.

Senior linebacker Ma Carroll had four tackles, one pass breakup and one quarterback-hurry.

Senior linebacker Hudson Hooper had four tackles, including a tackle for loss.

Senior linebacker Michael Short, who is a transfer from North Carolina, had three tackles and a forced fumble. Sophomore defensive end John Schobel also had three tackles and a tackle for loss.

Senior cornerback Vernon Glover had a tackle for loss and the third interception of his career.

Senior defensive tackle Kelten Mickel, who is a transfer from Jones College, had two tackles for loss.

Senior defensive tackle Ansel Din-Mbuh, who is a transfer from Washington State, had a tackle for loss and a sack. He also a blocked field goal attempt of 20 yards by Grambling’s Diego Alfaro in the first quarter. It was TCU’s first blocked field goal since Caleb Fox and LaMareon James blocked field goals in a 35-34 loss to UCF in Fort Worth on September 14, 2024.

Senior cornerback Teon Parks, who is a transfer from Illinois State, had a pass breakup and an interception, which he returned 67 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was TCU’s first pick-six pick since Bud Clark returned an interception for a touchdown in TCU’s 48-14 win over North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 2025.

Sophomore linebacker Dillon Arkansas blocked a punt. It was TCU’s first blocked punt since Shad Banks, Jr., blocked a punt in a 13-7 win over Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2024.

Grambling redshirt sophomore quarterback Reginald Johnson, who is a transfer from the University of Massachusetts, was limited to completing 14-of-20 passes for 190 yards. He threw one touchdown pass and was sacked twice.

Freshman running back Jamarion Parker was the Tigers leading rusher, with nine yards on five carries.

TCU wasn’t perfect defensively. The Horned Frogs allowed redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jordan Bride and redshirt sophomore running back Byron Eaton, Jr., to catch passes of 62 and 52 yards, respectively. Bride caught four passes for 79 yards. Eaton caught a seven-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter for the Tigers’ lone touchdown.

Much-Needed Victory

The domination of Grambling was a much-needed victory by the Horned Frogs in the young 2026 season. The win also was an obvious step in the right direction for the Frogs, as it was another milestone on TCU’s journey from a good football team to a great football team. Plus, it was the first of three consecutive wins necessary for the Frogs to stoke the fans’ belief in the team.

After the victory, the Frogs “lit up” their locker room with youthful boisterousness, or perhaps more correctly, showered it with water from numerous exploding water bottles.

Hopefully, the last one to leave The Carter remembered to turn off the new LED lights!