TCU gets one more non-conference test before the Big 12 grind begins, and Arkansas State arrives in Fort Worth with enough pieces to make Saturday night interesting.
The Horned Frogs, 1-1, host the Red Wolves, also 1-1, at 7 p.m. Saturday at Amon G.
Carter Stadium. TCU is coming off a 63-7 win over Grambling State and will be a 20-point favorite, but Arkansas State brings a tougher challenge than the one the Horned Frogs just handled.
Led by head coach Butch Jones, the Red Wolves have a former four-star quarterback steering the offense, a balanced set of skill players and a secondary that has already produced its share of plays.
That combination makes Arkansas State a useful final checkpoint for TCU. The Red Wolves can throw it, they can spread the ball around, and they’ve shown they’re willing to change their defensive look from week to week. If the Horned Frogs drift at all, this is the kind of opponent that can make things tighter than expected.
The offense starts with Trey Owens, the former Texas quarterback from Houston. Owens was a blue chip recruit in the class of 2024, rated as a four-star prospect and a top-50 player in the state. After two seasons with limited action in Austin, he transferred to Arkansas State to take over for Jaylen Raynor, who moved on to Iowa State this offseason.
Owens has already shown both sides of his game in two collegiate starts. He’s thrown for 460 yards, good for fourth in the Sun Belt, and put up 325 yards on 21 completions against Memphis on the road.
But that same game also came with four interceptions in a 42-24 loss, the kind of mistake-filled stretch that flipped the night. He bounced back in Saturday’s 52-7 win over West Georgia, though TCU will be the toughest defense he’s seen this season.
Arkansas State doesn’t lean on one marquee playmaker. It works more like a committee, with the Red Wolves using multiple backs and multiple receivers to keep defenses guessing.
Four players have topped 50 rushing yards, and four receivers have already reached at least 80 receiving yards. That’s helped Arkansas State average more than 38 points per game, even if it also suggests the roster may be more deep than explosive.
Kenyon Clay leads the backfield. The senior is listed at 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds, and he’s given the Red Wolves a physical edge with 99 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns. Solomon Baggett and Ezell Jolly bring more burst, and both are averaging better than six yards per carry.
At receiver, 5-6 senior Chauncy Cobb leads the team with 10 catches for 129 yards and a touchdown. Hunter Summers might be the more dangerous target, though. The 6-3 senior had 98 yards against Memphis and gives Owens a bigger downfield option.
Defensively, Arkansas State has already shown two different personalities. Against Memphis’ veer-and-shoot attack, the Red Wolves leaned on three-man fronts, three high safeties and coverage-heavy looks with eight defenders dropping back. Against West Georgia, they used more of a 4-2-5 setup and were better at getting after the quarterback.
That flexibility will be tested again Saturday, because TCU’s offense is different from what Arkansas State saw against Memphis. A four-man front may be the cleaner answer, especially with the Red Wolves giving up 203.5 rushing yards per game. Memphis did most of that damage, piling up 335 yards on the ground against the three-man front.
The most consistent strength so far has been in the secondary, where senior safety AG McGhee leads the way. A preseason first team All-Sun Belt pick, McGhee has eight tackles and a pass breakup.
Senior Brandon Greil has added seven tackles and an interception, while Five Hamilton, Robert Stevens III and Dontrae Henderson have each picked off a pass. Safety Brandon Barnes, a Dallas native, is another key piece after finishing last season with 68 tackles.
Arkansas State has also limited both quarterbacks it has faced to under 200 passing yards, including Memphis quarterback Marcus Stokes, who was intercepted twice. That makes the Red Wolves’ back end a strong final test for TCU quarterback Jaden Craig before conference play starts.
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TCU Gets One Defensive Boost But Bigger Starter Concerns Remain
TCU got a small defensive lift this week with Sonny Dykes saying safety Jamel Johnson will be available for the upcoming game against Arkansas State after sitting out the previous matchup because of a foot injury. Johnsons return gives the Horned Frogs a needed option on the back end as they try to steady the defense heading into another stretch of the schedule.
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TCU Fans Got Relief Saturday But One Big Test Still Looms
After two weeks away from game action, TCU looked much closer to the team it wants to be in a 63-7 rout of Grambling State. The Horned Frogs settled in quickly after the loss to North Carolina, with quarterback Jaden Craig showing sharper timing and a better rhythm with his receivers, especially tight end Kari Ashley, while both sides of the ball generally took a step forward.
Even with the lopsided score, the afternoon was not spotless. TCU still had a costly fumble and a few defensive breakdowns that kept the staff from calling it a complete clean-up job, and the next stretch should tell much more about where this team really stands. Arkansas State is up next, then comes the start of Big 12 play, where the margin for those kinds of mistakes gets a lot thinner. [Read more 🡒]