TCU gets one last tune-up before Big 12 play starts, and Saturday night brings Arkansas State to Amon G. Carter Stadium.
The Horned Frogs are coming off a convincing 63-7 win over Grambling State on Sept. 13, their first victory of the season. Jaden Craig looked fully back on track after the Ireland trip, throwing four touchdowns and a career-high 391 passing yards.
One of the biggest sparks in that win came from Kari Ashley. The tight end caught seven passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns against Grambling State. Ashley began his college career at Georgia Tech as a linebacker, moved to Navarro Junior College, switched to tight end there, and then transferred to TCU this offseason.
TCU’s defense also made its presence felt. The Frogs gave up just 28 yards in the second half and allowed only 20 rushing yards for the game. Teon Parks added a 67-yard interception return for a touchdown, giving TCU its first pick six since the first game of the 2025 season.
The Frogs will still be short-handed at receiver, with Jordan Dwyer and Zach Chapman both out after missing the first two games. On the other hand, Jamel Johnson is set to return, Sonny Dykes said in Tuesday’s press conference.
Dykes also said the kicking job is still unsettled. Nate McCashland and Kyle Lemmermann are battling for the starting role, with Lemmermann handling field goals against North Carolina and McCashland taking over in the Grambling State game.
TCU opened as a 20.5-point favorite, and history has gone the Frogs’ way in this series. They have played Arkansas State twice and won both meetings, including a 52-3 victory in the last matchup in 2000.
Arkansas State comes in at 1-1 after losing to Memphis and beating West Georgia. The Red Wolves hung around with Memphis for most of that game before Memphis pulled away in the fourth quarter. Arkansas State is a Group of Six program in the Sun Belt.
Their offense runs through quarterback Trey Owens, who started his career at Texas as a four-star recruit out of high school before spending two years there and transferring to Arkansas State.
Saturday’s game also falls during TCU’s family weekend and closes out the weekend’s events.
After Arkansas State, the Frogs head into Big 12 play next week with a trip to Orlando to face UCF.
Kickoff is set for Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7:00 p.m. in Amon G. Carter Stadium. The game is sold out, with resale tickets available through Seat Geek.
In Other News...
TCUs Big 12 Road Just Took An Unexpected Turn
TCUs path through the Big 12 in 2026-27 is already coming into focus, and one of the biggest schedule quirks is a single game against Baylor instead of the usual two. The Horned Frogs will still have plenty of familiar league tests, with home-and-home dates against Arizona State, BYU and Oklahoma State, while the rest of the conference slate comes around once as the new format continues to reshape the rhythm of league play.
Outside conference play, TCU is also lining up a demanding non-conference slate that includes Power 4 opponents, Notre Dame and a trip to the Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas. For a program trying to stay sharp before Big 12 play heats up, it sets up a schedule with little margin for a soft landing, and the Baylor wrinkle only adds another layer to a road that already looks a little different than fans are used to. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Looks Better Than Its Record Thanks To One Early Trend
Two weeks into Big 12 play, the numbers are already starting to reshape the early story around the conference, and TCU is one of the teams that looks a little better underneath the record. A statistical snapshot of the league shows the Horned Frogs among the programs performing better than their results suggest, alongside teams such as Baylor and Arizona State, even as Houston has grabbed the scoring and total offense headlines and Kansas State has separated itself on defense.
For TCU, that kind of early trend matters because it points to a team that may be closer than the standings say. The league is still settling in, though, and these first impressions can change quickly once conference play deepens and the metrics get a fuller test. Still, for a Horned Frogs team trying to establish itself, there is at least some evidence that the underlying profile is more encouraging than the record alone. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Just Landed A Local Lineman At A Fascinating Time
Gabriel Brooks made his college choice feel a lot more personal than procedural. The North Crowley senior offensive lineman has flipped his commitment from Stephen F. Austin to TCU for the 2027 recruiting class, a move that keeps the talented tackle closer to home while also giving him what he sees as a stronger fit on and off the field. For a local product heading into his final high school stretch, the appeal of staying in the Metroplex clearly carried weight alongside the academic and athletic opportunities in Fort Worth.
Brooks is set to continue at offensive tackle for the Frogs, but first he has a big North Crowley test in front of him with Duncanville coming up. It is the sort of moment that can sharpen a recruit's profile even more, especially when the spotlight is already on a player who has chosen to bet on himself at a bigger stage. For TCU, landing a nearby lineman this early in the process is another reminder that the program can still sell homegrown prospects on a path that feels both familiar and ambitious. [Read more 🡒]