FORT WORTH, Texas — The TCU Horned Frogs scored 63 points in Saturday night’s home opener, the program’s highest total since it put up 63 against Jackson State in 2017. TCU beat Grambling State 63-7 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in front of 37,600. Kickoff temperature was 100 degrees, the hottest recorded for a game at the stadium.
Jaden Craig completed 24-of-31 passes for 391 yards and 4 touchdowns without an interception. He carried 8 times for 53 yards. The 391 yards are a career high, and the 4 touchdown passes tied one. Craig is the fifth TCU quarterback to throw for 350 yards and 4 touchdowns on fewer than 35 attempts, joining Max Duggan, Kenny Hill, Trevone Boykin, and Brandon Hassell.
His first start came Aug. 29 in Dublin, where North Carolina beat TCU 15-10 in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. He went 20-of-32 for 175 yards that night.
TCU coach Sonny Dykes said the Horned Frogs played three bad offensive quarters in the opener and needed a fast start against Grambling State.
“I think he took a step in the right direction and gained some confidence and seemed like he was pretty well settled in from the get-go,” Dykes said. “So I was glad to see that. It’s what we needed.”
Jaden Craig Throws 4 Touchdowns In Second TCU Start
Craig said the offense still was not where it needed to be Saturday and that the next few days would go toward preparing for Arkansas State.
“I think week zero kind of exposed us in a lot of different ways, top to bottom,” Craig said. “And we really had to spend the last two weeks really focusing on the little things. And me personally, I think one of the main things was communication.”
Kari Ashley caught 7 passes for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns. He is the first TCU tight end to reach 100 receiving yards since Jared Wiley against Baylor on Nov. 18, 2023. His 29-yard catch in the third quarter was the first touchdown of his career.
Ed Small had 5 catches for 101 yards, including a 57-yard reception in the second quarter that was the longest of his career. Jeremy Scott finished with 5 catches for 87 yards and a 52-yard touchdown. Ka’Morreun Pimpton caught 2 passes for 37 yards and a 9-yard score.
Craig said Ashley’s emergence adds a layer to the offense and that Small will remain a top target.
“As big as he is, he can outrun any DB and can make any catch,” Craig said. “Crazy, just crazy athleticism. So there’s no real thought behind deciding on throwing to him when he’s down there because I know he’s going to find a way to make a play on the ball.”
Ashley came to TCU from Navarro College and played at Georgia Tech before that. Dykes said he is still learning the position.
“He’s just a big athletic guy that can do a lot of things and is still learning how to play football,” Dykes said. “I think that’s what’s encouraging about him is that he hasn’t played a lot of football, a lot offensive football.”
“It was good for him to get some confidence,” Dykes continued. “I still think he has no idea how good he can become.”
Ashley said moving around the formation lets him help in the run game and the pass game.
“Our coach always preaches finish your block, finish the play,” Ashley said. “So I just, once I seen the ball started running on the other side, I just wanted to pancake the DB and keep going.”
TCU ran for 285 yards on 37 carries, and eight players carried the ball. Jeremy Payne had 9 carries for 79 yards. Craig was next with 53. Jon Denman, Amante Martin, Joe Pitchford, and Major Everhart each ran for a touchdown. Everhart and Martin scored the first of their careers. Denman has scored in both games this season.
The Horned Frogs finished with 676 total yards and 33 first downs, the 10th-most in program history. They went 2-of-2 on fourth down.
Grambling State managed 210 yards. The Tigers ran 28 times for 20 yards, an average of 0.7 per carry. TCU had not held an opponent under 25 rushing yards since Purdue gained 23 in 2019. Grambling State converted 1 of 14 third downs.
Quarterback Reginald Johnson went 14-of-20 for 190 yards and a touchdown. Byron Eaton Jr. caught the score from 7 yards out with 4:25 left in the second quarter. Jordan Bride led the Tigers with 4 catches for 79 yards.
Teon Parks intercepted Hayden Benoit and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown with 9:52 left. It was TCU’s first pick six since Bud Clark did it against North Carolina in 2025. Vernon Glover Jr. had the other interception, off Ashton Frye in the third quarter. Kaden McFadden led TCU with 6 tackles, a career high.
Sonny Dykes Points To 3 Dropped Touchdowns And 5 Penalties
Dykes said TCU got behind the Grambling State secondary three times and that three different players failed to finish the plays.
“It’s a concern,” Dykes said. “There was some young guys that hadn’t played a lot that were doing it, but yeah, we can’t, we can’t, can’t drop those balls. I mean, you work really, really hard to set up one of those plays and to get a chance to get behind them. And you’ve got to have great protection. You’ve got to have a great throw. You’ve got to run a good route. And then you’ve got to finish all that by making the play. And like I said, we had three opportunities that we missed.”
TCU was penalized 5 times for 60 yards. Grambling State had 7 for 54.
“We had three penalties on special teams that we can’t afford to have those. That hurt us,” Dykes said. “So we have to get those three things cleaned up. And I think we had a holding penalty and one more. I don’t remember what it was. But five penalties, we can’t have that. So we’ve got to get that number reduced again.”
Ansel Din-Mbuh blocked a 20-yard field goal in the first quarter. It was TCU’s first blocked field goal since the UCF game on Sept. 14, 2024. Dillon Arkansas blocked a punt with 1:26 to play, and Hudson Hooper recovered at the Grambling State 15. TCU had not blocked a punt since Shad Banks Jr. against Utah in 2024.
Punter John Hoyet Chance averaged 42.3 yards on 3 punts and dropped 2 inside the 20. Ace Theus returned 5 punts for 73 yards.
TCU has scored in 422 consecutive games. The streak is second in NCAA history behind Florida’s 474. The Horned Frogs are 24-3 in home openers in the 21st century.
TCU is 2-1. Grambling State fell to 2-2. The Horned Frogs host Arkansas State on Saturday for Family Weekend, with kickoff at Amon G. Carter Stadium set for 7 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
