TCU Looks To Build Momentum In Final Tuneup Before Big 12 Play

TCU finally looked like the team many expected to see this season.

Now the Horned Frogs have one more chance to sharpen things before Big 12 play begins.

MORE: TCU’s Big 12 Roadmap Comes Into Focus After Revealing Week 2

TCU hosts Arkansas State on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT at Amon G. Carter Stadium, with ESPNU carrying the game nationally.

The Horned Frogs enter at 1-1 after crushing Grambling State 63-7, while the Red Wolves are also 1-1 following a 52-7 win over West Georgia.

For TCU, the biggest question is whether last week’s offensive explosion was a true reset or simply the product of an overmatched opponent.

Quarterback Jaden Craig was excellent against Grambling, completing 24 of 31 passes for a career-high 391 yards and four touchdowns without an interception.

He also added 53 rushing yards as TCU piled up 676 total yards.

“The confidence was never low or anything like that,” Craig said after the win. “Just spent the last two weeks getting better.”

That improvement needs to continue Saturday.

Arkansas State presents a stronger challenge than Grambling, particularly after quarterback Trey Owens completed 13 of 17 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns in the Red Wolves’ win over West Georgia.

Running back Solomon Baggett added 70 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries.

Still, oddsmakers expect TCU to control the game. The Horned Frogs opened as a 20.5-point favorite, with the total hovering in the mid-to-upper 50s.

The larger objective is obvious.

TCU opens Big 12 play at UCF on Sept. 26, so Sonny Dykes would rather avoid a four-quarter grind Saturday.

If the Frogs can build an early lead, they can protect starters, develop younger players and enter conference play with momentum.

The defense also has something to prove despite allowing only seven points last week. Grambling threw for 190 yards, and TCU still showed moments where communication and tackling weren’t as clean as they need to be.

That matters because the schedule gets significantly tougher from here.

Saturday isn’t about making a statement to the country.

It’s about taking care of business.

MORE: 'Step in the Right Direction!' Sonny Dykes on TCU's Win Over Grambling

TCU needs another efficient performance from Craig, better ball security, disciplined defense and ideally a comfortable fourth quarter.

Do that, and the Horned Frogs will head to Orlando with a two-game winning streak and a much clearer sense of who they are.