TCU Hosts Grambling State in Home Opener on Saturday
Matchup kicks off at 7 p.m. at The Carter
9/8/2026
For the first time at home in 2026, TCU (0-1) is set to face off with Grambling State (2-0) on Saturday night (7 p.m.) at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
The game will be the first in Fort Worth with the new LED lights and has been designated as Light Up The Carter.
GAME DAY DETAILS
TCU (0-1) vs. Grambling State (2-0)
Saturday, September 12 - 7 p.m.
Amon G. Carter Stadium - Fort Worth, Texas
Tracking the Game:
Television » ESPN+ (James Westling, Craig Haubert)
Radio Tuning » KZPS 92.5 FM and Sirius XM 83 / Spanish KTNO 620 AM
Radio Streaming » The Varsity Network App
Live Stats » StatBroadcast
GAME DAY TIMELINE
Parking Lots Open – 2 p.m.
Frog Alley Opens – 4 p.m.
Frog Walk – 4:30 p.m.
Gates Open – 5:30 p.m.
Carter March – 6:10 p.m.
New Pregame Show – 6:40 p.m.
Kickoff vs. Grambling State – 7:02 p.m.
WHAT'S NEW AT THE CARTER
TCU has announced multiple new features and experiences coming to historic Amon G. Carter Stadium for the 2026 season.
The lighting system in The Carter has been completely overhauled with brand new, full-spectrum LED lights. A similar installation was done in Schollmaier Arena last year and quickly became a fan favorite.
Many preparations have been made to ensure that this offers an elite experience inside the stadium, and fans are encouraged to stay in their seats as we start a new fourth quarter tradition against Grambling State.
Thanks to our extended partnership with Learfield, we have overhauled the structure with another brand new, state-of-the-art LED board to match the clarity and quality of the board in the north endzone. The structure will remain, but the screen will now stretch edge-to-edge rather than be framed within it, and the old scoreboard will be fully integrated.
A full list of new features at historic Amon G. Carter Stadium can be found here.
NOTING THE GAME
- TCU opens its home slate with a matchup against Grambling State under the new LED lights at Amon G. Carter Stadium on Saturday.
- The game marks TCU's first game against an HBCU since 2019, when the Horned Frogs took down UAPB.
- TCU has had a great deal of offensive success in home openers, scoring at least 30 points in its last 18 openers in The Carter.
- In the two programs' one and only meeting, No. 20 TCU took down Grambling State 56-0. The matchup was the first game in the renovated Amon G. Carter Stadium, as well as the Frogs' first as a member of the Big 12.
- TCU has four players from Louisiana while Grambling's roster features eight Texans including five from the DFW Metroplex.
- GSU safeties coach Willie Mack Garza served as TCU's cornerbacks coach from 2001-03.
NOTING THE HORNED FROGS
- TCU is in its fifth season under the direction of head coach Sonny Dykes in 2026. The 2022 National Coach of the Year led TCU to 36 wins in his first four seasons, the most by a TCU head coach since Francis Schmidt won 37 from 1929-32.
- Dykes has also led programs at SMU (2018-21), Cal (2013-16), and Louisiana Tech (2010-12). In all four stops, Dykes has guided the program to the postseason, making him one of four active head coaches to take four different schools to a bowl game, joining Butch Jones, Lane Kiffin, and Rich Rodriguez.
- Dykes is also one of eight active head coaches to have appeared in the CFP National Championship game, along with Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney, Ryan Day, Marcus Freeman, Kalen DeBoer, Mario Cristobal, and Curt Cignetti. Dykes and Cignetti are the only two coaches in CFP history to take over a losing program and direct them to the CFP in their first season.
- For the first time in three seasons, TCU has a new starting quarterback directing the offense as Harvard transfer Jaden Craig takes the reins. As the Crimson's signal caller, Craig became the most accomplished quarterback in program history, finishing his career as the all-time leader in passing yards (6,074) and touchdown passes (52) along with setting single-season records for passing completions (208), touchdown passes (25) and passing yards (2,869) in 2025.
- The Horned Frogs also have a new offensive play caller in Gordon Sammis. For the past two seasons, Sammis ran the offense at UConn, helping the Huskies post consecutive nine-win seasons for the first time in program history while producing one of the nation's most efficient and explosive offenses. During that span, UConn achieved the program's first-ever 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard receiver and 1,000-yard rusher in the same season.
- Conversely, the defense returns a host of familiar names. Along with defensive coordinator Andy Avalos, now in year three, Jamel Johnson enjoyed a breakout campaign as a junior, totaling 96 tackles (second on the team) while posting five interceptions. The interception figure for Johnson ranked first the Big 12 and seventh in the country, while his near triple-digit tackle number was the ninth most in the conference. Up front, Markis Deal, Ansel Din-Mbuh and Paul Oyewale bring a combined 89 games played and 43 starts into the year.
