After dropping the first game of the season in Ireland, the TCU Horned Frogs are back playing in America as they host the Grambling Tigers for the home opener of the 2026 season.
Looking to establish a rhythm and find some structure on the field, the Frogs needed a win in a dominant way, and after a sluggish start, they eventually found something en route to a 63-7 win for the first of the year.
What are the key takeaways from the critical win, and what does it mean for the rest of the season now?
TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Jaden Craig (1) prepares to throw the ball against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second half at Aviva Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It's been established by this point that there is no Jordan Dwyer for the TCU offense, as he has missed the first two games of the season with an injury. That left a void in the passing game that needed to be filled, one that was apparent in Dublin.
Originally, it looked like Ed Small would be the top choice, having been the No. 1 option in the week 0 game. I spoke in a few articles since then about how the tight ends would play a huge role in the offense and would only continue to fill that void as long as it persisted.
Well, Kari Ashley, the junior college transfer, was exactly that for the Frogs tonight. He finished with seven receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns. His longest catch of the night was 37 yards, and he added an impressive 56 yards after the catch.
Perhaps more importantly, he led the team with nine targets and was a clear top option for Craig, who was still working to settle in at the Power 4 level. As both of their connections grow, so too does the threat they provide to opposing defenses.
There was no Jamel Johnson, the vocal leader of the Frogs' secondary, and they were still workshopping the linebacker corps, including giving the nod to start to captain Hudson Hooper. Hooper, who has been there and done that for the program, had a really strong showing and looked like a fantastic complement alongside Max Carroll, but Grambling took advantage of passes over the middle at times.
I expect those to get cleaned up as Hooper becomes acclimated to game speed, but he could be a nice wrench thrown into this defense, especially in the run game, as they only allowed 20 yards on 20 rushing attempts.
In the secondary, Kaden McFadden got the start with Johnson out, and he finished as the team's leading tackler with six. There were some rough spots, sure, including Grambling taking advantage of "pick" plays to scheme open receivers, but he had a strong showing.
This group will get healthier and iron out some issues. It has shown flashes of being absolutely brilliant under defensive coordinator Andy Avalos. Limiting the chunk plays will be huge, as that is currently the major gash, but there is promise.
Part of the struggles the Frogs' offense showed in week zero was the inability to get chunk plays of their own and to keep the defense honest about the offense's big-play ability.
That wasn't a concern tonight, and although the competition level doesn't compare, it still is a strong sign as things continue to work out. There were 10 passing plays that resulted in gains of 15 yards or more, and those 10 plays accounted for 298 of the total passing yards.
Twelve of the 27 rushing attempts qualified for "big plays" as well, resulting in gains of 10-plus yards or more, accounting for 197 of the 285 total rushing yards.
The offense has big-play ability and could have been better minus some drops, but the Frogs need to take more shots. With a confidence-boosting game like this, maybe that is exactly what the offense needed to play with some more swagger.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tcu as 3 Takeaways and Thoughts After TCU Beats Grambling .
