Midnite Madness Issues a Red Wolves Warning for TCU and Fort Worth

The last confirmed sightings of Mexican gray wolves in Texas came in 1970, when two wolves were killed at separate locations in West Texas, including one south of Alpine.

By 1972, the remaining red-wolf population had been reduced to a small coastal area of southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana. From 1973 through 1980, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the remaining wild red wolves to establish a captive-breeding program. The species was declared extinct in the wild in 1980.

A group of Red Wolves tried to make a return to Texas in September 2000, but they were handily eradicated by a bunch of nasty Horned Frogs.

Wildlife intelligence reports indicate that some Red Wolves will again attempt to reestablish themselves in the Lone Star State on Saturday, Sept. 19.

That is when the Arkansas State Red Wolves meet the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ESPNU.

The game has been announced as a sellout, although, as noted in Dear Arkansas State, that does not necessarily mean every seat at Amon G. Carter Stadium will be occupied Saturday night.

This will be the third meeting between the Wolves and Frogs. The teams first played on Sept. 25, 1999, when TCU won 24-21 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. On Sept. 23, 2000, the Horned Frogs slaughtered the Red Wolves 52-3 in Fort Worth.

TCU enters Saturday’s game with a 1-1 record and fresh off a 63-7 victory over Grambling State on Sept. 12.

The Frogs rolled up 676 yards of total offense against the Tigers. TCU’s defense allowed only 210 yards, including just 20 on the ground. However, a closer look at TCU’s victory revealed both encouraging progress and details that must be cleaned up before Big 12 play.

The Horned Frogs opened their 2026 season on Aug. 29 with a 15-10 upset loss to North Carolina in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland.

No. 35 defensive tackle, Tristan Johnson recorded two tackles against the UNC Tar Heels in the week zero debut in Ireland | Tony Beblowski for KillerFrogs.com

Following the Arkansas State game, TCU will open Big 12 Conference play at UCF on Saturday, Sept. 26. That game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT and be televised on FS1.

Arkansas State is also 1-1. The Red Wolves opened their season with a 42-24 loss at Memphis on Sept. 5 before defeating West Georgia 52-7 on Sept. 12. After playing TCU, Arkansas State will host Kennesaw State on Sept. 26.

TCU opened as a 20.5-point favorite over Arkansas State at DraftKings Sportsbook. Betting lines may vary by sportsbook and are subject to change before kickoff.

Midnite Madness predicts a 45-17 TCU victory.

Other Week 3 Games Involving Big 12 Teams

Friday, Sept. 18

Houston at Texas Tech

Saturday, Sept. 19

Tulane at Kansas State
Bowling Green at Iowa State
Arizona State at Kansas
Miami (Ohio) at Cincinnati
Utah State at Utah
Louisiana Tech at Baylor
Murray State at Oklahoma State
Georgia State at UCF
Colorado at Northwestern
BYU at Colorado State
West Virginia vs. Virginia - Charlotte, N.C.
Northern Illinois at Arizona

Dykes Says Arkansas State Is Solid

“Arkansas State is a good, solid football team,” TCU head coach Sonny Dykes said. “Butch Jones is a good football coach. He’s been around a long time and has had success everywhere he has been. His teams always play hard. They usually create a little bit of havoc on defense.

“They have a good returner, dangerous. They’ve really done a nice job of creating turnovers. I like their back-end guys. They can play the ball and make plays. Their quarterback is big and played really well last week. He’s big, strong and has a good arm. He can make the throws. He’s a good decision-maker. An effective runner who is hard to tackle. They have a big running back that runs hard and speed at the receivers.”

Dykes expects Arkansas State to try to establish the run, which should provide another test for TCU’s defense.

“We’re going to need to play well up front,” Dykes said. “We’ll need to be physical and do a good job of getting off blocks, and leverage the ball properly.”

Dykes was encouraged by how the Horned Frogs bounced back from their season-opening loss with a dominant victory over Grambling State.

TCU's Sonny Dykes vs. the ACC Officials at the UNC game in Ireland — TCU Head Coach Sonny Dykes discussing penalty calls with the officials | Tony Beblowski for KillerFrogs.com

“We cut our penalties in half. We’ve got to continue to do that,” Dykes said. “I hated that we turned the ball over. We’ve got to make sure we don’t do that. But we did execute better. A big improvement in that.

“We had five drops, you know, and probably left 150 yards out there. We’ve got to make those plays. If we want to be a good football team, we can’t have five drops. We’ve dropped eight balls in two games. That’s not something we normally do. We have some young players, but that’s no excuse. We’ve got to be consistent in catching the ball, especially the deep balls.

“Defensively, we’ve been good. We finished the game strong against Grambling. We had good execution. We played a lot of guys, and I was very encouraged by the young guys’ effort, intensity and attention to detail. Defensively, we need to find a way to start games a little bit better. We’ve given up drives early in games. This is the biggest area we could improve on from a defensive standpoint.”

Those mistakes were among the lingering concerns when former TCU linebacker Jason Phillips looked beyond the final score. The performance also earned solid grades against Grambling State, even with room remaining for improvement.

Dykes said edge rusher Zach Chapman and wide receiver Jordan Dwyer are doubtful for the Arkansas State game. Preseason All-Big 12 safety Jamel Johnson is expected to play after missing the Grambling State game.

Butch Jones Leads Arkansas State

Butch Jones is in his sixth season as Arkansas State’s head coach. His name is probably familiar to most college football fans.

Jones is 27-38 overall and 16-24 in Sun Belt play at Arkansas State. He has led the Red Wolves to three consecutive bowl appearances, including bowl victories following the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

Arkansas State is one of 18 Group of Six programs to earn at least three consecutive bowl bids through the 2025 season.

Jones came to Arkansas State following a stint at Alabama from 2018 through 2020. He served as a special assistant to Nick Saban in 2020 after working as an offensive analyst during the previous two seasons.

Before joining Alabama, Jones spent five seasons as Tennessee’s head coach from 2013 through 2017. He was Cincinnati’s head coach from 2010 through 2012 and led Central Michigan from 2007 through 2009.

Across 16 completed seasons as a head coach, Jones’ teams have won four conference championships, appeared in 11 bowl games and finished in the AP Top 25 seven times. He is currently in his 17th season.

He is the only active coach, and one of only three in FBS history, to lead four different programs to multiple bowl games. Jones earned his 100th career victory in 2024 and is now 111-92 overall.

“Our competition is now a lot steeper. A lot more challenging,” Jones said about Arkansas State’s game against TCU. “We have to become a much better football team, just in the overall small details of winning football games.

“We will be playing a TCU football team that I totally anticipate will challenge for the Big 12 Conference championship. They are extremely, extremely talented and very, very well coached. In all three phases of the game, we are going to be challenged.

“It’s going to take everything we have, and obviously, like any coach will tell you, it starts with a great week of preparation. We have to get monumentally better from a fundamental standpoint. If not, when you play a talented, complete football team like TCU, you will get exposed.”

Familiar Faces Return to Fort Worth

TCU fans will notice two familiar faces on the Arkansas State coaching staff: former Horned Frogs Kenny Hill and Garrett Altman.

210 Let’s get it!! #TheWord👌🏽 https://t.co/AVw2rv2J9U
— Kenny Hill Jr7⃣ (@Kennyhill13) January 13, 2023

Hill was named Arkansas State’s running backs coach before this season. He spent the previous two seasons at Incarnate Word as co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach. Before that, Hill worked as an offensive quality control coach at Cal for two seasons.

Hill played quarterback at TCU from 2015 through 2017. During his standout senior season, he led the Horned Frogs to an 11-3 record, an appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game and a No. 9 final ranking.

Hill remained at TCU following his playing career. He served as a student assistant and graduate assistant before becoming an offensive analyst in 2020 and quarterbacks coach in 2021.

Altman, a former TCU offensive lineman, was named Arkansas State’s offensive coordinator before the 2026 season. He spent the previous two seasons in Nashville as Vanderbilt’s quarterbacks coach.

Definitely wouldn’t be where I am without @FBCoachP Well deserved! https://t.co/qDeCXGnPhK
— Garrett Altman (@CoachAltman) January 15, 2026

Before joining Vanderbilt, Altman worked as an offensive analyst at New Mexico State in 2022 and 2023. He previously spent four seasons as a graduate assistant at TCU after playing for the Horned Frogs from 2013 through 2017.

Red Wolves Are Familiar With the Big 12 and Texas

Arkansas State competes in the Sun Belt Conference, which began sponsoring football in 2001.

The Red Wolves play in the West Division with Louisiana, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana Tech, South Alabama, Southern Miss and Troy.

Arkansas State changed its nickname from the Indians to the Red Wolves in 2008. The university’s colors are scarlet and black.

The Red Wolves have claimed 12 conference championships, with the most recent coming in 2016. The program also claims the 1970 NCAA College Division national championship.

Saturday will mark Arkansas State’s 21st game against a Big 12 opponent. The Red Wolves are 2-18 in the previous 20.

Arkansas State’s most recent victory over a Big 12 opponent came in 2020, when the Red Wolves defeated Kansas State 35-31 in Manhattan. Their other victory came at Kyle Field in 2008, when Arkansas State defeated then-Big 12 member Texas A&M 18-14.

Arkansas State will play in Texas for the 67th time in program history. The Red Wolves are 35-31 in the Lone Star State.

Arkansas State Offensive Overview

Through two games, Arkansas State has scored 76 points and gained 825 yards. The Red Wolves are averaging:

38 points per game
412.5 total yards per game
182.5 rushing yards per game
230 passing yards per game

Arkansas State’s offense has scored eight touchdowns, including five rushing and three passing. The Red Wolves have thrown four interceptions, lost one fumble and allowed four sacks.

Junior quarterback Trey Owens (No. 9), a Houston native and transfer from Texas, has completed 34 of 47 passes for 460 yards and three touchdowns. He has thrown four interceptions, and his longest completion covered 75 yards.

Owens’ 460 passing yards rank fourth in the Sun Belt.

Senior wide receiver Chauncy Cobb (No. 2) leads a group of four Red Wolves with at least 80 receiving yards. Cobb has caught 10 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown. He is averaging 64.5 receiving yards per game.

Senior wide receiver Hunter Summers (No. 3), a Prosper native and Tulane transfer, has caught six passes for 107 yards. He averages 53.5 receiving yards per game and has a long reception of 40 yards.

Fifth-year senior running back Kenyon Clay (No. 5), a Southern Miss transfer, has caught four passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. His 75-yard reception is Arkansas State’s longest passing play of the season.

Senior wide receiver Jaylen Bonelli (No. 10), a Wagner transfer, has also caught a touchdown pass.

Clay leads the Red Wolves’ rushing attack with 25 carries for 99 yards and two touchdowns.

Freshman running back Solomon Baggett (No. 23) has rushed eight times for 70 yards and a touchdown, including a 33-yard run.

Quarterback Drew Dickey (No. 7), a Vanderbilt transfer, and running back Timothy Carter (No. 31), an Incarnate Word transfer, have each scored a rushing touchdown.

Arkansas State Defensive Overview

The Arkansas State defense is allowing:

24.5 points per game
384.5 total yards per game
181 passing yards per game
203.5 rushing yards per game

The Red Wolves have allowed seven touchdowns, including four rushing and three passing.

Arkansas State has forced six turnovers through its first two games, its highest total through two contests since 2008. The Red Wolves have four interceptions and two fumble recoveries to go with two sacks.

Senior linebacker Robert Stevens III (No. 23), a Lafayette College transfer, leads the defense with 15 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack. He also has an interception, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble.

Stevens was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week after recording six tackles, a tackle for loss, an interception, a forced fumble and a quarterback hurry against West Georgia.

His forced fumble led to a 68-yard touchdown return by teammate Noah Flores. Stevens became the 12th Arkansas State player since 1995 to force a fumble and intercept a pass in the same game.

Sophomore linebacker Joe Drew (No. 16) and senior defensive tackle Elias Sherman (No. 92) have each made 13 tackles.

Sherman, a Maine transfer, also has one tackle for loss, half a sack and two quarterback hurries.

Safety AG McGhee (No. 6), a preseason first-team All-Sun Belt selection, has eight tackles and a pass breakup.

Safety Five Hamilton (No. 5), a Kennesaw State transfer, has eight tackles, one interception and one pass breakup.

Defensive tackle Ryan Reese (No. 54) has eight tackles, one tackle for loss, half a sack and two quarterback hurries.

Fourth-year safety Brandon Greil (No. 15) has recorded seven tackles, one tackle for loss, an interception, a quarterback hurry and a fumble recovery.

Cornerback Dontrae Henderson (No. 0), an Indiana transfer, has an interception. Cornerback Noah Flores (No. 3), a Utah State transfer, has a fumble recovery and a 68-yard defensive touchdown.

Arkansas State Special Teams Overview

Arkansas State punter Daniel Vuckovic (No. 90), a Northern Illinois transfer, has punted four times for an average of 35.5 yards. His longest punt traveled 50 yards.

Kicker Clune Van Andel (No. 34) has converted both of his field-goal attempts, including a 48-yarder. Van Andel is the fifth kicker in Arkansas State history to score at least 200 career points.

Cobb is Arkansas State’s primary return specialist and one of the players TCU must contain on special teams.

Frogs Continue Their Quest for Greatness

TCU cornerback Kalen Carroll kneels on the field with his hands raised in prayer before the Grambling State game. — TCU cornerback Kalen Carroll (12) kneels in prayer before the Horned Frogs’ game against Grambling State. | Emma Swinney for KillerFrogs.com

TCU’s next two games come with a warning. The Horned Frogs were expected to defeat Grambling State and are favored against Arkansas State, but they cannot afford to mistake favorable scores for a finished product.

A win over Arkansas State would be another milestone in TCU’s journey from being a good football team to becoming a great one.

It would also be the second of three consecutive victories needed for the Horned Frogs to restore the confidence lost in Dublin.

TCU handled the first part of that assignment against Grambling State. Now the Frogs must continue improving against a more dangerous opponent before beginning Big 12 play at UCF, the first major test in what lies ahead for the Horned Frogs.

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