Midnite Madness Brings Grambling State to The Carter

TCU opens its 2026 home schedule under the new lights against an undefeated opponent with one of college football’s most celebrated traditions.

Bring on Grambling State University … that is, the world-famed Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band, which this year is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

The Grambling band traces its beginning to 1926. By 1952, the band had become known as the “Best Band in the Land.” It’s a descriptor that still rings true today.

Grambling’s multitalented musicians have performed in nearly every major stadium in the country.

On Saturday, Sept. 12, the Best Band in the Land will add Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, to its résumé when TCU opens its 2026 home football schedule by hosting the Grambling State football team under the stadium’s new LED lights.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ESPN+.

Horned Frogs Seek First Win

TCU enters the Week 2 contest with an 0-1 record. The Horned Frogs are not ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 or the Coaches Poll. TCU is No. 58 in the USA TODAY Sports ranking of all 138 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

The Frogs opened the season with a shocking 15-10 Week 0 loss to North Carolina in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland.

The Frogs had a bye on Saturday, Sept. 5, during Week 1 of the college football season. The early open date gave TCU head coach Sonny Dykes and his staff two weeks to address the problems that surfaced against North Carolina.

TCU now begins a two-game homestand against Grambling State and Arkansas State before starting Big 12 Conference play at UCF.

TCU Football Welcomes Special Member

During its bye week, TCU football welcomed Heston Goggins, an 11-year-old from Decatur, Texas, who joined the Horned Frogs through the Team IMPACT program.

Goggins was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 3. He now is in remission.

Special day celebrating a special young man! Congrats Heston on your @GoTeamIMPACT Signing Day & welcome to the team! 💜 https://t.co/AtRTXIM1I5 pic.twitter.com/mgGluapYMN
— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) September 4, 2026

He was matched with TCU football through Team IMPACT, a national nonprofit that connects children facing serious illnesses and disabilities with college athletic teams.

Goggins joined the TCU football family on Friday, Sept. 4, during a Team IMPACT Signing Day. He was welcomed by Dykes and members of the football team and coaching staff.

Founded in 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 4,500 children with more than 850 colleges and universities in all 50 states, impacting more than 112,500 student-athletes.

TCU a Heavy Favorite

TCU opened as approximately a 44.5-point favorite over Grambling. The over-under for the total points scored in the game is 54.5.

Betting lines may vary by sportsbook and are subject to change before kickoff.

Midnite Madness predicts a 38-13 TCU victory.

TCU has had a lot of offensive success in home openers, scoring at least 30 points in its last 18 openers in The Carter. In the 21st century, TCU is 23-3 in home openers, with two of the three losses coming against power-conference opponents.

After playing Grambling, the Horned Frogs will host Arkansas State at The Carter on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. CT.

TCU will begin Big 12 Conference play on Saturday, Sept. 26, against UCF in Orlando, Florida. The game time has not been announced.

When asked about his underdog Tigers going up against TCU, Grambling head football coach Mickey Joseph referred to the monetary payment TCU will make to Grambling for coming to Fort Worth.

“You gotta pay the bills at Grambling, you know,” Joseph said.

Joseph continued by explaining the value of the game beyond the financial guarantee.

“The further value in the game is we get to see where we are at,” Joseph said. “We get a measuring stick outside of a D-II school. We are undermatched. Financially, they are better than us. Talent-wise, they are better than us.

“But we still get to see where we are at because there are certain things we can get away with against D-II schools that we won’t get away with against TCU. There are certain things in the future that we will get away with that we won’t get away with Saturday night. It’s a good measuring stick for our coaches and players.

“We won’t be intimidated. We want to make sure the matchup is clean. And we want to come out of the game healthy.”

Dykes said Joseph is a good football coach.

“I’ve known Mickey for a long time,” Dykes said. “I’m really impressed with his team. They really got settled in on some players during their Week 2 game. They’ve moved the ball and scored points, made some big plays on special teams and played well on defense. They’ve been solid. They’re athletic and physical. I like ’em.

“We need to play well this Saturday. I think the guys have a great mentality. We have practiced with a sense of purpose. A trademark of our program is that the guys practice hard. I think we’ve practiced harder than we ever have. The guys have gone to the next level from a practice standpoint. You want to see it pay off.

TCU surprised the world when they lost their season opener to UNC in Ireland — Aug 29, 2026; Dublin, Co. Dublin, IRL; TCU Horned Frogs defensive tackle Markis Deal (95) against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second half at Aviva Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Laszlo Geczo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“We’ve got to do in a game what we do in practice. We didn’t do that against North Carolina. We have to do it this week.”

Week 2 Games Involving Other Big 12 Teams

Here is the Week 2 schedule involving other Big 12 Conference teams:

Oregon at Oklahoma State
Washington State at Kansas State
Arizona State at Texas A&M
UT Martin at West Virginia
Weber State at Colorado
Arizona at BYU
UCF at Pittsburgh
Southern at Houston
Western Carolina at Cincinnati
Iowa State at Iowa
Texas Tech at Oregon State
Prairie View A&M at Baylor
Arkansas at Utah

Grambling Undefeated

Grambling is 2-0, with consecutive victories over Clark Atlanta, 49-7, and Central State, 48-26.

After its game against TCU, Grambling has a bye on Sept. 19. On Sept. 26, the Tigers will play their SWAC opener against Prairie View A&M in the State Fair Classic at the Cotton Bowl.

The State Fair of Texas opens in Dallas on Friday, Sept. 25.

Grambling State University is located in Grambling, Louisiana, which is about 285 miles from Fort Worth.

The athletic teams were known as the Grambling Tigers until 1973, when the university changed its name from Grambling College to Grambling State University. Now, they are known simply as the Tigers. The school’s athletic colors are black, gold and red.

Grambling State is one of the country’s historically Black colleges and universities.

Since 1958, the Tigers have competed in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, or SWAC, not to be confused with the defunct Southwest Conference, or SWC.

The Southwestern Athletic Conference was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. It is made up of historically Black colleges and universities in the Southern United States.

CJ Turnbull (3) hugs his mother as he commits to Grambling State during Putnam City's college football signing day in Oklahoma City, on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Conference members are Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Alcorn State, Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, Grambling State, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M, Southern, Texas Southern and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The Tigers play in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.

TCU Successful Against FCS and HBCU Teams

TCU is 21-2 against FCS teams.

TCU’s first loss to a team now classified at the FCS level came on Oct. 18, 1986, when the Frogs lost to North Texas State 24-20 in Fort Worth.

It was the sixth game of a season that TCU finished 3-8 overall and 1-7 in the Southwest Conference. It was Jim Wacker’s fourth year as TCU’s head football coach. The 1991 season was Wacker’s last at TCU.

The Frogs’ second loss to an FCS team came in 2001. TCU lost in Fort Worth to Northwestern State 27-24 in overtime.

It was the fifth game of a season that TCU finished 6-6 overall and 4-3 in Conference USA. The 2001 season was Gary Patterson’s first full season as TCU’s head football coach.

After that shocking loss, Horned Frogs fans who were against Patterson’s promotion from defensive coordinator to head coach were howling for his dismissal.

Patterson, of course, was not fired.

He went on to become TCU football’s winningest head coach with 181 victories, leading the program from 2000 through 2021.

The 1978 season was the first in which college football teams were divided into Division I-A and Division I-AA. The 2005 season was the last for the I-A and I-AA designations.

Beginning with the 2006 season, I-A teams became Football Bowl Subdivision teams, and I-AA teams became Football Championship Subdivision teams.

Since 1978, FCS and I-AA teams have beaten FBS and I-A teams more than 500 times.

Cincinnati played the 1983 football season in NCAA Division I-AA because of low attendance numbers. At the time, the NCAA required football programs to average at least 20,000 fans to be designated as Division I-A.

That season, Cincinnati made history as the first lower-division team to defeat a ranked major-college opponent. The Bearcats stunned Joe Paterno’s defending national champion Penn State team 14-3 on Oct. 8, 1983.

TCU and Grambling Meet Again

This will be the second meeting between TCU and Grambling State.

No. 20 TCU defeated Grambling State 56-0 on Sept. 8, 2012.

The victory was Patterson’s 110th at TCU, allowing him to pass Dutch Meyer as the winningest head coach in TCU football history.

The matchup also was the first game played in the renovated Amon G. Carter Stadium and the Frogs’ first game as a member of the Big 12 Conference.

Sep 8, 2012; Fort Worth, TX, USA; A view of the renovated Amon G. Carter Stadium during the game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Grambling State Tigers. TCU defeated Grambling State 56-0. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

TCU finished that season 7-6 overall and 4-5 in the Big 12.

Saturday’s game against Grambling will be TCU’s first against an HBCU program since 2019, when the Horned Frogs defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 39-7 in the season and home opener on Aug. 31.

In other games against HBCU opponents, TCU defeated Jackson State 63-0 on Sept. 2, 2017, and Southern 55-7 on Sept. 1, 2018.

TCU has four players from Louisiana. Grambling’s roster features eight Texans, including five from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Grambling State safeties coach Willie Mack Garza served as TCU’s cornerbacks coach from 2001 through 2003.

Tigers Have Successful FCS History

The Tigers are one of the most prominent programs at the FCS level. They have won eight SWAC championships and six Black college football national championships since 2000.

Grambling has one victory over a major-college opponent. That victory came on Sept. 28, 1985, when the Tigers defeated Oregon State 23-6 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Grambling football perhaps is best known for former head coach Eddie Robinson and former quarterback and head coach Doug Williams.

For 56 years, from 1941 through 1942 and again from 1945 through 1997, Robinson was Grambling’s head football coach.

Robinson built Grambling State into a small-college football powerhouse. He retired in 1997 with a record of 408-165-15.

Robinson ranks among the winningest head coaches at any level of college football. He had 41 winning seasons, won 18 SWAC championships and claimed nine Black college football national championships.

Robinson died in 2007 at the age of 88.

Williams was Grambling’s quarterback from 1974 through 1977. He guided the Tigers to a 36-7 record as a four-year starter and led them to three SWAC championships.

Williams was named Black College Player of the Year twice. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft.

Williams became the first Black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl, doing so with Washington in Super Bowl XXII.

In that game, played on Jan. 31, 1988, Williams and Washington defeated Denver 42-10. Williams was named Super Bowl MVP after throwing four touchdown passes in the second quarter.

Williams was named Grambling State’s head football coach in 1998, succeeding the legendary Robinson.

He led the Tigers to three consecutive SWAC championships from 2000 through 2002 before leaving after the 2003 season to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a personnel executive.

Williams rejoined Grambling as head football coach in 2011. Today, he is a senior adviser for the Washington Commanders.

Mickey Joseph Leads Grambling

Grambling’s head coach is Mickey Joseph.

Grambling football Coach Mickey Joseph talks with the media during the SWAC Football Media Day in Birmingham, Ala., on Wednesday July 15, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Joseph is in his third season at Grambling. He entered the 2026 season with an overall record of 12-12 after finishing 5-7 in 2024 and 7-5 in 2025.

The 2024 record included a 40-0 loss to Louisiana in Lafayette. The 2025 record included a 70-0 loss to Ohio State in Columbus.

Joseph is Grambling’s 15th head football coach. In 2014 and 2015, he served as the wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator at Grambling State.

Joseph was on the Nebraska coaching staff when Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost was fired on Sept. 11, 2022. Joseph was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Grambling hired Joseph as its head coach on Dec. 18, 2023.

Grambling Offensive Overview

In its two victories, Grambling has used a balanced offensive attack to roll up 1,131 total yards.

The Tigers’ offense is averaging:

48.5 points per game
565.5 total yards per game
292 rushing yards per game
273.5 passing yards per game

Grambling’s offense has scored 12 touchdowns, including 10 on the ground and two through the air. The Tigers also have returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

Grambling has thrown two interceptions, lost one fumble and allowed no sacks.

Senior offensive lineman Alexander Virgil, who is from Houston, was named to the preseason All-SWAC second-team offense.

Grambling State starting quarterback Reginald “RJ” Johnson III is a redshirt junior who transferred to the Tigers this season after playing at Florida A&M.

He was named to the Stats Perform HBCU National Football Player of the Year Watch List.

Johnson has not disappointed Tigers fans.

He has completed 33 of 40 passes for 391 yards and one touchdown. He has thrown one interception and has a long completion of 50 yards.

Junior quarterback Jacobe Robinson, who is from Denton and transferred from Southern Miss, has completed eight of 14 passes for 96 yards and one touchdown. He has thrown one interception and has a long completion of 25 yards.

Junior running back Tony Phillips Jr. has rushed seven times for 94 yards and two touchdowns. He has a long run of 75 yards.

Phillips also has an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Sophomore running back D’Shaun Ford, a transfer from Louisiana-Monroe, has rushed 15 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns. He has a long run of 17 yards.

Redshirt sophomore running back Byron Eaton Jr., who is from Dallas, has carried the football seven times for 77 yards and one touchdown. He has a long run of 58 yards.

Eaton also has caught three passes for 20 yards and one touchdown.

Redshirt sophomore wide receivers Jordan Bride and Tyson George lead the Tigers’ receivers.

Bride has caught 10 passes for 142 yards. He has no touchdown receptions and has a long catch of 43 yards.

George has caught 12 passes for 138 yards and one touchdown. He has a long reception of 50 yards.

Grambling Defensive Overview

The Tigers’ defense is allowing:

16.5 points per game
305 total yards per game
189 passing yards per game
116 rushing yards per game

Grambling’s defense has allowed four touchdowns, including three passing and one rushing.

The Tigers have forced two fumbles, recovered one, recorded three sacks and intercepted no passes.

Freshman defensive back Lonell Cunningham leads Grambling’s defense with nine tackles. He also has one pass breakup.

Redshirt junior defensive back Jalen Guillard has eight tackles, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

Redshirt senior linebacker Marcellius Johnson has eight tackles, one tackle for loss and one fumble recovery.

Johnson was named to the preseason All-SWAC second-team defense.

Freshman defensive end Donte Hookfin has six tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack and two quarterback hurries.

Junior linebacker Jamal Jordan has six tackles and one quarterback hurry.

Grambling State’s punter is freshman Alexander Davis, a transfer from Florida A&M. He has punted five times for an average of 44.8 yards per punt and has a long punt of 54 yards.

The Tigers’ placekicker is junior Diego Alfaro, a transfer from Prairie View A&M. He has converted both of his field-goal attempts and has a long field goal of 24 yards.

𝐓𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖😎#GramFam | #ThisIsTheG🐯 pic.twitter.com/LVi01DFL6x
— Grambling State Football 🐯 (@GSUFootball01) September 6, 2026

Midnite Madness Prediction

Grambling State will bring an undefeated team, one of college football’s proudest traditions and the Best Band in the Land to Fort Worth.

TCU will bring a team desperate to prove that its performance in Ireland was not an accurate indication of what is to come.

The Tigers will make some noise. Their band certainly will.

But the Horned Frogs will celebrate their first victory of the season under the new lights at The Carter.

TCU 38, Grambling State 13

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