Jaden Craig throws 3 TD passes as sluggish TCU pulls away from Arkansas State 31-7

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Jaden Craig threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns, and TCU overcame a sluggish showing for a 31-7 victory over Arkansas State on Saturday night.

Craig's 8-yard scoring pass to Ka'Morreun Pimpton late in the third quarter capped a 99-yard drive that came after the Horned Frogs (2-1) made a fourth-down stop when the Red Wolves (1-2) went for a tying touchdown.

Ed Small had a career-high 164 yards receiving with a 17-yard TD. Small's 22-yard catch kick-started the march that tied a 99-yarder against Kansas five years ago as the longest in school history. Craig, a Harvard transfer, also connected with Kari Ashley for 32 yards on that drive.

Trey Owens fooled the TCU defense with a 34-yard keeper on third-and-1 to get inside the 10-yard line. Arkansas State faced fourth down at the 1 trailing 14-7 when Owens rolled right but didn't have anybody open and threw incomplete to Tyler Little in the back of the end zone.

“I’m proud of the way that we stepped up in big moments,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. “I told them after the game, that’s what you have to do. Big-time players make big plays in big moments, and I thought we did that.”

Small had a 52-yard catch to set Jeremy Payne's 3-yard run that opened the scoring. The sophomore beat his previous career high of 101 yards before halftime, finishing with 122 yards on four catches in the first half. Small had seven grabs for the game.

TCU left little doubt about the outcome with a clock-killing drive to a field goal in the fourth quarter. Payne had 29 of his 86 yards rushing on the drive, and Craig capped the scoring with a 29-yard TD toss to Ashley.

The takeaway

Arkansas State: The Red Wolves won two of their first 20 games against Big 12 opponents, but both had come in the past six matchups. They flirted with making it three wins in seven games before fading after the failed fourth-down conversion. The solid showing brightens the outlook two weeks before the Sun Belt opener.

TCU: The Horned Frogs didn't much like a Big 12 contender during the nonconference schedule. The 15-10 loss to North Carolina in the opener in Dublin, Ireland, was a disappointment. Being in a tight game in the fourth quarter at home as a nearly three-touchdown favorite wasn't a whole lot better.

Fourth-down difference

The Red Wolves failed on all three fourth-down attempts. The first was at the TCU 36 in the first quarter, and the last was when the deficit was 24-7 late in the fourth at the Arkansas State 33.

The Horned Frogs converted two of three. The first was on fourth-and-2 at the Arkansas State 12 on the 99-yard drive, with the touchdown coming on the next play. The 29-yard scoring pass to Ashley came on fourth-and-6 on the first play after the two-minute timeout in the fourth.

Up next

Arkansas State: Kennesaw State at home next Saturday.

TCU: Big 12 opener at UCF next Saturday.

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