Saturday, September 2, 2017

Jackson State Football Opens Season at TCU

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Jackson State travels to Fort Worth, Texas to take on the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday, September 2, at Amon G. Carter Stadium. FOX Sports Network will televise the 7 pm contest.

JSU in Season Openers

*Since 1941 the Tigers are 41-25-5 in season openers.
*From 1946 to 1953 the Tigers posted a 7-1 record in season openers
*Over the last 10 seasons JSU has a 3-7 record in season openers.
*JSU is 0-1 in season openers under HC Tony Hughes.

KICKOFF COVERAGE

*Jackson State’s 2017 campaign will be the its 106th season of college football

*Year two of the Tony Hughes era is underway at Jackson State. Hughes posted only three wins in his first collegiate head coaching job, but looks to have his Tigers take another step forward towards making JSU a perennial contender for the Southwestern Athletic Conference title.

*Last season JSU was involved in five games that were decided by one possession, en route to posting an 8-3 overall record.

*Senior defensive end Keontre Anderson returns as the FCS leader in tackles for loss (25.5 last season).

MEDIA INFORMATION

Radio: JSU Tigers Sports Radio Network
Rob Jay, play-by-play
Darrell Asberry, analyst
Sam Brown, sideline reporter

WHLH-FM-Jackson, MS (95.5 FM), WORV– Hattiesburg (1580 AM), WJMG – Hattiesburg (92.1 FM), WTYJ – Natchez (97.7 FM), WMIS – Natchez (1240 AM), WNBN – Meridian (1200 AM), Online (iHeart Radio App).

TV: FSN – Mark Followill, Brian Baldinger, Lesley McCaslin



ABOUT THE GAME
* TCU opens its 2017 campaign Sept. 2 with a 7 p.m. home game versus Jackson State.
* The Horned Frogs are not ranked in the preseason Associated Press or Amway USA Today Coaches polls for the first time since 2014, when they went on to post a 12-1 record while winning a Big 12 championship and defeating Ole Miss 42-3 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
* A victory over Jackson State would give head coach Gary Patterson his 150th win at TCU.
* Patterson's 149 victories at TCU rank second nationally behind Kansas State's Bill Snyder (202) for most win by a head coach at his current school.
* Beginning his 17th season, Patterson is the nation's second-longest tenured head coach. He trails only Iowa's Kirk Ferentz (19th year).
* TCU is tied for second nationally with 19 returning starters (10 offensive, seven defensive, two specialists).

SERIES HISTORY
* TCU and Jackson State are meeting for the first time in their histories.
* The Horned Frogs are facing an opponent from the SWAC for the first time since the 2012 season opener, when they defeated Grambling State 56-0 to give Gary Patterson his 110th victory and make him TCU's all-time winningest head coach. That game also marked the first in Amon G. Carter Stadium after its $164 million rebuild.

SEASON OPENERS
* TCU is opening at home for just the sixth time in Gary Patterson's 17 seasons as head coach. During that stretch, the Horned Frogs will have had nine road games, six home dates and two neutral-site contests (Arlington, Texas).
* TCU is 12-4 in season debuts under Patterson and 72-39-9 overall in openers.
* The Horned Frogs have won their last three season openers and 12 of the past 14, including victories over No. 5 Oklahoma in 2005 and No. 22 Oregon State in 2010.

HOME OPENERS
* The Horned Frogs have won their last 15 home openers for the nation's fifth-longest active streak, trailing only Florida (28), Illinois (20), Arizona State (18) and Arizona (17).
* TCU's 15 straight victories in home openers are under head coach Gary Patterson. In 11 of those wins, the Horned Frogs allowed 17 points or less.
* TCU is 15-1 overall in home openers under Patterson.

CANTON TIES
* TCU legend LaDainian Tomlinson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August. LT's childhood hero was fellow Canton enshrinee and Jackson State product Walter Payton.

TCU NOTABLES
* Over the last three seasons, TCU has the Big 12's second-best overall record (29-10) and conference mark (19-8).
* In the two previous seasons it was coming off a non-winning record in the 17-year tenure of head coach Gary Patterson, TCU went a combined 23-2 en route to a pair of conference championships (Mountain West, 2005; Big 12, 2014). The Horned Frogs were 11-1 in 2005 after a 5-6 campaign in 2004, while going 12-1 with Big 12 and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl championships in 2014 after a 4-8 season in 2013.
* TCU has 21 scholarship seniors this season, nearly three times the total of eight from last year. Overall, 32 seniors are on the Horned Frogs' 2017 roster. TCU had just 13 seniors a year ago.
* Total attendance last season at Amon G. Carter Stadium was at 100.4 percent of capacity, as TCU averaged 45,168 per home date.
* Receiving Preseason All-Big 12 recognition were linebacker Travin Howard, safety Nick Orr, offensive lineman Austin Schlottmann and return specialist KaVontae Turpin.
* Howard and fellow linebacker Ty Summers were the Big 12's top-two tacklers last season with 130 and 121 stops, respectively.
* Running back Kyle Hicks is one of just two returning players nationally (Ito Smith, Southern Miss) to have more than 1,000 yards rushing and 400 receiving last season. Hicks totaled 1,042 on the ground and 417 receiving.
* Hicks became the first Horned Frog to lead the team in rushing (1,042 yards) and receiving (47 receptions) in the same season since Basil Mitchell in 1996.
* Quarterback Kenny Hill is tied for second nationally among active players with five career 400-yard passing games.

TCU and JSU ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

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