After a rocky climb to victory against Stanford last Friday, TCU will play its first home game on Saturday against the Long Island University Sharks. This will be the teams’ first meeting on the gridiron.

Although LIU fell to University at Albany in a close 27-21 contest, they still put up good numbers as a team.

The Sharks had a total of 179 rushing yards and averaged 5.8 yards per attempt. Star running back Ludovick Choquette accounted for 129 of those yards.

“I believe against Albany, he played well. He’s big, strong, physical, tough runner,” said TCU head coach Sonny Dykes. Choquette also tallied one receiving touchdown.

LIU’s quarterback Luca Stanzani connected with receivers for all three touchdowns, completing 20 of 31 passes for 179 yards. Wide receivers Michael Love and Brandon Niemenski had six and three receptions for 69 and 32 yards, respectively. Each recorded a touchdown.

Stanzani’s passing ability is strong and shows he is able to make plans, but with TCU’s new defensive scheme and improved secondary, the pressure is on for the sophomore quarterback.

Dykes said he is excited for the matchup with LIU, and he commented on how they played similar to TCU against Stanford. “They pretty much dominated the game with Albany, you know, in terms of yardage and moving the football,” he said. “They made some mistakes that kept them from being a really good team.”

In Friday night’s dance with Stanford, TCU’s defense totaled four penalties for 70 yards, which cannot be a trend if the Frogs want a successful season.

TCU quarterback Josh Hoover passed for nearly double Stanzani’s yards and will likely control this game. Wide receivers Savion Williams and Jack Bech connected perfectly with Hoover and will be lethal against LIU’s defense.

The pressure is on as TCU hopes to enter conference play next week with two wins on its belt. The Frogs’ anticipated home opener will kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The game will be available for streaming on ESPN+.