USC falls to TCU in Alamo Bowl OT thriller

SAN ANTONIO — On the 10th anniversary of the TCU Horned Frogs' historic 31-0 halftime comeback win against the Oregon Ducks in the Valero Alamo Bowl, the Horned Frogs carried that bit of magic to the present day against the USC Trojans, crawling their way back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to win the Alamo Bowl by a slim 30-27 score via a Jeremy Payne 35-yard walk off touchdown.

The Trojans had many opportunities to pull away with the win in the Lone Star State, but the combination of broken tackles and lack of starters stirred up a recipe of unprecedented blunders.

To begin with, Jayden Maiava did not have the best of games, as the newly re-signed quarterback for the Trojans went 18-30 on pass attempts, completing 60% of his passes, throwing for 280 yards with one touchdown, but was also picked off twice, with one of those picks occurring in the red zone. 

On the offensive, Tanook Hines had himself a standout performance occupying the main wide receiver target for Maiava, which will surely translate to the 2026 season, as Hines notched 163 receiving yards on 6 receptions. King Miller also stood out running the rock for USC, sprinting for 99 yards on the ground in 25 rushing attempts and a touchdown. 

The first half between the Horned Frogs and Trojans went as many expected, a back-and-forth, yet steadily paced two quarters between two programs that rarely meet. TCU held a 14-13 lead over USC after the first half concluded, which showcased the first moments in which the Trojans could have gained some leverage, adding some points on the board, but Jamel Johnson's pick off Maiava on TCU's 31-yard line quickly ended any momentum the Trojans were trying to build. 

USC started the second half with an interception, partly thanks to Jadyn Walker tipping TCU quarterback Ken Seals' pass, which was then recovered by Christian Pearce. USC looked to add some early second-half points on the board positioned at the Horned Frogs' 29-yard line, but Maiava was picked off once more in the red zone. 

TCU would gain nothing from that interception, with USC's defense hitting Mach One on back-to-back three-and-outs. 

You would think with a team that had the likes of Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane as your one-two receiver corps, noteworthy catches would be coming plentiful on a nightly basis, but redshirt senior Jaden Richardson made the undisputed catch of the year, snagging a one-handed 21-yard touchdown reception to give USC the lead with the final seconds winding down in the third quarter. 

USC would extend the lead, 21-14, with Ryon Sayeri's 41-yard field goal, which marked his 20th made field goal of the season, a Trojans program record. TCU would follow that up with an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Jeremy Payne 5-yard rushing touchdown to inch the Horned Frogs closer to the Trojans, 21-24. 

The Horned Frogs were able to create a crucial stop on defense late in the fourth to stop any chance the Trojans had to add insurance points, and by the end of regulation, TCU completed a 10-point fourth-quarter comeback by tying the game 24-24 with a 27-yard field goal. 

We had ourselves an overtime bowl game, and the Trojans were looking to put the game away on their opening drive. Even after a pass interference call increased the chances for a USC touchdown, they settled for a 22-yard field goal to regain the lead, 27-24. 

TCU took advantage of USC's shortcomings from their overtime drive and was able to walk off the Trojans stunningly by a Jeremy Payne 35-yard reception, capping off a tightly fought Alamo Bowl by a final of 30-27. 

With its Alamo Bowl loss, the Trojans complete their 2025 campaign with a 9-4 record. In a season in which Lincoln Riley had stated previously would be looked at as the beginning of the future success for the program, ended on a sour note.