SAN ANTONIO – On the 10th anniversary of the TCU Horned Frogs’ historic 31-0 halftime comeback against the Oregon Ducks in the Valero Alamo Bowl, the Horned Frogs continued that magic against the USC Trojans, trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter to win the Alamo Bowl by a narrow 30-27 margin on Jeremy Payne’s 35-yard field goal. Leaving the field for a touchdown.
The Trojans had plenty of chances to win in the Lone Star State, but a combination of sporadic tackles and a lack of starters led to an unprecedented number of turnovers.
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First, Jaden Maiava didn’t have his best game. The newly signed Trojans quarterback went 18-30 in pass attempts, completing 60 percent of his passes for 280 yards, but was also picked off twice, one of which came in the red zone.
On offense, Tanook Hines performed well as Maiava’s primary wide receiver target, which is sure to translate into the 2026 season, with Hines catching six passes for 163 yards. King Miller also excelled against the run game for USC, rushing for 99 yards and a touchdown on 25 rushing attempts.
The first half between the Horned Frogs and Trojans went as many expected, a back-and-forth but two steady-paced quarters between two programs that rarely meet. TCU led USC 14-13 after halftime, which showed the Trojans could have gained some initial advantage and put some points on the board, but Jamel Johnson’s catch of Maiava at the TCU 31-yard line quickly ended any momentum the Trojans were trying to build.
USC had an interception early in the second half, in part because Jadyn Walker caught a pass from TCU quarterback Ken Seals, who was later caught by Christian Pearce. Early in the second half, USC looked to add some points on the board at the Horned Frogs’ 29-yard line, but Maiava was picked off again in the red zone.
TCU would gain nothing from the interception, and USC’s defense hit a mach on back-to-back three-and-out drives.
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You might think that a team with No. 2 receivers like Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane would have a ton of noteworthy catches every night, but redshirt senior Jaden Richardson had the undisputed reception of the year with a one-handed 21-yard touchdown catch to give USC the lead in the final seconds of the third quarter.
USC extended its lead to 21-14 on Ryon Sayeri’s 41-yard field goal, his 20th of the season, a program record for the Trojans. TCU then went on an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Jeremy Payne as the Horned Frogs closed within 21-24 of the Trojans.
The Horned Frogs produced a key defensive push late in the fourth quarter, denying the Trojans any chance to add an insurance score, and by the end of the regular quarter, TCU completed a 10-point comeback in the fourth quarter with a 27-yard field goal to tie the game at 24-24.
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We had an overtime game and the Trojans were looking to close it out on their opening drive. Even though pass interference increased USC’s chances for a touchdown, they settled for a 22-yard field goal to regain the lead at 27-24.
TCU took advantage of USC’s shortcomings in overtime with a stunning 35-yard catch from Jeremy Payne to beat the Trojans to end a tight Alamo Bowl game 30-27.
After losing the Alamo Bowl, the Trojans finished the 2025 season with a 9-4 record. Lincoln Riley previously said that this season would be seen as the beginning of future success for the program, but it ended on an unhappy note.
