San Antonio, TX- TCU capped a late comeback and dramatic finish Tuesday night, defeating Southern California 30-27 in overtime in the Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome.
Jeremy Payne caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from Ken Seals on third-and-20 in overtime to give the Horned Frogs the win after USC settled for a field goal on its opening possession. The score completed a rally that saw TCU erase a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and improve to 9-4.
“On third-and-long, we trusted our preparation and our quarterback trusted his read,” TCU coach Sonny Dykes said. “That’s the kind of moment you dream about, and our guys made the play when it mattered most.”
USC (9-4) struck first and led most of the night behind kicker Ryon Sayeri, who tied an Alamo Bowl record by going 4-for-4 on field goals. His 22-yard kick in overtime put the Trojans ahead 27-24, but their defense could not hold after a controversial overturned replay gave TCU new life on its possession.
The Trojans opened the scoring on Sayeri’s 40-yard field goal late in the first quarter. TCU responded in the second with touchdown runs by Josh Denman and Kenyatta Seals, briefly taking a 14-10 lead before USC answered. Jayden Maiava threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jaden Richardson early in the third quarter, and Sayeri added a 41-yard field goal midway through the fourth to push USC ahead 24-14.
“We had opportunities to finish it and didn’t,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said. “Against a good team, you have to make the routine plays in big moments, and we left too many out there.”
TCU’s comeback began with Payne’s 5-yard touchdown run with 4:24 remaining in regulation. Kicker Kyle Lemmermann then tied the game with a 27-yard field goal as time expired, sending the contest to overtime before a crowd of 54,751.
Seals finished 29 of 40 for 258 yards and the decisive touchdown, while Payne totaled 123 all-purpose yards and scored twice. Maiava threw for 280 yards for USC, but was intercepted twice.
Payne said the Horned Frogs never doubted the outcome. “We believed the whole time,” he said. “When we got the ball in overtime, we knew one play could change everything, and it did.”
