Instant Analysis from USC's 30-27 overtime loss to TCU in the Alamo Bowl
Peristyle Podcast - USC Trojan Football Discussion
USCFootball.com - Ryan Abraham, 247Sports, USC, USC Trojans, USC football, College Football
4.8 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 31 December 2025
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
USC blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to fall, 30-27, to TCU Tuesday night in the Alamo Bowl, and the USCFootball.com team was there to cover all of the action. In the latest edition of Instant Analysis, Connor Morrissette and Shotgun Spratling give their thoughts on the USC loss and what it means for the future of the program.
USC gave up a 35-yard touchdown on a third-and-20 play in overtime to lose. The Trojans were severely undermanned, but still had multiple chances to win before collapsing.
Jayden Maiava completed 18-of-30 passes for 280 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. King Miller rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown, and Tanook Hines caught six passes for 163 yards. Both USC's offense and defense had chances to land knockout blows and couldn't.
Ryon Sayeri made a 22-yard field goal on USC's first offensive possession of overtime, which put the Trojans ahead 30-27. But then USC's defense couldn't get a stop after pinning back TCU to a third-and-20 play. Horned Frog quarterback Kenny Seals threw a screen pass to Jeremy Payne, and Payne broke multiple tackles along the left sideline en route to scoring the game-winning touchdown. Seals earned Player of the Game honors after throwing for 258 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
The loss drops USC to 9-4 on the season and kickstarts an offseason where the Trojans will need to find a new defensive coordinator after D'Anton Lynn left to take the same position at Penn State.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | For USCF Football.com, Connor Morissette and shotgun spratling. |
| 0:11.0 | Shotgun, we're here inside the Alamo Dome after USC suffers a very tough defeat in overtime, |
| 0:17.0 | 30 to 27 to TCU. |
| 0:20.0 | USC led by 10 in the fourth quarter. |
| 0:22.3 | Look like they had a chance at overtime. |
| 0:23.6 | Doesn't go their way. |
| 0:24.4 | So much to discuss. |
| 0:25.7 | How are you? |
| 0:26.7 | I'm doing great. |
| 0:28.2 | Not so much for USC because for Lincoln Riley, |
| 0:31.7 | this late 2018, I covered the Rose Bowl when Georgia played |
| 0:35.7 | Oklahoma and it was in double overtime and it plays on a very, I mean the game ends on a very |
| 0:41.8 | similar play that one in double overtime where Sony Michelle goes down the left side |
| 0:45.6 | line and scores. |
| 0:46.4 | This time is Jeremy Payne for TCU on a third and 20 play. |
| 0:52.1 | This one hurts even more besides the stakes than that one, I think, for Lincoln |
| 0:56.0 | Rally, because you see three defenders have an opportunity and three missed tackles. |
| 1:01.1 | USC missed a ton of tackles tonight, and it just came to fruition, was even more prevalent |
| 1:07.6 | on the final play. It can't make the tackle. Jeremy Payne goes down the sideline scores to win in overtime after USC had to settle for a field goal |
| 1:15.4 | after getting down to the two-yard line on the opening possession of the overtime period. |
| 1:19.6 | So opportunities, opportunities, opportunities couldn't finish in the red zone, whereas |
| 1:24.3 | TCU gets a third and 20 and finds a way to score, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from USCFootball.com - Ryan Abraham, 247Sports, USC, USC Trojans, USC football, College Football, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of USCFootball.com - Ryan Abraham, 247Sports, USC, USC Trojans, USC football, College Football and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.