Final: TCU 30, #16 USC 27 (OT)
Game Date: December 30, 2025
Attendance: 54,751
Head Coaches: USC: Lincoln Riley, TCU: Sonny Dykes
Away Team: USC Trojans
Home Team: TCU Horned Frogs
TV Coverage: ESPN (Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, Dana Boyle)
Viewership: 4.9 million
Offensive MVP: #9 QB Ken Seals, TCU
Defensive MVP: #3 LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, TCU
Fred Jacoby Sportsmanship Award: #73 OL Tobias Raymond, USC
Highlights: Ten years after its NCAA record-setting Valero Alamo Bowl comeback, TCU delivered another classic as it erased a 10-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to defeat No. 16 USC, 30–27 in OT, on the second-longest overtime walk-off touchdown in NCAA history on December 30, 2025.
TCU quarterback Ken Seals capped his first and only start in a Horned Frogs uniform with a 35-yard touchdown pass to running back Jeremy Payne on 3rd-and-20, sealing TCU’s third epic comeback victory in three Valero Alamo Bowl appearances. Payne broke one tackle to get the Frogs into field goal position then three others as he tip-toed the sideline to the endzone score the dramatic game winning walk-off touchdown.
TCU’s 30-27 win over USC after trailing 24-14 in the fourth quarter tonight joins TCU’s 31-point comeback and triple overtime 47-41 win against Oregon on Jan. 2, 2016, as well as their 39-37 win over Stanford in 2017, having been down 21-3. Their third unforgettable win in San Antonio moved their historical mark to 3-0 in the Valero Alamo Bowl matching Nebraska’s perfect 3-0 record in the game and trailing only Texas (4-2) in all-time wins.
In its 33-year history, the 2025 Valero Alamo Bowl was the:
- First game ending in a walk-off touchdown
- All-time high in scholarships awarded: 183 recipients sharing $1.28 million
- Top combined team payout in bowl history at $10 million
- Second-highest television audience of the past six years: 4.9 million viewers, peaking at 6.4 million
- Second-highest attendance for a non-CFP bowl game: 54,751
- Second-longest overtime walk-off touchdown in NCAA history
- Third come-from-behind victory for TCU in its three appearances in San Antonio
- Fourth overtime game in bowl history and the first since TCU’s three-overtime win in 2015
- Ninth game in which the outcome was decided on the final play
Game Recap
In front of a crowd of 54,741 excited fans, TCU rallied late and capped the comeback with a walk-off touchdown in overtime to defeat No. 16 USC, 30–27, at the Alamodome in the Valero Alamo Bowl on December 30.
TCU won the opening coin toss and elected to defer. After a back-and-forth contest that featured multiple lead changes, the Horned Frogs scored in the final minutes of regulation to force overtime, then ended the game on their opening possession of the extra period.
Quarterback Ken Seals, making his first start since November 2023 and his first as a Horned Frog, was named Offensive MVP. Seals completed 29 of 40 passes for 258 yards, threw the game-winning touchdown in overtime, and added his first rushing touchdown at TCU. Linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr earned Defensive MVP honors after recording double-digit tackles for the sixth time this season.
TCU’s winning score came on a short pass from Seals to running back Jeremy Payne on third-and-20 in overtime. Payne caught the ball near the line of scrimmage, broke multiple tackles, and raced down the sideline for the decisive touchdown. It marked the Horned Frogs’ first walk-off score since November 19, 2022. Payne finished with six receptions for 50 yards and added 73 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
USC opened overtime with a field goal but was held out of the end zone despite gaining first-and-goal at the 2-yard line following a pass interference penalty. TCU then ended the game on its ensuing possession. The contest marked the fourth overtime game in the 33-year history of the Alamo Bowl and TCU’s first overtime victory since October 15, 2022.
The Trojans built a second-half lead behind quarterback Jayden Maiava, who passed for 280 yards and a touchdown but threw two interceptions. Jaden Richardson highlighted USC’s night with a 21-yard one-handed touchdown reception late in the third quarter, followed by a successful two-point conversion that extended the lead to 21–14. USC kicker Ryon Sayeri accounted for the Trojans’ remaining points with four field goals.
TCU answered late, driving 59 yards in the final 2:44 of regulation to set up a game-tying 27-yard field goal as time expired. Earlier, the Horned Frogs scored twice on short rushing touchdowns to take a 14–13 halftime lead.
Defensively, TCU recorded multiple interceptions for the fifth consecutive bowl game. Channing Canada logged the first interception of his season and the second of his career, while Jamel Johnson recorded his team-leading fifth interception of the year — the most by a Horned Frog since 2022. Namdi Obiazor added seven tackles to reach 302 career stops.
The victory continued several notable trends for TCU. The Horned Frogs improved to 3–0 all-time in the Valero Alamo Bowl (2015, 2017, 2024), with each win coming after trailing by double digits. TCU also moved to 4–2 all-time against USC, marking the first meeting between the programs since the 1998 Sun Bowl. Under head coach Sonny Dykes, TCU is now 3–0 in bowl games, has won seven of its last eight postseason contests, and improved to 30–5 when scoring 30 or more points and 30–4 when leading at halftime.
TCU also extended its streak of scoring in 420 consecutive games, the second-longest active streak in NCAA history. With the win, the Horned Frogs finished the season 9–4 and secured its second victory over a ranked opponent this year.
Game Notes
Sayeri Strikes First, Joins Record Books
Ryon Sayeri, a walk-on kicker and Lou Groza Award semifinalist, knocked through a 40-yard field goal to get the scoring started for USC with 7:06 to go in the first quarter. Sayeri came into the game with the fifth-best field goal percentage in the nation (94.4% accuracy), going 17-of-18 on the year. Sayeri went on to make four field goals in the 2025 Valero Alamo Bowl, breaking the USC record for most field goals in a season with 20. He hit from 40, 28, 41 and 22 yards tonight, with four makes, tying three others for the second-most in Alamo Bowl history. USC was 5-2 in the regular season and is 62-16 under head coach Lincoln Riley when scoring first.
How ‘Bout a Fifth?
TCU safety Jamel Johnson recorded his team-leading fifth interception of the season when he dove in front of quarterback Jayden Maiava’s pass with just over two minutes to go in the first quarter. For Maiava, who led the nation with a QBR of 91.2, it marked his ninth interception of the season.
Wall of Troy
USC kept TCU off the scoreboard in the first quarter, marking the fourth time this season they’ve held an opponent scoreless across the first 15 minutes. The Trojans won all three previous contests and have now accomplished the feat in back-to-back games. Additionally, this marks the third consecutive Alamo Bowl in which a team was held scoreless across the first frame, with BYU (2024) and Arizona (2023) also delivering strong defensive starts.
Up the Gut
Running back Jon Denman’s five-yard touchdown run put the Horned Frogs up with 13:39 left in the second quarter. The freshman played in every regular-season game but scored just two touchdowns before the 2025 Valero Alamo Bowl. The TD allowed TCU to extend the second-longest scoring streak in NCAA history to 420 games. The streak dates back to Nov. 16, 1991, and sits behind only Florida, who has gone 473 games without being shut out.
It’s Miller Time
The Trojans wasted little time responding to TCU’s score, using a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took 3:39 to jump back ahead. Running back King Miller powered the series with a 24-yard rush and then a two-yard stomp into the endzone.
Gotta Risk it for the Biscuit
On a 4th and 2 from the USC 12-yard line, TCU decided against a game-tying field goal and instead handed an end-around to wide receiver Major Everhart, who converted a first down and landed at the one. On the very next play, quarterback Ken Seals kept the ball and snuck in for his first rushing touchdown since 2023, when he was at Vanderbilt. The touchdown, Seals’ first of the year, catapulted TCU ahead 14-10 with 4:58 left in the first half.
Second Quarter Onslaught
After a three-point first quarter, both offenses came to life and combined for 24 points in the second quarter, with both USC and TCU scoring on each of their second-quarter possessions. The 24 combined points tied the 2021 Alamo Bowl for the third-most points in a second quarter in Alamo Bowl history (Baylor vs Washington, 2011; Nebraska vs Northwestern, 2000).
That’s New
Despite coming into the game 2-0 in the Valero Alamo Bowl, TCU had never led at the half. In fact, the Horned Frogs are known for their iconic VAB comebacks. In 2016, they came back from down 31-0 at the half to defeat Oregon in triple overtime. In 2017, they stormed back from down 21-3 in the second quarter to beat Stanford.
Sudden Shift
Not even a minute into the second half, quarterback Ken Seals threw an interception corralled by safety Christian Pierce. In a game in which both of USC’s starting safeties, Kamari Ramsey and Bishop Fitzgerald, opted out, Pierce stepped up with his first career interception.
Clutch Canada
Shortly after USC’s Christian Pierce earned his first career interception, TCU’s Channing Canada answered with an interception of his own when he picked off USC quarterback Jayden Maiava’s pass in the endzone with 11:11 left in the third quarter. Canada’s first interception of the season preserved TCU’s slim 14-13 lead.
Youth Movement
Freshman wide receiver Tanook Hines stepped up, delivering a game-high 163 receiving yards for a new career-high, surpassing his previous benchmark of 141 against Oregon on November 22. With a 46-yard reception in the third quarter, Hines surpassed the century mark for the second time in his career. Jayden Maiava’s pass found the Houston, Texas native streaking down the field for the longest play of the game.
Who Needs Two Hands?
Wide receiver Jaden Richardson hauled in a tremendous one-handed grab for a 21-yard touchdown with just 49 seconds left in the third quarter. Richardson’s first Trojan touchdown was quite the moment for the former Division III star at Tufts University. USC proceeded to go for two and converted on a pass to Taniela Tupou, launching USC ahead 21-14.
No Payne, No Gain
With 4:24 remaining in the game, TCU running back Jeremy Payne found the endzone for his fifth rushing touchdown of the season and his third in the last two games. The score capped off an 11-play, 75-yard drive and cut USC’s lead to 24-21. Payne totaled 73 rushing yards, his third most in a game this season.
Crown Him
Trojan running back King Miller racked up 114 all-purpose yards, including 99 on the ground, marking his fifth game this season with over 100 all-purpose yards. Miller emerged as USC’s lead back following injuries earlier in the year and entered the game ranked third nationally among Power 4 backs with at least 130 attempts with 6.57 yards per carry.
Headed to OT
Kyle Lemmermann drilled a 27-yard field goal for TCU as time expired to work a 24-24 score and force overtime. His three points capped off a 13-play, 59-yard drive for TCU. This marks just the fourth time that the Alamo Bowl has needed overtime to decide a victor, and the first since 2015. The Horned Frogs featured in the last overtime bout, recovering from a 31-point halftime deficit to stun Oregon 47-41 in triple overtime, which tied the largest comeback in NCAA bowl history.
THE GAME IS OVER
After Ryon Sayeri converted his fourth field goal of the game in the first overtime period, USC went up 27-24. TCU then bounced back as quarterback Ken Seals found Jeremy Payne in the flat and Payne streaked down the sideline for a 35-yard walk-off touchdown and a 30-27 Horned Frog victory. Seals was named Alamo Bowl Offensive MVP in what was his first start since 2023 at Vanderbilt, as he spent the past two seasons as a backup behind Josh Hoover. Seals, a former three-year starter at Vanderbilt, grew up as a lifelong TCU fan in Fort Worth, Texas.
Down Goes Fraizer
Unranked TCU’s victory over No. 16 Southern California marks the fourth time in Valero Alamo Bowl history that an unranked team topped a ranked program and the first since Texas bested No. 11 Utah 38-10 in 2019. TCU improves to 20-16-1 all-time in bowl games, and remains a perfect 3-0 in the Valero Alamo Bowl, tying Nebraska for the second-most in bowl history. Only Texas (4-2) has more Alamo Bowl victories. USC falls to 36-21 in the postseason.
Texas Two-Step
Fourteen USC players were back in their home state of Texas for the Alamo Bowl, representing the second-most Trojans from a single state, behind California (47). On the other sideline, TCU’s roster features 84 players who played high school football in the Lone Star State—the most of any Power 4 program in Texas.
Special Guests in the House
USC and TCU were led to midfield by honorary captains Brian Cushing and Bram Kohlhausen, respectively. Cushing led the Trojans to four consecutive Rose Bowls as a linebacker before becoming the all-time leading tackler in Houston Texans history. Kohlhausen, a quarterback, became a Horned Frog legend when he led TCU to a 31-point comeback against Oregon ten years ago in the Valero Alamo Bowl (Jan. 2, 2016).
Attendance Records at the Valero Alamo Bowl
- 2007 Penn State 24, Texas A&M 17 66,166
- 2013 #10 Oregon 30, Texas 7 65,918
- 2006 #18 Texas 26, Iowa 24 65,875
- 1999 #13 Penn State 24, #18 Texas A&M 65,380
- 2012 #23 Texas 31, #13 Oregon State 27 65,277
- 2004 #22 Ohio State 33, Oklahoma State 7 65,265
- 2011 #12 Baylor 67, Washington 56 65,256
- 2001 Iowa 19, Texas Tech 16 65,232
- 2010 Texas Tech 41, Michigan State 31 64,757
- 1995 #19 Texas A&M 22, #14 Michigan 20 64,597
- 2016 #11 TCU 47, #15 Oregon 41 (3OT) 64,569
- 2024 #17 BYU, #23 Colorado 64,261
- 2022 #20 Texas 20, #12 Washington 27 62,730
- 2005 Nebraska 32, #20 Michigan 28 62,016
- 1998 Purdue 37, #4 Kansas State 34 60,780
- 2018 #13 Washington St. 28, #24 Iowa St. 24 60,675
- 2015 #14 UCLA 40, #11 Kansas State 35 60,517
- 2019: Texas 38, #11 Utah 10 60,147
- 2000 #8 Nebraska 66, #19 Northwestern 17 60,028
- 2016 #12 Oklahoma State 38, #10 Colorado 8 59,815
- 2021 #14 Oregon 32, #16 Oklahoma 47 59,121
- 2017 #15 TCU 39, #13 Stanford 37 57,653
- 2010 #14 Oklahoma State 36, Arizona 10 57,593
- 2003 #21 Nebraska 17, Michigan St. 3 56,229
- 2008 #23 Missouri 30, #20 Northwestern 23 55,986
- 2023 #14 Arizona 38, #12 Oklahoma 24 55,853
- 1996 #21 Iowa 27, Texas Tech 0 55,677
- 1997 #16 Purdue 33, #24 Oklahoma State 20 55,552
- 2025#16 USC, TCU 54,751
- 2002 #14 Wisconsin 31, Colorado 28 50,690
- 1993 California 37, Iowa 3 45,716
- 1994 #24 Washington State 10, Baylor 3 44,106
- 2020 Texas 55, Colorado 23 10,822**
**City mandated capacity of 11,000 due to COVID restrictions in 2020
Box Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USC | 3 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
| TCU | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 30 |
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
USC – Field Goal
- 7:06 — Ryon Sayeri 40-yard FG
- Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 3:46
- Score: USC 3, TCU 0
2nd Quarter
TCU – Touchdown
- 13:36 — Jon Denman 5-yard run (Kyle Lemmermann PAT)
- Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 3:55
- Score: USC 3, TCU 7
USC – Touchdown
- 9:57 — King Miller 2-yard run (Ryon Sayeri PAT)
- Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:39
- Score: USC 10, TCU 7
TCU – Touchdown
- 4:58 — Ken Seals 1-yard run (Kyle Lemmermann PAT)
- Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:59
- Score: USC 10, TCU 14
USC – Field Goal
- 0:18 — Ryon Sayeri 28-yard FG
- Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 4:40
- Score: USC 13, TCU 14
3rd Quarter
USC – Touchdown
- 0:49 — Jaden Richardson 21-yard pass from Jayden Maiava
- Two-point conversion: Maiava pass to Taniela Tupou
- Drive: 5 plays, 73 yards, 3:02
- Score: USC 21, TCU 14
4th Quarter
USC – Field Goal
- 9:37 — Ryon Sayeri 41-yard FG
- Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 5:05
- Score: USC 24, TCU 14
TCU – Touchdown
- 4:24 — Jeremy Payne 5-yard run (Kyle Lemmermann PAT)
- Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:13
- Score: USC 24, TCU 21
TCU – Field Goal
- 0:02 — Kyle Lemmermann 27-yard FG
- Drive: 13 plays, 59 yards, 2:44
- Score: USC 24, TCU 24
Overtime
USC – Field Goal
- Ryon Sayeri 22-yard FG
- Drive: 6 plays, 20 yards
- Score: USC 27, TCU 24
TCU – Touchdown
- Jeremy Payne 35-yard pass from Ken Seals
- Drive: 3 plays, 25 yards
- Final Score: TCU 30, USC 27
Team Stats
| Team Stats | USC Trojans | TCU Horned Frogs |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 19 | 20 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency | 5-12 | 8-15 |
| 4th Down Efficiency | 0-0 | 1-1 |
| Total Yards | 392 | 375 |
| Passing Yards | 280 | 258 |
| Comp/Att | 18/30 | 29/40 |
| Yards per Pass | 9.3 | 6.5 |
| Rushing Yards | 112 | 117 |
| Rushing Attempts | 33 | 31 |
| Yards per Rush | 3.4 | 3.8 |
| Penalties | 7-50 | 10-81 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 0 |
| Interceptions Thrown | 2 | 1 |
| Time of Possession | 31:52 | 28:08 |
Game Leaders
Passing
| Team | Player | Pos | Stats | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USC | Jayden Maiava | QB | 18/30, 1 TD, 2 INT | 280 |
| TCU | Ken Seals | QB | 29/40, 1 TD, 1 INT | 258 |
Rushing
| Team | Player | Pos | Stats | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USC | King Miller | RB | 25 CAR, 1 TD | 99 |
| TCU | Jeremy Payne | RB | 13 CAR, 1 TD | 73 |
Receiving
| Team | Player | Pos | Stats | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USC | Tanook Hines | WR | 6 REC | 163 |
| TCU | Eric McAlister | WR | 8 REC | 69 |
Defense
| Category | Team | Player | Pos | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacks | USC | Kameryn Crawford | DE | 2 |
| Tackles | TCU | Kaleb Elarms-Orr | LB | 11 (3 solo) |
| Tackles | USC | Alex Graham | CB | 8 (6 solo) |