SAN ANTONIO, Texas — For a nine-win team like USC, once again on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff, the bowl season can feel a bit like purgatory. One foot in the past season, the other in the future, your team trapped somewhere in between.
There were glimpses of each Tuesday night for USC, in a brutal 30-27 Alamo Bowl overtime defeat at the hands of Texas Christian. Equal reminders both of what could have been this season, had USC ever played at its best for long, and also flashes of why it never managed to come together.
In one moment, there was true freshman Tanook Hines, sprinting to catch a deep ball in stride, announcing himself as a rising star. In another, a TCU running back was busting his way through tackles on third-and-long, rumbling his way into the end zone, deflating any delusions of grandeur.
But the final minutes took the Trojans on a tour of all the most glaring concerns from their 2025 season, from the leaky defense to the missed opportunities on offense. USC had led by two scores with less than five minutes remaining, only to see its lead evaporate in that span.
It got all the way to the five-yard line in overtime, but failed to punch in, settling for a field goal that would spell its demise.
Though, it didn’t seem to be headed that way as TCU faced a third and 20, with its hopes hanging in the balance. Quarterback Ken Seals simply dumped it off to his running back, Jeremy Payne, and hoped for the best.
He got it, all while dealing the Trojans a nightmarish conclusion in the process.
Payne broke one tackle, then another, then another, rumbling his way 35 yards until he’d scored a walk-off touchdown, leaving USC with a 9-4 record and bitter taste in its mouth heading into the offseason.
There had been multiple chances throughout for USC to put the game away, just like there had been multiple chances in each of the Trojans’ four losses this season.
And now, USC faces a litany of questions unanswered, not the least of which being what direction will USC take its defense, after coordinator D’Anton Lynn departed for Penn State just before the game.
USC certainly played like it had lost its coordinator and half of its starters on that side of the ball, giving up 144 yards in the fourth quarter.
The questions raised Tuesday, however, did not include how USC might replace its No. 1 wideout next season. Hines had already done his part to earn that role, but declared it to the world with a six-catch, 163-yard performance.
King Miller offered similar confidence in the future of USC’s rushing attack, running for 99 yards and a touchdown.
But they may have been the only two. Jayden Maiava, who will return next season, completed 18 of 30 passes for 280 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
USC was already facing an uphill climb with its roster, considering over a dozen starters or would-be starters were out for one reason or another. Three of the Trojans’ starting offensive linemen didn’t dress. Both of their top receivers and top tight end were in street clothes, having already declared for the NFL draft. Twenty-five players listed in USC’s two-deep were either freshmen or redshirt freshmen.
Then there was the matter of being without their defensive coordinator. Lynn left the team a day after he officially took the same job at Penn State. The decision for Lynn not to coach the bowl was described to The Times as “a mutual agreement”. But his absence left USC to entrust defensive line coach Eric Henderson to step into a role he wasn’t expecting.
It went quite smoothly at first. USC held TCU to two straight three-and-outs — and just 11 total yards in two drives — to open the game.
But on the ensuing possession, Maiava threw into heavy coverage in the seam. His pass was picked off. The momentum USC had built up dissolved almost instantly.
The defense’s strong start faded into disarray. TCU turned up the tempo and mounted consecutive touchdown drives. Mistakes piled up for a defense that was relying on inexperienced players at every level. Tackling, which was improved all season, suddenly was a struggle.
Twice, USC stalled after promising drives, deep in TCU territory, leaving it to settle for a pair of first-half field goals and take a 14-13 deficit into halftime.
USC came out of the locker room looking ready to kick into gear. Linebacker Jadyn Walker tipped a pass deep in TCU territory, and safety Christian Pierce came down with the interception, putting USC in perfect position to capitalize.
USC handed it right back. With the ball at the seven-yard line, Maiava threw into traffic once again. It was picked off in the end zone.
But this time, USC’s defense managed to salvage the mistake, forcing a three-and-out, only to find itself on the field again less than 90 seconds later. It got another stop, nonetheless.
Maiava finally made the most of that opportunity. He hit Hines in stride on a 46-yard bomb, then found senior Jaden Richardson in the corner of the end zone for a stunning, one-handed score.
But TCU refused to go away. The Horned Frogs mounted two scoring drives in the final five minutes, forcing overtime.
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