Ten seasons after providing fireworks in a wild comeback against Oregon in the 2016 Alamo Bowl game, TCU did it again, scoring 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter vs. Southern California to send the game to overtime and eventually win, 30-27, early on New Year’s Eve.
After giving up a field goal on the opening possession of overtime, the Horned Frogs scored the walk-off touchdown when backup quarterback Ken Seals checked down to running back Jeremy Payne, who avoided two USC defenders, barely kept his feet in bounds and scored with an improbable 35-yard catch-and-run:
Making the play even more improbable is the fact that, just the play before, Seals took a 10-yard sack to move the ball back to the 35-yard line. The Horned Frogs appeared only to be trying to get into field goal range on the checkdown, before Payne ended the game himself.
That capped a comeback in which TCU outscored USC 16-6 in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Trojans took a 24-14 lead with 9:37 remaining in regulation off a Ryon Sayeri 41-yard field goal before getting outscored 10-0 in the remainder of regulation. The Horned Frogs scored off a Payne 5-yard touchdown run with 5:13 left in the fourth quarter and a Kyle Lemmermann 27-yard field goal as time expired to send the game to OT.
USC’s offense faced first-and-goal at the 2-yard on the Trojans’ opening drive but could advance no further, settling for the field goal to make the score 27-24. Three plays later, TCU walked the Trojans off to maintain the Big 12’s undefeated bowl game record (3-0) and drop the Big Ten to 6-1.
Payne finished the game with 13 rushes for 73 yards and a score, plus six receptions for 50 yards and the game-winner. Seals, the Alamo Bowl MVP, completed 29 of 40 passes for 258 yards with one touchdown and one interception.