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By J.D. Moore
There are three truths in life: Never get involved in a land war in Asia, never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line, and never take a double digit lead on TCU in the Alamo Bowl.
Almost ten years to the day after Gary Patterson changed his shirt at halftime and TCU had one of the greatest comebacks in college football history, Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans became the third straight team to commit this classic blunder against the Frogs. The Trojans fell to TCU 30-27 in overtime and mirrored a near-exact collapse that the 2015 Oregon Ducks and the 2017 Stanford Cardinal previously committed in San Antonio.
Now, look. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone. Every sign was there in the Alamodome to show that TCU’s win was inevitable.
TCU lost its starting QB right before the game? Check.
The backup QB, who had never started before as a Horned Frog, had to come in on the fly? Check.
The TCU end zone was painted as an exact replica of the end zone from their legendary win over Oregon? Check.
Bram Kolhausen, the unlikely hero from that 31-0 comeback, came to San Antonio as the honorary captain for TCU? Check.
A legacy Pac-12 school was up double digits in the second half? Okay, c’mon. This script literally writes itself.
“It felt like a movie,” said TCU quarterback Ken Seals, who connected on 29 of 40 passes for 258 yards and walked home as the game’s offensive MVP. “Finishing it in this fashion is just more than any guy can dream.“
The Comeback, Part III
At just under four and a half minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the crowd of 54,000+ knew what was coming. With TCU down 24-14, Horned Frogs running back Jeremy Payne scored on a five-yard run, capping off a 75-yard, 11-play drive. It was the first touchdown for TCU in the second half, cutting USC’s lead to just a field goal.
On the next drive, the Trojans would lose a yard on a three-and-out (only one of two they had in 11 drives), and TCU marched down the field to make a chip shot to send the game into the fourth-ever overtime game in the Alamo Bowl. TCU would win the coin toss, and promptly hold USC to a field goal.
Able to win the game with a touchdown, TCU lined up on the 25 yard line, only to have a catch by Joseph Manjack IV get overturned, and Seals to lose 10 yards on a sack. Facing third and 20, TCU turned to a familiar face.
A wheel route pass to Payne progressed from okay to good to great to an all-time play in TCU football as he shed five tackles, staying in bounds and sprinting to the end zone. The PA announcer repeatedly hollered that “THE GAME IS NOT OVER” but it was just a formality - TCU was already celebrating its third Alamo Bowl comeback in the last decade.
“Once he made that first dude miss, I knew he was gone,” said TCU linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr, who took home the defensive MVP trophy.
The win was yet another gritty comeback win for the Frogs, who are now 3-0 all-time in the Alamo Bowl and have tied Nebraska for the best record in the bowl’s history.
“These guys made plays down the stretch,” said Sonny Dykes, TCU’s head coach. "I mean, Ken (Seals) did a great job checking the ball down there on third down, and we were trying to get in field goal range and probably anticipating kicking a 45-50 yard field goal. Jeremy (Payne) just took it over and made a play. I’m so proud of these guys. It’s a great win for TCU, and I think something that will always remember.”