Ken Seals had to bide time on the bench until his final college game to make his first start for his beloved TCU Horned Frogs, but it was truly worth the wait.
Seals directed two scoring drives in the final five minutes of regulation and threw the winning touchdown pass in overtime as TCU rallied to beat No. 16 USC 30-27 on Tuesday night in the Alamo Bowl.
“It felt like a movie,” Seals said. “I just can’t even … I’m not processing it. This is just an unbelievable experience. The week leading up to it, the last 10 days, and then finishing it in this fashion is just more than any guy can dream.”
Seals completed 29 of 40 passes for 258 yards and the game-ending score.
After being sacked for a 10-yard loss on second down in overtime, Seals was facing third-and-20 from the 35-yard line when he found running back Jeremy Payne with a short toss in the left flat. Payne caught the ball at the line of scrimmage and wriggled past four defenders, breaking multiple tackles as he bolted down the sideline into the end zone.
“I’m not really surprised,” said TCU linebacker and Defensive MVP Kaleb Elarms-Orr. “Shoot, he be shaking me at practice sometimes, too. I’m not surprised that he just went out there and made a bunch of dudes miss. He was doing it all night. Once he made that first dude miss, I knew he was gone.”
Payne had six catches for 50 yards. He also rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
A sixth-year senior, Seals got the opportunity to start when TCU quarterback Josh Hoover opted to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 18. Seals backed up Hoover the past two seasons after transferring from Vanderbilt, where he started 22 games over three seasons.
Seals grew up a Horned Frogs fan in Azle, about 23 miles from the TCU campus.
“My mentality was just sell out, it’s your last one, man,” Seals said.
Seals directed a 13-play, 59-yard drive in the final 2:44 of regulation to force overtime on a 27-yard field goal by Kyle Lemmermann as time expired.
It was the fourth overtime in the bowl’s 33-year history.
TCU (9-4) limited USC (9-4) to a 22-yard field goal on the opening possession of OT despite incurring a pass-interference call in the end zone that gave the Trojans a first down at the 2-yard line.
USC freshman Ryon Sayeri also had field goals of 40, 28 and 41 yards.
“We had a couple of unique calls that just didn’t quite bounce our way,” Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said. “But we just did not execute good enough in the red zone either side of the ball.”
Trojans junior quarterback Jayden Maiava passed for 280 yards and a touchdown but threw two interceptions.
USC failed to score early in the third quarter following an interception by Christian Pierce. The drive ended when Maiava’s pass was intercepted in the end zone.
Jaden Richardson scored on a one-handed grab for USC in the front left corner of the end zone with 49 seconds remaining in the third. Richardson reached back with his right arm as he was falling backward, pulling the ball into his chest and tapping his right foot inbounds for a 21-yard touchdown reception from Maiava.
Taniela Tupou’s two-point reception extended USC’s lead to 21-14.
TCU grabbed a 14-13 lead in the first half on a pair of short rushing touchdowns that capped 75-yard drives.
The takeaway
USC: The Trojans failed to win 10 games for the third straight season.
TCU: The Horned Frogs had a prolific offense this season but must start anew next year. In addition to Hoover entering the transfer portal, TCU lost offensive coordinator Kendal Briles to South Carolina, and top wide receiver Eric McAlister is headed to the NFL.
Up next
USC: Will host Fresno State on Sept. 5 next year in what could be the first game of Maiava’s Heisman Trophy campaign.
TCU: Will face North Carolina on Aug. 29 in Dublin, Ireland, to kick off next year’s college football season.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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