USC Trojans legend bashes program after giving up crazy TD to lose Alamo Bowl

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USC Trojans’s 2025 season ended in familiar frustration, as the Lincoln Riley’s team surrendered a late lead and suffered a heartbreaking 30-27 overtime loss to TCU in the Valero Alamo Bowl.

The defeat marked USC’s fourth loss of the year and capped another campaign defined by defensive breakdowns at the worst possible moments. TCU’s comeback echoed its historic rally against Oregon Ducks in the 2016 Alamo Bowl.

This time, the Horned Frogs erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, scoring 10 unanswered points to force overtime before delivering a walk-off touchdown that stunned the Trojans.

As the decisive play unfolded, frustration boiled over among USC fans and alumni alike. Program legend LenDale White reacted almost immediately after the game-winning touchdown, taking to social media to question the Trojans’ fundamentals.

“Do y’all ever practice tackling ever or is it always about offense?” White posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The comment reflected a broader sentiment after TCU backup quarterback Ken Seals checked down on third-and-long in overtime. Running back Jeremy Payne caught the pass, slipped past two USC defenders, stayed in bounds, and raced 35 yards for the game-winning score.

The play was especially improbable given that Seals had taken a 10-yard sack on the previous snap, seemingly pushing TCU out of realistic scoring range.

USC head coach Lincoln Riley acknowledged the breakdown afterward in the post game press conference, explaining that the defensive call had worked as designed, but execution failed at the finish.

“Yeah, we got off to a good start obviously in the overtime. We had them backed up to a third and extra long and it was going to be a pretty tough field goal even at that point. But, we missed a couple of tackles. I mean, in just a very inopportune time. So, give the guy credit from TCU, made a hell of a run, but you know, wasn’t a lot of times this year that we missed multiple tackles on a play and it just happened in kind of the worst time possible.” Riley said, adding that USC had “forced him to check” but “just didn’t finish the play.”

The collapse capped a rough closing stretch in which USC was outscored 16-6 across the fourth quarter and overtime. Despite taking a 24-14 lead with under 10 minutes left, the Trojans allowed TCU to claw back behind a Payne rushing touchdown and a game-tying field goal as time expired.

Still, as USC turns the page toward next season, the Alamo Bowl ending and White’s blunt reaction underscores a lingering question — whether the Trojans can finally pair their offensive firepower with defensive consistency when it matters most.

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