USC won’t have its top weapons in the Alamo Bowl, but that’s no relief for TCU
Preparing for a Lincoln Riley offense is always a challenge, but how do you prepare for an offense that won’t have many of its key playmakers?
That’s the challenge for TCU defensive coordinator Andy Avalos as the Horned Frogs (8-4) turn their full focus to Riley’s No. 16-ranked USC (9-3) ahead of the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30 in San Antonio.
USC is expected to be without star wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, who have opted out of the bowl to prepare for the NFL draft. Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best wide receiver with 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Lane finished with 745 yards and four touchdowns.
The Trojans are also expecting to be without tight end Lake McRee, a matchup problem at 6-foot-4 who was third on the team with 450 yards and four touchdowns.
On the one hand, it’s easy to assume those absences will make USC easier to defend. But on the other hand, it seems like a safe bet that the Trojans will tweak their offensive approach as they retool without their top playmakers.
That creates a problem for TCU, as most of USC’s film from the regular season won’t be as big of a help in preparation.
“You got to identify the personnel that’s going to be available,” Avalos said Monday. “You kind of have to put the pieces together from the whole season as to who are some of the other guys that have stepped into some of those roles throughout the year.”
USC’s Jayden Maiava leads nation in QBR
One player whom TCU is still going to have to account for is quarterback Jayden Maiava. The junior emerged as one of the Big Ten’s top quarterbacks, passing for 3,431 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions while ranking No. 1 in the country in ESPN’s Total QBR metric at 91.2.
Maiava doesn’t get a lot of carries, but is a capable dual threat who has rushed for six touchdowns this season. Avalos hopes the experience from facing so many dual threat quarterbacks will help TCU slow down Maiava in the bowl game.
“We’ve pretty much played a running quarterback all year,” Avalos said. “You handle the first play in the passing game, and then you have to get ready for the second play with the scramble game and make sure we’re leveraging the pocket. There is a designed run game that we have to be very diligent with.”
TCU will have its best defensive players
One thing that will make Avalos’ job easier and potentially give TCU an advantage is the availability of most of his key defensive players. Safeties Bud Clark and Jamel Johnson, linebackers Kaleb Elarms-Orr and Namdi Obiazor and edge rusher Devean Deal all intend to play in the Alamo Bowl.
For Johnson, a second-team All-Big 12 selection, it was a no-brainer to play in the bowl game with his teammates.
“It feeds into next year. We want to leave this place better than how we found it,” Johnson said. “It was us coming together one more time. It’s just a blessing and something we wanted to do.”
Even without Lemon and Lane, the bowl will still serve as a showcase game for TCU’s defense. The Alamo Bowl will be a standalone game at 8 p.m. on ESPN, and it’s still USC — even with the opt-outs the Trojans won’t lack for loads of NFL talent.
After turning the season around by winning two straight against Houston and Cincinnati, TCU’s defense views the bowl as another opportunity to make a statement.
“I feel like this game is big going into next season,” Johnson said. “It can give us and the young dudes confidence knowing that we can really compete at the highest level. For us to make strides and go to the Big 12 title game, the College Football Playoff, this is one of the top games that can give us the confidence to go do that.”
This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 4:30 AM.
