On Tuesday night, the TCU Horned Frogs didn’t just walk away with a win - they walked away with two. First, they pulled off a gritty, come-from-behind overtime upset against USC in a bowl game that had all the drama you could ask for.
And they did it without their starting quarterback, Josh Hoover, who had already entered the transfer portal. For a team missing its signal-caller, that kind of resilience speaks volumes.
But the second win? That came after the final whistle.
Shortly after the game, TCU’s football account on X (formerly Twitter) fired off a pointed response to former USC quarterback and Heisman winner Matt Leinart. Leinart had posted a vague tweet that seemed to brush off the loss, citing the Trojans’ depleted roster due to opt-outs and injuries.
TCU wasn’t having it. Their reply was short, sharp, and unmistakably directed - a digital stiff-arm to a program legend trying to downplay the result.
Leinart later claimed his tweet had nothing to do with the game, but that’s a tough sell for many, especially considering the timing. And even if he was trying to take the high road, others from the USC fraternity weren’t as subtle.
Former Trojans like LenDale White, Su’a Cravens, and Rey Maualuga took to social media to vent their frustrations. Their messages weren’t about excuses - they were about expectations.
These are guys who helped build USC’s legacy, and they weren’t shy about expressing their disappointment in where the program stands now. For them, the loss wasn’t just another bowl game defeat - it was another sign of a team stuck in neutral, spinning its wheels in a cycle of inconsistency.
So while Leinart may have said “nobody cares,” the reaction from his fellow Trojans said otherwise. The frustration was real, and the concern was loud.
As for TCU? They earned the right to celebrate - and to talk a little.
Pulling off an overtime win without your starting QB is no small feat, especially against a storied program like USC. And while the Trojans may have been short-handed, the Horned Frogs still had to execute, still had to finish, and they did both when it mattered most.
In the end, the scoreboard told one story. Social media told another.
cry on ✌️ https://t.co/wCqclbmF8M
— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) December 31, 2025
And TCU? Well, they owned both.