Penn State Comes Up Short of Upset Win Against USC Trojans
· Yahoo Sports
The Penn State Nittany Lions were unable to pull off an upset win over the No. 19 USC Trojans, going 31-23.
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It was a back-and-forth through the first half and into the third quarter. Jayden Maiava got USC on the board, connecting with Trent Mosley for a 19-yard touchdown.
Rocco Becht and the Nittany Lions responded when Andrew Rappleyea caught a 13-yard touchdown pass. In the second quarter, Penn State and the Trojans matched each other again, with back-to-back touchdown drives before back-to-back field goals.
The Nittany Lions briefly took a 20-17 lead in the third quarter with a field goal. However, it didn't take long for USC to recapture the lead with a 13-yard touchdown run by King Miller to take a 24-20 lead.
Becht then led a 13-play, 68-yard drive that ended in a field goal, cutting the deficit to one. The Trojans went down the field and scored once again, with Maiava hitting Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for a 10-yard touchdown.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectOn their final drive, Penn State still had a chance to go down and tie to send it to overtime. Becht completed a pass downfield to Brett Eskildsen, but he fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by USC. The Trojans did not give the ball back as they ran out the clock.
It was a solid showing overall for Matt Campbell and the Nittany Lions, but they weren't able to secure the win. Becht completed 21 of 32 passes for 289 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
Penn State was unable to establish the run whatsoever, as they rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries.
Although the run game could've been much better for the Nittany Lions, it was their defense that hurt them. They allowed Maiava to carve up their defense, as he completed 21 of 33 passes for 301 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
In the rushing attack, Miller had 102 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. He seemed to pick up big gains whenever the Trojans needed it most.
Penn State started the season 3-0 under their new head coach Matt Campbell, but their season has collapsed, as they've lost their last three games. It's clear that the Nittany Lions aren't going to be a College Football Playoff team in Campbell's first season in the Happy Valley, but they will look to have a strong end to the season to build momentum ahead of the 2027 season.