Penn State left Beaver Stadium with the kind of loss that stings twice: once on the scoreboard, and again because the White Out stage was there for the taking.
Under the lights in front of a record crowd of 114,419, the Nittany Lions fell 31-23 to No. 19 USC on Saturday night, dropping to 3-3 overall and 0-3 in Big Ten play. Matt Campbell called it a night of “growth tonight in some areas,” but the final result never caught up to that sentiment.
There were bright spots, even in defeat. Rocco Becht looked far sharper than he did in Penn State’s first two conference games against Wisconsin and Northwestern.
Against those two teams, he completed 54.3 percent of his passes for 357 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions combined. Against USC, he finished at 65.6 percent, throwing for 289 yards and a touchdown.
He also took a costly sack in the fourth quarter that killed a drive after a Trojans touchdown, but Campbell still saw progress.
“I thought Rocco certainly gave us every opportunity in the football game to be successful in the game,” Campbell said. “I thought we found a rhythm that we want to play in and that we need to continue to move forward in.”
One reason the passing game had more life was Chase Sowell. With Koby Howard still out injured, Penn State has been searching for a receiver who can recreate some of the explosive plays Howard provided earlier this season.
Sowell stepped into that space against USC, catching passes of 47 and 37 yards on his way to four receptions for 95 yards. Becht also completed 2-of-3 throws that traveled at least 20 yards downfield.
Howard’s absence continues to loom, though there’s at least a chance he could be back as soon as next week against Michigan. He had previously hinted in a social media post that he could return after missing extended time. If he stays out, Sowell showed he can shoulder some of that big-play burden.
The bigger problem was up front and in the red zone. Penn State’s pass rush barely showed up, outside of an early sack from linebacker Tony Rojas. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava had clean pockets for most of the night and used them well, throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns.
The Trojans’ third-and-10 at Penn State’s 10-yard line late in the fourth quarter was the clearest example. With no real pressure coming, Maiava had time to work through the play and hit Kayden Dixon-Wyatt on a route across the field for a touchdown that pushed USC ahead by eight.
Penn State leaned on three-man rushes often, including on that snap, and they didn’t get the result they needed.
“When you talk about the pressure piece of it, we're going to have to continue to find ways to get creative,” Campbell said. “I think that's an area for us, especially in those third-down situations. Man, they had time to be able to make the plays and extend the play.”
The offense also left points on the field. Penn State stalled in the red zone twice in the second half and settled for field goals both times.
After USC tried a surprise onside kick to start the second half, the Nittany Lions recovered and got the ball at the Trojans’ 47-yard line, but that possession still ended with three points from the 16-yard line. Later, with a chance to take the lead early in the fourth quarter, Penn State faced fourth down at USC’s 7-yard line and kicked another field goal to make it 24-23.
That’s been a recurring issue all season. Penn State has scored 14 touchdowns on 26 red-zone trips, including two touchdowns on four red-zone chances against USC. The Nittany Lions now rank 17th in the Big Ten in red-zone touchdown rate at 53.9 percent.
For all the noise and energy in the building, USC never looked rattled. The Trojans opened the game with an eight-play touchdown drive after Penn State’s defense took the field first, and they repeatedly made plays with Maiava at the controls. The White Out atmosphere was exactly what it was supposed to be - even Campbell said so.
“It was an unbelievable atmosphere, and it was one of the most impressive environments that I've been able to coach in and be a part of,” Campbell said. “I think my disappointment is, right now, we can't give them the result that they deserve.”
Penn State’s timeout management only added to the frustration late. USC got the ball back with 3:59 remaining and ran out the clock, while the Nittany Lions had already burned through their timeouts. Campbell’s final timeout came when USC initially lined up to go for it on fourth-and-4 from its own 13-yard line and Penn State had a punt-return group on the field.
“We had our punt safe group out, (USC) kept the offense out there and we didn’t want to screw around with it.”
Earlier stoppages came because of substitution issues, and with no timeouts left late, Brett Eskildsen’s fumble sealed the defeat.
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