Penn State’s White Out loss to USC had plenty of electricity, but the night ended the same way too many Big Ten games have for the Nittany Lions lately: with a defeat.
No. 18 USC beat Penn State 31-23 on Saturday night in front of a record Beaver Stadium crowd of 114,419, as Lincoln Riley’s offense did just enough to outlast the Lions. Penn State, now 3-3, dropped its third straight Big Ten game.
The game’s decisive moment came with four minutes left and Penn State still hanging around at 31-23. Rocco Becht found Brett Eskildsen for a 25-yard completion up the middle, but Christian Pierce jarred the ball loose and Kameryn Crawford recovered for USC at the Trojans’ 35. From there, USC ran out the clock and shut the door.
Becht gave Penn State a chance all night. The veteran quarterback finished 21 of 32 for 289 yards and a touchdown, and he made plays both through the air and on the ground.
He hit Andrew Rappleyea for a 13-yard touchdown on fourth-and-2 to finish the Lions’ opening drive, and later connected with Chase Sowell on gains of 37 and 47 yards. Becht also picked up 10 yards on a scramble on fourth-and-3 from the USC 40 just before halftime, setting up Ryan Barker’s 48-yard field goal that tied the game at 17.
Tony Rojas again stood out on defense. The veteran linebacker sacked Jayden Maiava early and finished with a game-high 10 tackles while also forcing a fumble.
Barker did his part, too. The left-footed kicker knocked through the 48-yarder as time expired in the first half, then added field goals from 35 and 21 yards in the second half. He also made both extra-point attempts.
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Penn State Fans Have Every Right To Debate Whos Letting This Team Down
Penn States 31-23 loss to No. 19 USC in a record-attended day at Beaver Stadium left plenty to sort through beyond the final score. The game did have some bright spots on both sides of the ball, but it also exposed the kind of uneven play that has followed this team through Big Ten play, where the Nittany Lions are still searching for their first win.
The bigger issue now is how much blame belongs where, because the problems have not been isolated to one phase or one player. Offensive inconsistency and defensive lapses both showed up again, and with Penn State sitting 0-3 in conference play, the path to bowl eligibility suddenly feels a lot less secure than it did a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's Record Crowd Saw A Loss Fans Won't Shrug Off
The largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history got a game worthy of the setting, even if the result left Penn State fans with plenty to chew on afterward. USC and Penn State traded momentum in a matchup that swung back and forth before the Trojans found enough offense to leave Happy Valley with the win, turning a marquee atmosphere into a difficult one for the home side to absorb.
Jayden Maiava was central to USCs answer, completing 21 of 33 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. The game had the feel of one that might tilt either way deep into the night, with lead changes and scoring drives keeping the pressure high, but USC handled the decisive moments well enough to make sure the record crowd went home remembering a loss Penn State will not shrug off quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Have Every Right To Question Matt Campbell's Decisions
Matt Campbells timeout management has become a talking point around Penn State after the loss to USC, and it is easy to see why. The Nittany Lions burned all five of their timeouts early, a choice that left the sideline with no margin for error when the game tightened late. Campbell said afterward that his approach was conservative, built around avoiding mistakes, even as the offense and defense found themselves in spots where every bit of clock control mattered.
Penn State did show a more aggressive edge in some fourth-down situations, but the late-game sequence still swung the wrong way in a 31-23 defeat. A defensive penalty added to the frustration, and the lack of timeouts only made the final stretch feel more precarious. For a team trying to stay sharp in big moments, the discussion now is not just about one loss, but about whether the coaching decisions helped create the pressure Penn State could not escape. [Read more 🡒]