Penn State defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is heading into Saturday’s matchup with USC carrying a little extra insight - and he wasn’t shy about sharing it.
Lynn, who spent time in the same role with the Trojans before returning to his alma mater, will face Lincoln Riley and USC for the first time since that move when the No. 19 Trojans visit Happy Valley. He met with reporters on Oct. 6 ahead of what should be a charged atmosphere, even with Penn State now unranked.
The most eye-catching part of Lynn’s comments came when he was asked about Riley’s offensive approach.
"He doesn't really have a playbook," Lynn told reporters. "He just has plays that his guys do best.
And he has the best scheme beaters in the country if he knows what you're in. There are times he presents things and, man, you don't have an answer for it."
"You have to keep them guessing and you have to be good with your disguises," Lynn added.
Lynn said this won’t be his first time seeing Riley in a college game, but it will be his first crack at USC from the Penn State sideline. And he made it clear what he wants from his defense.
"I told the guys, you can't look up the stats," Lynn began. "They're going to move the ball.
They're going to have plays. But you know, we need to be great on third down and in the red zone.
We need to stop the run and we can't give them chunk plays. We have to make them drive all the way down the field."
USC’s offense did show some rough edges in its 25-21 win over Washington. Jayden Maiava had his least efficient game of the season, and penalties also stalled the Trojans at times. Lynn figures to have studied those issues closely, but he also said the battle at the line of scrimmage will be a major factor.
That part stood out to him against Northwestern, too.
"You go back and watch the game, I don't know if we won the line of scrimmage," Lynn said while also pointing out missed tackles. "We didn't lose everytime, but we didn't win at all."
On the other side, Riley is looking forward to his first trip to Penn State. He admitted he’s never been to State College before, and he has never experienced a “white out” or “black out” there, even with USC now in the Big Ten. Speaking on Trojans Live, he said the setting should be a good one.
"It'll be a fun atmosphere. I've never gotten the chance to go coach there. So looking forward to it," Riley said, adding that his team is looking forward to the showdown too.
Riley also said Penn State’s defense reminds him of the kind of units the Nittany Lions have fielded in the past, with size up front and talent all over the field. He pointed to his history facing Matt Campbell’s Iowa State teams while at Oklahoma, but said this Penn State group carries the same familiar traits.
"Defensively they look a lot like the past Penn State teams in being big up front. They've got really good athletes and talented players and they're excellent on the back end. It's a well coached football team and it'll be a heck of a night," Riley said.
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