USC heads into Saturday’s trip to Penn State with a lot still unresolved, and the same can be said for the Nittany Lions. The Trojans are 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten, while Penn State comes in at 3-2 and 0-2.
Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. PT at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania, with NBC carrying the game on TV and 710 AM on radio.
The stakes are obvious for USC. With one loss already on the board, another could put the Trojans in real danger of missing the College Football Playoff.
Just as concerning, they still haven’t put together a full conference performance where both sides of the ball click at the same time. The defense showed progress against Washington last week, but the offense didn’t meet its usual level.
Penn State, meanwhile, is trying to stop a slide. The Nittany Lions have dropped two straight, and another defeat would reinforce that head coach Matt Campbell’s rebuild is moving slower than expected.
Injuries will shape plenty of the conversation before this one even kicks off. USC listed Corey Simms, Kendarius Reddick, Taylor “Taybo” Johnson, Roman Marchetti and Kilian O’Connor as out. Jahkeem Stewart, Trent Mosley, Terrell Anderson, Mark Bowman, Hayden Treter and Jide Abasiri are questionable.
Penn State’s injury list is even longer. Koby Howard, LaVar Arrington II, Joshua Johnson, Max Granville, Cam Smith, Christian Askew, Tyler Armstead, Mason Robinson, Dayshaun Burnett, Will Thompkins, Cooper Alexander and Christiano Rosa are all out, while Alex Tatsch and Armstrong Nnodim are questionable.
The matchup that stands out most is USC’s passing game against Penn State’s pass defense. The Trojans rank third in the conference through the air at 311.7 yards per game and average 9.1 yards per attempt. Penn State has been stingy in that area, allowing a conference-best 119.6 passing yards per game and just 4.7 yards per attempt.
There’s no simple read on which team has the edge. Both are still trying to figure out who they are in midseason, though Penn State appears to be the more unsettled group. USC may have the healthier roster overall, especially with 12 Penn State players expected to miss the game, but the Nittany Lions get the White Out atmosphere at home.
USC’s clearest path comes on the ground. King Miller and Waymond Jordan have given the Trojans an effective run game, even if neither has broken off a true home-run play this season.
Penn State’s run defense has been vulnerable, ranking 16th in the 18-team Big Ten at 173.2 rushing yards allowed per game. If USC can turn that into chunk gains, it can create a major edge.
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