USC’s road problem under Lincoln Riley has been hard to miss since the Trojans joined the Big Ten in 2024. In that first season, they didn’t win a road game outside California. Last year, every regular-season loss came away from the Coliseum.
That makes the October trip to Penn State feel like more than just another conference date. USC heads to Happy Valley on Oct. 10 for what should be a ranked matchup and the Nittany Lions’ annual “White Out” game, a setting that ranks among the most intimidating in college football. Beaver Stadium holds an official capacity of 106,572, and the crowd has already shown it can rattle even elite programs - Michigan famously had to burn a timeout on the first play in 2019 just to avoid a delay of game.
The Trojans can’t really afford an early stumble there, especially with a brutal schedule ahead and a Nov. 14 trip to Bloomington to face Indiana, the defending national champions, looming later in the fall. A win in Happy Valley would be a major statement for Penn State coach Matt Campbell in his first year, while another road loss would only deepen the questions around Riley’s tenure at USC.
A lot of the pressure lands on quarterback Jayden Maiava, because the numbers tell the story. Three of his lowest completion percentages last season came on the road against Nebraska, Notre Dame and Oregon.
The Nebraska game was especially rough: Maiava went 9 of 23 for 135 yards and one interception, though he also ran 11 times for 62 yards and a touchdown that helped keep USC alive in the second half. He was intercepted twice more in the games against Notre Dame and Oregon.
For USC to take the next step and become a true contender in the conference - and eventually a College Football Playoff team - it has to handle difficult road games. That starts with Maiava, who needs to build on what he went through last season and show real growth.
Penn State will also put him against a familiar name. Former USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn left in December after two seasons to take the same job with the Nittany Lions, his alma mater. Lynn knows Maiava well, and Maiava knows him just as well, so that matchup could swing the outcome.
Still, it’s not only on the quarterback. USC allowed 28.8 points per road game last season, and that has to change.
The addition of College Football Hall of Fame electee Gary Patterson and the new defensive assistants is supposed to help there. The run game also needs to be much stronger away from home.
In Other News...
Lincoln Riley Made One USC Staff Decision Fans Should Love
USCs defensive overhaul under Lincoln Riley came with the kind of staff reshuffling that usually sends fans scanning for both stability and upside, and this one delivered a little of each. The Trojans brought in former TCU head coach Gary Patterson as defensive coordinator and added assistants Paul Gonzales and Sam Carter, while also hiring Mike Ekeler to coach linebackers and oversee special teams. In the middle of that turnover, Riley also elevated Chad Savage from inside receivers and tight ends coach to pass game coordinator, a move that reflects how much USC values the work he has done on the trail and in developing players.
Savages rise fits the larger theme of the offseason: USC is trying to strengthen the defense without losing the staff members who have helped build relationships and keep the roster moving forward. Trovon Reed, the cornerbacks coach, was also retained, a sign the Trojans did not want to lose the recruiting momentum and player trust he has built. With Patterson setting the tone on one side of the ball and familiar lieutenants staying in place around him, Riley is trying to strike the balance between a fresh start and continuity, and that is exactly the kind of staff construction fans usually want to see. [Read more 🡒]
USC Faces Another Massive Receiver Battle Fans Know Too Well
USC is back in familiar territory with four-star wide receiver Dennis Tuaone, another highly regarded pass catcher weighing the Trojans against Miami in a recruitment that has plenty of moving parts. The hometown Hurricanes have been a major presence from the start, but USC has stayed in the mix after offering him in March and bringing him in for his first unofficial visit in June, giving the Trojans a real chance to sell their own pitch.
For Tuaone, this decision is shaping up around the kind of things elite receivers tend to remember: coaching relationships, the feel of a program, and how each staff fits him long term. Miami has been making a strong case with its ties close to home, while USC is trying to stand its ground in a battle that has already seen the Hurricanes track another former Trojans target. [Read more 🡒]
USC Has A New Penn State Threat To Worry About
Penn State enters the season with a passing game in transition after losing its top five leading receivers from last year, and that leaves a wide-open path for someone to seize a bigger role. One of the names USC has to keep on its radar is Amarion Jackson, a former safety who ended up at receiver because of injuries and now looks like a real option for an offense that needs answers.
Jacksons path is a little different from the usual freshman arrival, since he followed coach Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State after flipping his pledge. He has also turned heads in spring work, which only adds to the sense that he could be one of the more important new pieces in Penn States offense when the matchup with USC eventually comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]