USC left Happy Valley with a 31-23 win over Penn State, and the defense had a hand in making sure the Trojans came home with something to show for it. The first half offered plenty for Lincoln Riley’s staff to clean up, but the second half changed the tone fast. USC held Penn State to just six points after halftime, and Christian Pierce’s punch-out after Brett Eskildsen’s 25-yard catch set up Chasen Johnson’s fumble recovery and sent the USC sideline into a frenzy.
Riley didn’t hide how much the win meant afterward.
"One of my favorite wins as a head coach, no question, for so many reasons," Riley said. "Obviously, phenomenal atmosphere.
As good as it gets there in college football. Give credit to Penn State, their fans, but really proud of our team, man.
We didn't listen to all that you guys had to say on the outside. This group doesn't really care.
"Nobody in the world gave them a chance to come in and win this game, and we did it. We did it our way.
Won the game on our terms. I'm really damn proud of this football team, and the best is ahead for this group.
This will be a big spark for us going into bye week, going into this next stretch of the season. The huge contributions, man, all sides.
It's a tough place to play, really hard place to win. You got to really outplay them here to beat them, and we did that tonight, and we did it on all three sides, and it feels damn good."
By the numbers, USC’s defense was far from spotless, but it did enough in key spots to help move the Trojans to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten play. Penn State scored 23 points across nine meaningful drives, good for 2.56 points per drive. That marked an increase from the 1.91 points per drive USC allowed Washington in the previous game.
USC’s defensive profile still sits in shaky territory overall. The Trojans are No. 82 in points allowed per drive and No. 68 in DFEI, which is the same stat adjusted for opponent.
That’s a small step forward from the No. 82 DFEI mark USC carried after the Oregon game, but the bigger picture remains unfinished work.
One area where USC clearly held up was against the run. Penn State managed only 2.2 yards per carry, and that made the Nittany Lions far easier to track.
Lead rusher Carson Hansen finished with 28 yards on 14 carries, a 2.0-yard average. USC also kept Becht in check when he tried to make things happen with his legs, limiting him to 20 net yards on 10 carries, including the two sacks.
That should have been enough to squeeze Penn State. Instead, the passing game kept the Nittany Lions alive.
Becht came into the matchup looking for a bounce-back after rough outings in his previous two Big Ten games. He had been held to 5.9 yards per attempt against Northwestern and just 3.9 against Wisconsin in the same stadium. USC made this a get-right night for him, and Penn State’s ability to throw the ball kept the game tight deep into the fourth quarter.
For USC, the run defense did its part. The pass defense did not, and that’s the piece Riley’s staff will need to sort out coming out of the bye week and into Wisconsin prep.
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BYU Has A Chance To Change How USC Sees The Cougars
USC gets a week off in Week 7, a useful pause after a fast start and a chance to sort through the bigger picture of what still lies ahead. The Trojans are not just watching their own recovery and preparation during the bye, either. They also have an eye on a handful of games involving future opponents, matchups that could end up shaping the way USC is judged when the College Football Playoff conversation heats up later in the season.
Among those games, BYUs trip to Notre Dame stands out as a chance for the Cougars to make a stronger impression on USC. The Trojans will also be tracking Ohio State against Indiana, Wisconsin against UCLA and Oregon against Nebraska, since each result says something different about the quality of the road still ahead. For USC, the bye is useful, but so is the information it can gather while the rest of the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
USC's Playoff Path Could Suddenly Get Much Easier Under New Format
USCs road to the College Football Playoff may not look so steep in a few years. Reports indicate the postseason bracket is expected to grow from 12 teams to 24 as early as 2027, a shift that would change the calculus for programs trying to stay in the national picture. For the Trojans, the most immediate takeaway is simple: the margin for error could widen, and a season that once felt like it needed to be nearly flawless might still keep them in the conversation.
Under the proposed setup, the Big Ten champion would be guaranteed a top-eight seed and a first-round bye, another sign of how much weight the league is expected to carry in the expanded format. USC would still have to do its part, but the path to inclusion could become much more realistic, with an 8-4 record or better potentially enough to get in. Beyond the Trojans, the change would ripple through the Big Ten and SEC hierarchy, reshaping how teams are judged in a playoff era that may soon look very different. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Earned A Real Shot At A Second-Half Run
USC left Happy Valley with a win that should travel, taking down Penn State 31-23 on the road in Week 6 and giving Lincoln Rileys team a meaningful boost as Big Ten play settles in. Jayden Maiava was steady and efficient throughout, throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, while the Trojans also got the kind of timely defensive play that tends to swing road games in the fourth quarter.
Christian Pierce helped provide that late edge, and it came in a game that carried more weight than just one result. Riley pointed to the value of winning in tough road environments and the way the Trojans have continued to progress, and with bye weeks ahead, USC now has a chance to turn one of its best wins into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]