The chances had been there all afternoon for USC as it tried to put away No. 4 Penn State. But once again, Lincoln Riley’s Trojans tiptoed around the edge, playing fast and loose with their College Football Playoff hopes on the line, driving late in search of one last chance after a laborious sequence of missed chances.

So many times have the Trojans found themselves in this position, within an inch of redemption, within a few plays of a key win, only to watch it slip away. With USC taking an early two-score lead on Saturday, there was hope that this wouldn’t happen again.

But then the seconds ticked away faster than expected on a critical late drive, and a pass from Miller Moss sailed higher than expected and into the arms of a Penn State defender, and suddenly, in overtime, a desperate field goal attempt sailed wide. left.

The opportunities dried up, and with it, USC’s playoff hopes largely disappeared. Penn State’s Ryan Barker kicked a 36-yard field goal to send USC to a 33-30 loss, its third loss in four weeks.

It didn’t have to be this way, not after USC dominated the first half and rolled over Penn State with its run game. The defense shut down Penn State’s vaunted run game all afternoon, holding the Nittany Lions to just 118 yards. The struggling offensive line held together long enough to win.

Even after all the wasted opportunities, USC took over with less than three minutes left and 75 yards to go for the win. But as USC made its way through the field, Riley lost control of the clock. With the Trojans running out of time, Moss threw one downfield, hoping to get into field goal position. It was picked up.

It was a fitting summary of an inconsistent day for USC’s quarterback. Moss threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns, but was never quite able to make the plays needed to push USC to victory.

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1. USC running back Quinten Joyner scores on a nine-yard pass from quarterback Miller Moss in the second quarter. 2. USC safety Kamari Ramsey tackles Penn State tight end Tyler Warren outside the end zone in the first half. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Those seemed to be reserved for USC running back Woody Marks, who burst out of the gate with a big first half, only to have Riley turn away from him in the second. Marks finished with 20 carries for 111 yards.

Penn State threw everything at USC’s defense, cycling through strange formations and funky play designs all afternoon. At one point, Penn State even snapped the ball with its tight end, who ran down the field and caught a double pass for a 32-yard touchdown.

That tight end, Tyler Warren, would account for 43% of Penn State’s total offense, torturing USC’s defense in a way that caused flashbacks of the Trojans’ trip to Utah in 2022, when the current Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid piled up 16 catches for 234 yards.

Penn State’s passing attack would eventually pull them back into the game, with Drew Allar throwing for 391 yards and two touchdowns.