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Penn State report for USC: Lions’ ‘D’ wakes up late, Tyler Warren puts Trojans to sleep
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Penn State report for USC: Lions’ ‘D’ wakes up late, Tyler Warren puts Trojans to sleep

Six games, six wins. Penn State owns road wins at West Virginia and USC.

The latter victory, which came Saturday at the LA Coliseum, ranks as one of the most impressive wins during James Franklin’s time at State College.

PSU’s offense scored a late touchdown to force overtime, and the Lions prevailed 33–30.

Lincoln Riley’s Trojans made their share of plays against Penn State, but the Lions made the biggest plays late.

To the numbers.

VIOLATION: B.

Three turnovers, all Drew Allar interceptions, kept PSU from taking control earlier. However, Allar threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns and added 32 rushing yards. … Allar teamed with wideout Julian Fleming to convert a fourth-and-7 and a fourth-and-10 on the Lions’ TD drive that forced OT. … Running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton struggled to gain traction, finishing with 26 combined carries for 82 yards. … Tyler Warren caught 17 of 20 targets for 224 yards and a touchdown, ran for a first down and threw a nine-yard pass to Allen. … PSU converted just 4 of 13 third-down chances. … No sacks for USC, but the Lions offense produced only a pair of field goals in the first half.

DEFENSE: B-minus.

The unit thwarted a USC drive late in regulation to force overtime and then recorded a three-and-out that led to a 45-yard miss by Trojans kicker Michael Lantz. … Tom Allen’s unit wasn’t ready for Quinten Joyner’s 75-yard touchdown run on a reverse in the first quarter. … USC converted just 2 of 13 third-down attempts. … Trojans running back Woody Marks was a problem in the run game (111 yards) and as a receiver (two catches, 44 yards).

SPECIAL TEAMS: A.

Ryan Barker, who replaced Sander Sahaydak as placekicker, converted all four field goal attempts (34, 33, 20, 36). … Punter Riley Thompson punted just twice, averaging 42.5 yards and forcing USC to start inside the 20 on both punts.

Penn State vs. USC, October 12, 2024

USC mascot Traveler and Trojan drive onto the field for the Penn State game on October 12, 2024. Joe Hermitt | [email protected]PennLive

COACHING: B.

Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki reached deep into his bag of tricks from the start. The highlight? Warren snapped a ball on a play that ultimately led to Allar throwing a 32-yard touchdown pass to Warren. … The Lions offense remained aggressive on fourth down, converting a fourth-and-7 and a fourth-and-10 on a tying touchdown drive in the final minutes.

GENERAL: B

Penn State was in big trouble in the first half as the Lions fell behind 20-6. But Andy Kotelnicki’s offense came out flying in the third quarter, scoring touchdowns on its first two possessions. It was an unlikely comeback, but the Lions finished off a desperate USC team. Warren finished with 224 receiving yards and Penn State all in a three-point victory.