There was a lot of talk about airports, body clocks, traveling to the West Coast and how the teams that made that trip fared. Here are some takeaways about the actual game.

1: USC understood the assignment

They knew they had to get rid of the ball quickly if they wanted to neutralize the Nittany Lions defensive line, and they did just that. They used quick passes, screens and deception to keep the Lion defense on their toes, and before you knew it Penn State was down 14-3 in the second quarter and playing well outside their comfort zone.

It’s almost like Lincoln Riley is a great offensive mind too.

2: Sanctions were killer

Premature penalties killed two Penn State drives in the first half, preventing the Lions from taking control of the game. An offense that wasn’t tested all season quickly found itself needing to make plays, and lots of them, to keep the game from getting out of hand prematurely.

The defense, as has happened many times this season, needed an entire half to figure out what was happening in front of them.

To the Trojans’ credit, they took their own share of drive-kill penalties in the second half. After the Lions scored to open the third quarter, a potential red zone trip by USC was wiped out by consecutive penalties.

3: More than a slow start

The Nittany Lions got off to about as disastrous a start as they could have ever expected. Both the offense and defense started slowly again (except for the first drive for the Nittany Lions, see above). However, unlike the past five games, the opponent took advantage early and often. Unlike Bowling Green, however, USC had the bodies to maintain their lead throughout. After a Drew Allar interception sparked the USC offense at the Penn State 30, the Lions faced their first moment of control of the season. They faced their biggest deficit of the year: 20-6 at halftime when it was all said and done.

4: More than a quick finish

Because as bad as the first half the Nittany Lions played on Saturday was, they came on fire in the second. They used two drives to erase a 14-point deficit and tie the game at 20. The only thing that kept the third quarter from being perfect was a second interception by Drew Allar on a tipped pass that USC the lead of 23-20.

5: The defense came through when it counted

USC, with time running out, drove close to field goal range to earn the win. After a James Franklin timeout (which many people booked as a bad call), the Trojans attempted another pass attempt to get a better field goal opportunity. Jaylen Reed intercepted it, and the Lions took care of business in overtime.

BONUS: Now we know

Penn State has widened Drew Allar on almost every play Beau Pribula came into play. The trend had in fact been set. Sell ​​to stop the Pribula run. It was only a matter of time until we found out why Allar stayed here.

BONUS 2: SEC fans warned us

Holy smokes, listening to these people call a game is a chore, isn’t it? Not only that, but commercials (commercials!!) were played over real football games.