Nearly 107,000 fans dressed in white packed Beaver Stadium and prepared to make life miserable for Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans.
Instead, USC turned out the lights on Penn State’s White Out.
Inside one of college football’s most intimidating environments, No. 19 USC silenced Happy Valley with a stunning 31-23 victory Saturday Night to improve to 6-1, finally delivering the kind of signature road win that has largely eluded Riley’s program.
Quarterback Jayden Maiava was magnificent, completing 21 of 33 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns. Freshman receiver Trent Mosley, returning from injury, caught nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown, while running back King Miller rushed for 102 yards and another score on 19 carries.
The offense was explosive as it has been all season, and the defense was occasionally maddening as usual, but somehow, USC still found a way.
For much of the first half, the Trojans’ secondary looked like it had mistaken Penn State’s receivers for tourists, repeatedly allowing them to roam freely through busted coverages.
USC scored first when Maiava found Mosley for a touchdown following a critical fourth-down conversion. Penn State answered, but Maiava responded with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tanook Hines early in the second quarter.
Again, the Nittany Lions counterpunched.
Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht, who finished with 289 passing yards and a touchdown, repeatedly exploited USC’s defensive lapses. The teams entered halftime tied 17-17 after Ryan Barker drilled a 48-yard field goal as time expired.
It was an all-too-familiar sight for USC fans: Riley’s offense playing beautifully while the defense threatened to burn the whole operation down.
But the second half offered something different.
USC tried to catch Penn State by surprise with an onside kick to open the second half, but the NIttany Lions recovered and started the third quarter with great field position. They settled for a field goal to take a 20-17 lead, only for USC to answer with its most important drive of the night.
Miller converted a fourth-and-1 before taking an option pitch from Maiava for a 13-yard touchdown run, putting the Trojans ahead 24-20.
When Penn State marched deep into USC territory again, the defense finally stiffened, forcing another field goal that trimmed the lead to 24-23 early in the fourth quarter.
Then Maiava delivered the knockout punch.
Facing a three-man rush that gave him enough time to order dinner, Maiava calmly surveyed the field and found Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for a 10-yard touchdown with 11:11 remaining.
USC led 31-23, but the Trojans still needed one final defensive stand, and this time, their much-maligned unit answered.
With Penn State threatening to tie the game late, Christian Pierce punched the football loose from Brett Eskildsen following a 25-yard reception. Chasen Johnson recovered the fumble at USC’s 35-yard line, effectively extinguishing the Nittany Lions’ comeback hopes.
Penn State had plenty of opportunities, but settled for three field goals while USC repeatedly finished drives with touchdowns.
That was the difference.
For once, USC’s defense didn’t have to be spectacular. It simply had to be good enough when the game was on the line.
And in Happy Valley, good enough was glorious for the men of Troy.
What it Means
USC has responded to its home loss against Oregon with consecutive victories over Washington and Penn State, becoming bowl eligible and improving to 3-1 in Big Ten play.
More importantly, the Trojans have proved they can survive adversity on the road.
The defense still has problems, but winning in Happy Valley requires toughness, something Riley’s teams haven’t always demonstrated.
Turning Point
Penn State had the football and a chance to tie the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion.
Then Pierce delivered the defensive play USC desperately needed.
Pierce forced a fumble from Eskildsen following a 25-yard reception, and Johnson recovered at USC’s 35-yard line.
Did you see that?
Mosley returned from injury and looked like he hadn’t missed a beat.
His spectacular 21-yard reception during USC’s decisive fourth-quarter touchdown drive helped keep the possession alive.
Up Next:
USC gets a bye week before returning to the road to face Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
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