Courtesy of GoPSU Athletics
No. 4/5 Penn State Football Defeats USC, 33-30, in Overtime Thriller 

LOS ANGELES – No. 4/5 Penn State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) took down USC (3-3, 1-3 Big Ten) in overtime by a final score of 33-30 on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

After trailing 20-6 at halftime, Penn State put together a dominant showing on both sides of the ball as it outscored USC 27-10 the rest of the way to earn the hard-fought 33-30 overtime win.

The Nittany Lions amassed 518 total yards of offense, highlighted by a magical performance by tight end Tyler Warren. Warren set the Penn State school record and tied the FBS tight end record with 17 receptions and also became the first Penn State tight end ever to record a 200-plus-yard receiving game with 224 yards through the air. The 224 yards set a Penn State and Big Ten record for receiving yards in a single game by a tight end. His touchdown reception was the 18^th of his career, increasing his own school record for total touchdowns by a tight end. To top it off, Warren also recorded four rushing yards on a carry and completed one pass for nine yards.

Quarterback Drew Allar set career highs in pass attempts, completions, and passing yardage against the Trojans. The junior completed 30 of 43 throws for 394 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. Complementing Warren in the passing game, Harrison Wallace III totaled 53 yards on three catches, and Nicholas Singleton caught four passes for 39 yards and a touchdown. Julian Fleming came up big with two fourth down conversion catches for 33 yards.

On the ground, Kaytron Allen rushed 16 times for 56 yards and a touchdown while Singleton tallied ten carries for 26 yards. Allar also totaled 32 rushing yards on four runs.

Defensively, Penn State made stops in clutch spots. In addition to an interception by Jaylen Reed to send the game into overtime, the Nittany Lion defense allowed just two third down conversions by the USC offense in the game. Kobe King led the unit with seven tackles, while Reed and Dani Dennis-Sutton each contributed six. Dennis-Sutton fronted the group with two tackles for loss, while Abdul Carter recorded his fourth sack of the season.

Kicker Ryan Barker drilled four field goals in the game, including the game-winner, Penn State’s first overtime game-winning field goal since the Nittany Lions took down Wisconsin on a Sam Ficken walk-off in 2012. Barker also became the first Penn State kicker to connect on four field goals in a game since Tyler Davis did so in 2016.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Penn State put up the first score of the day, as Ryan Barker connected on a 34-yard field goal at the 4:53 mark of the opening quarter to put the Nittany Lions up 3-0. The kick was the result of a 14-play, 72-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock.

USC responded on its first play of the ensuing drive. Quinten Joyner took the ball and scampered 75 yards to the end zone, putting the Trojans up 7-3.

Ten unanswered points by the Trojans had them up 17-3 with 10:05 remaining in the second quarter. A touchdown reception by Joyner and a 45-yard field goal by Michael Lantz put USC up by two touchdowns.

A field goal each by Penn State and USC before halftime put the score at 20-6 at the break.

Penn State scored on its first possession after receiving the second half kickoff. The Nittany Lion offense went 75 yards on just five plays, cutting USC’s advantage to 20-13 just three minutes into the second half. Warren rose up above the USC defender and hauled in a 32-yard pass from Allar for the score.

The Nittany Lions tied the game at 20 apiece with their second consecutive touchdown. An eight-play, 90-yard drive was capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by Allen.

Following a turnover by the Nittany Lions, USC tacked on another field goal to take a 23-20 lead with 0:28 left to play in the third quarter.

Penn State answered with a field goal of its own, knotting the score at 23 in the fourth quarter thanks to a 20-yard kick by Barker, his third field goal of the day. The Nittany Lions went 72 yards on nine plays to tie the score with 10:50 on the clock in the final frame.

USC took a 30-23 lead with a five-yard touchdown on its next drive. The nine-play, 75-yard drive was capped off by Miller Moss’ second passing touchdown of the day. With 5:56 left to play, the Trojans held the advantage over the Nittany Lions.

Penn State responded once again, generating a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to tie the game at 30 with 2:53 still to play in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions came through in the clutch, converting two fourth-down situations on a trip down the field that was capped off by a 14-yard receiving touchdown by Singleton.

An interception by Jaylen Reed with three seconds on the clock set Penn State up with the ball at the USC 49-yard line. A hail mary attempt by Allar was intercepted at the USC eight-yard line, and the game was forced into overtime tied at 30.

Penn State won the overtime coin toss and elected to play defense first in the extra period. The Nittany Lions pressured USC into a missed field goal on its offensive opportunity and then Barker connected on a game-winning 36-yard field goal on the Nittany Lions’ ensuing possession.