Highs & Lows: Penn State edges USC in overtime thriller

By Nate Bauer

Penn State found itself behind to Southern Cal in the first half of its much-anticipated road trip to Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon. By the end of the afternoon, it found itself a 33-30 overtime winner and a perfect 6-0 on the season.

Here’s how it happened:

Highs & Lows: Penn State edges USC in thrilling, 33-30 OT win

PLAYER OF THE GAME Tasked with engineering a two-touchdown comeback, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar rose to the occasion on Saturday afternoon. For the game, he completed 30 of 43 passes for 391 yards and two touchdowns. More important than any statistical mark, his persistence in the face of a 20-6 halftime deficit helped lead the Nittany Lions to their dramatic win 

PLAY OF THE GAME Set up on a designed Allar run to the middle of the field, kicker Ryan Barker was called upon to make the biggest play of his life. He did it. Barker set home a 36-yard attempt – his third of the game – to give the Nittany Lions the 33-30 overtime win in the Coliseum. 

BEST PASS The completion was pitch-and-catch, but the 5-yard touchdown from Miller Moss to receiver Kyron Hudson was momentous. The completion with 5:56 left to play in the game gave the Trojans a 30-23 advantage. 

Key Takeaways: Tyler Warren shines, PSU wins a big one on the road

BEST RUN Quinten Joyner’s run aside, USC’s Woody Marks also strung together some highlight carries of his own. On Southern Cal’s second scoring possession of the afternoon, the Trojan running back went back-to-back with a 21-yard carry, followed by a 28-yarder, to quickly move his side into the red zone to start the second quarter. A blend of craftiness and perfectly timed cuts, both carries sent the Nittany Lion defense scrambling. 

BEST CATCH His Nittany Lions in a bind, Tyler Warren firmly lifted the offense onto his back to open the second half. Beginning with a 10-yard completion to get the possession off the ground, Warren bookended it with one of the more spectacular receptions college football is likely to see on Saturday. Leaping over a Trojan defender draped across his torso, the Penn State tight end fought for the catch, made it, and maintained control through the fall to the Memorial Stadium turf. The 32-yard touchdown made it a 20-13 game.

WORST DROP The lead was, for a moment, within his grasp. At least, that’s likely what Abdul Carter might have been thinking as Miller Moss directed a first-and-10 pass straight into Carter’s hands late in the third quarter. Unfortunately for Carter, his mitts couldn’t quite see the play through, the near-interception instead falling harmlessly to the field. 

BEST SACK Carter might not have completed the game-changing, would-be interception earlier in the possession, but he made up for it soon after. Sprinting around USC’s right tackle on first-and-10 at the 26, Carter hammered Moss from behind to cement a 4-yard loss. 

Recap: Penn State takes down USC in overtime, 33-30

BEST EFFORT Warren’s catch gets the nod, but the wherewithal of Easton Mascarenas-Arnold to stick with a tipped ball, catch it, and maintain possession on Allar’s second interception of the afternoon was effort-defined. The pick gave the Trojans prime field position at the Nittany Lions’ 24-yard line in the last minute of the third quarter, which they’d convert into 3 points.

BEST RETURN Already creating a game-changing interception for Southern Cal early in the second quarter, Desman Stephens lifted the Trojans further not giving up on the play. Caught at the Southern Cal 42, Stephens’ interception return went for 32 yards deep into Penn State territory. While the Nittany Lions defense held to force a field goal, the return on its own was enough to put another 3 points on the scoreboard for the Trojans.

BEST KICK See: “Play of the Game.”

Live Updates: Penn State head coach James Franklin press conference

WORST KICK Stuffed on three straight plays in overtime, the Trojans turned to Michael Lantz for a 45-yard field goal to take a 33-30 lead. Lantz, good from 47 and 45 yards in the first half, couldn’t make the connection again. Missing wide left, the dramatic turn of events left the Nittany Lions with an opportunity to win the game.

BEST DECISION Julian Fleming dropped a critical pass in the second quarter. Penn State didn’t prevent it from sticking with the veteran receiver. Twice on the Nittany Lions’ game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter, the Ohio State transfer came down with massive fourth-down receptions to extend the possession, the first good for 17 yards and the second notching 16 to get into the fringe red zone. 

WORST DECISION Allar’s second interception of the afternoon, deep in the Nittany Lions’ territory, was ill-advised. Forcing the ball toward Khalil Dinkins, the pass wound up tipped and, ultimately, in the hands of Mascarenas-Arnold for a momentum-killing interception.