No. 4/5 Penn State Football defeats USC, 33-30, in overtime thriller – Penn State

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

After trailing 20-6 at halftime, Penn State put together a dominant performance 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 victory.

The Nittany Lions racked up 518 total yards of offense, highlighted by a magical performance from 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 receiving game of over 200 yards 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^e of his career, raising his own school record for total touchdowns by a tight end. To top it all off, Warren also recorded four rushing yards on a carry and completed one pass for nine yards.

Quarterback Drew Allar posted 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 had 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 to overtime, the Nittany Lion defense allowed only 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 led the group with two tackles for loss, while Abdul Carter recorded his fourth sack of the season.

Kicker Ryan Barker scored four field goals in the game, including the game winner, Penn States' first game-winning field goal in overtime since the Nittany Lions defeated Wisconsin on a Sam Ficken walk-off in 2012. Barker also became the first Penn State kicker to to score four field goals in a game since Tyler Davis did so in 2016.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Penn State scored its first score of the day, when Ryan Barker made a 34-yard field goal at 4:53 of the opening quarter, putting the Nittany Lions up 3-0. The kick was the result of a 14-play, 72-yard drive that took almost eight minutes off the clock.

USC responded on the first play of the ensuing drive. Quinten Joyner took the ball and ran 75 yards to the end zone, giving the Trojans a 7-3 lead.

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

A field goal by Penn State and USC before halftime made it 20-6 at halftime.

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 lead to 20-13 just three minutes into the second half. Warren rose 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 straight touchdown. An eight-play, 90-yard drive was capped by a one-yard touchdown run by Allen.

After a turnover by the Nittany Lions, USC scored another field goal to take a 23–20 lead with 0:28 to play in the third quarter.

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

USC took a 30–23 lead with a five-yard touchdown on the next drive. The nine-play, 75-yard drive was capped by Miller Mos' second passing touchdown of the day. With 5:56 to play, the Trojans had the lead over the Nittany Lions.

Penn State responded again, generating a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to tie the game at 30 with 2:53 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 capped by a 14-yard receiving touchdown from Singleton.

An interception by Jaylen Reed with three seconds left gave Penn State 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 at 30 tied.

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 their offensive opportunity, then Barker made a game-winning 36-yard field goal on the Nittany Lions that followed.

The 2024 Penn State football season is presented by PSECU.