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 the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

After trailing 20-6 at halftime, Penn State put together a dominant performance on both sides of the ball, outscoring USC 27-10 the rest of the game and securing the hard-fought 33-30 overtime victory.

The Nittany Lions racked up 518 yards of total offense, highlighted by a magical performance from tight end Tyler Warren. Warren set Penn State’s school record with 17 receptions and became the first tight end ever to record a 200-yard and 224-yard receiving game. His touchdown reception was the 18th^Th of his career and increased his own tight end school record for total touchdowns. To top it off, Warren also recorded four rushing yards on one carry and completed one pass for nine yards.

Quarterback Drew Allar set career highs in pass attempts, completions and passing performance 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 10 carries for 26 yards. Allar also totaled 32 rushing yards on four carries.

Defensively, Penn State made stops at key points. In addition to a Jaylen Reed interception that sent the game into overtime, the Nittany Lion defense only allowed two third-down conversions from 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 made four field goals in the game, including the game-winner, Penn State’s first game-winning field goal in overtime since the Nittany Lions beat Wisconsin in 2012 on a walk-off by Sam Ficken. Barker also became the first Penn State kicker to make four field goals in a game since Tyler Davis in 2016.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Penn State scored its first score of the day when Ryan Barker hit a 34-yard field goal at 4:53 of the first quarter to give the Nittany Lions a 3-0 lead. The kick was the result of a 14-play, 72-yard drive that lasted nearly eight minutes after halftime.

USC responded on its first play of the following drive. Quinten Joyner picked up the ball and scampered 75 yards to the end zone, giving the Trojans a 7-3 lead.

Ten unanswered points gave the Trojans a 17-3 lead 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.

With a field goal each from Penn State and USC before halftime, the score was 20-6 at the break.

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

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

After the Nittany Lions lost the ball, USC scored another field goal and took a 23-20 lead with 0:28 to play in the third quarter.

Penn State responded with a field goal of its own, increasing the score to 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 in the final frame with 10:50 on the clock the score is over.

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

Penn State responded again, scoring a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to tie the game at 30 with 2:53 left in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions took the lead and converted two fourth-down situations on a trip down the field capped by a 14-yard touchdown from Singleton.

An interception by Jaylen Reed within three seconds brought Penn State with the ball to the USC 49-yard line. A Hail Mary attempt by Allar was intercepted at the USC eight-yard line and the game ended in a tie in overtime.

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

The 2024 Penn State football season is presented by PSECU.