After the past two weeks, the Nittany Lions needed to desperately get up off the mat to avoid the season completely going off the rails. After one drive, it appeared that off the rails is where we went. USC won the toss and elected to take the football, and proceeded to go right down the field for the opening score.
Just like Northwestern, USC punched Penn State in the mouth early. It was their time to respond. Unlike Northwestern, Penn State responded.
A single response wasn’t going to be enough though
against a USC team that has been known for offense under Lincoln Riley. It was only a matter of time until the Trojans found the end zone again, and Penn State would have to keep responding. An 8-play, 80-yard drive put USC back on top 14-7 in the second quarter, and the Nittany Lions had to respond again.
And again, they responded. Penn State drove right down the field for a touchdown of their own, off a big catch by Chase Sowell to put Penn State at the USC 19, and Carson Hansen finished the job to tie the game again.
Penn State and USC were mirror images of each other in the first half. One team scores, the other team scores. One team punts, the other team punts, one team scores, the other one scores again. Only difference is the Trojans attempted a 56-yard field goal that they missed, which the Lions followed with a 3-and-out.
And, like the mirror images they were, the teams traded field goals to go into the half.
USC scored first in the first half, Penn State scored first in the second. After the Trojans tried to catch the Nittany Lions off guard with an onside kick, the Lins weren’t fooled. They started their drive with the ball at midfield, and marched right down for the score. The field goal put the Lions up three, 20-17, to start the third quarter. The lead would be short-lived.
A 10-play, 75-yard drive by USC gave the lead right back to the Trojans, and, yet again, Penn State found itself needing to respond. They responded, but with another field goal, which cut the deficit to one. The way the Trojans were moving the ball, that may have been an ill-advised decision.
As they’d done all night long, USC drove right down the field for a score. Now up eight, the Lions needed a touchdown and a two-point conversion just to tie it. They’d get that opportunity, an on a beautiful pass to Brett Edskellsen that, just for a faint moment made it look like the Lions might just do it, Edskellsen fumbled the ball, USC recovered, and that was that.
Good night.
