USC plays Penn State this coming weekend in a defining game for Lincoln Riley and the Trojans. We are talking to Nittany Lions Wire lead writer Kevin McGuire as part of our Behind Enemy Lines series this week. McGuire talked about the biggest problem facing Penn State going into the USC game:
"The biggest running problem for Penn State this season appears to be the running game (no pun intended)," McGuire told us. "Outside of a big game for the ground attack against Buffalo a few weeks ago, Penn State's running game has not lived up to the expectations it had coming into the season, even with the bar lowered following the departure of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen to the NFL. Carson Hansen was a trusted back for Matt Campbell at Iowa State and was expected
to be a leader for the Nittany Lions, but he has gotten off to a slow start and that has led to some discussion about other options getting the bulk of the carries."
Penn State's offensive line could not generate much of a push against Northwestern. In that game last Friday, the Nittany Lions were comprehensively outplayed at the line of scrimmage. USC is not going up against an elite offensive line, to be sure. It's a chance for the Trojans' defensive line to make progress and crucially show it can play well away from home. It did not play well in the Trojans' Big Ten road game at Rutgers a few weeks ago.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Behind Enemy Lines: We talk to Nittany Lions Wire about USC-Penn State
