The No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions survived the USC Trojans in overtime 33-30. The Trojans now have a 3-3 overall record while Penn State upgraded to a 6-0 record.
“We’ve had obviously a few games like this where we’ve had chances to win right there at the end,” said USC head coach Lincoln Riley. “To not make the plays, not have some of the breaks bounce your way, it’s a gut punch.
Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin is one of four Black coaches and five minority coaches who are in the top 25 national rank. With Penn State ranked fourth, he is the highest ranked minority coach in the nation.
“At this point in my career, I just want to see the players achieving their dreams and having fun and being rewarded for all their hard work and the same thing with the staff,” Franklin said. “We’re gonna need to spend this bye week getting better.”
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Not only has he kept the Nittany Lions in the College Football Playoff rankings throughout his ten-year stint with the University, but his team also has a 93 percent graduation rate.
“You’re going to find different ways throughout a season to win. Some are going to be blowouts … but some are going to be comebacks,” Franklin said. “I think the word resilient was probably the best word to define our team today.”
USC quarterback Miller Moss made 20 throws for 220 yards. Senior running back Woody Marks had 20 carries for 118 yards. With help from freshman rusher Quinten Joyner, USC had 200 rushing yards.
Penn State tight end Tyler Warren made 17 catches for 224 yards, breaking the record for most receptions made by a USC opponent.
“We had a great scheme, we had a great gameplan going into the game,” said USC sophomore safety Kamari Ramsey. “[Warren] had a great game, he’s a great player, made some great catches too.”
Ramsey and senior linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold tied for eight solo tackles, Ramsey finished the day with 10 total stops and two pass breakups.
Riley noted how the Trojans had “the toughest schedule in the first six games,” which included battling the no. 13 LSU and the no. 24 Michigan.
“We got a chance to win every single game and that’s hard to do,” Riley said. “We’re doing a lot of good and I understand that that good is not gonna get seen by the outside right now because they’re gonna focus on the record.”
The Trojans will fly east to battle the Maryland Terps on October 19 at 1:00P.M.
