Lincoln Riley’s bold, late-game decisions help lift USC to victory over Penn State
USC coach Lincoln Riley, left, talks with quarterback Jayden Maiava during a 31-23 win over Penn State on Saturday.
(Barry Reeger / Ap Photo/barry Reeger)
USC coach Lincoln Riley kept his offense on the field on fourth and four at the USC 13.
The decision was so confounding, Penn State coach Matt Campbell burned the Nittany Lions’ final timeout with 4:15 remaining. Riley grinned with his team protecting a 31-23 lead in front of a rowdy crowd of more than 106,000 fans decked in all white at Beaver Stadium Saturday night.
USC punted after the timeout and Riley watched his maligned defense recover Penn State receiver Brett Eskildsen’s fumble on the Nittany Lions’ first snap of the ensuing drive.
With no timeouts remaining, Penn State had no room for error while trying to stop USC. The Trojans burned as much clock as they could and were again prepared to snap the ball on fourth down when the Penn State defense jumped offside, effectively sealing the Trojans’ win.
Lincoln Riley celebrates after ‘everybody in the country counted us out’
USC defensive end Luke Wafle tackles Penn State tight end Andrew Rappleyea Saturday in State College, Penn.
(Barry Reeger / Associated Press)
“We came in here against the odds,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said during his postgame on-field interview with NBC. “Everybody in the country counted us out and said we weren’t going to win a tough road game.
“Trojans came play. Great environment here. Tonight the white out game went cardinal and gold.”
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Penn State penalty helps seal USC win
No. 19 USC 31, Penn State 23, end of game
USC took over at its 35 after the Trojans recovered the Penn State fumble.
King Miller ran for 11 yards, 16 yards and four yards before triggering the two-minute timeout. Miller ran for three yards. On third-and-three at the Penn State 31, Lincoln Riley let the play clock run down before calling timeout with 1:09 left on the clock.
Penn State was called for delay of game, gifting USC first down and allowing the Trojans to run out the clock.
It was strong end of game clock management from a team that hasn’t always done that well under pressure.
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USC recovered a Penn State fumble that could help seal a Trojans win
No. 19 USC 31, Penn State 23, 3:59 left in the fourth quarter
Penn State started on its 40 after a punt.
Rocco Becht passed to Brett Eskildsen for 25 yards, but the receiver fumbled and the ball was recovered by USC’s Chasen Johnson.
USC took over at its 35.
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USC offense can’t move the ball, punts from its end zone
No. 19 USC 31, Penn State 23, 4:08 left in the fourth quarter
USC started on its 7 after the Penn State punt.
King Miller ran for two yards and four yards. Jayden Maiava then tossed an incomplete pass intended for Trent Mosley.
On fourth-and-four at the USC 13, the Trojans’ offense stayed on the field and Penn State called its final timeout.
USC punted and was called for illegal formation. The Trojans were pushed back five yards and to their 8 and punted again.
Lachlan Carrigan booted the ball 50 yards and RJ Sermons tackled Zay Robinson for a loss of two yards.
Penn State will start at its 40.
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USC defense picks up big stop
No. 19 USC 31, Penn State 23, 6:02 left in the fourth quarter
Penn State started on its 35 after USC kickoff went out of bounds.
Carson Hansen ran for five yards. Rocco Becht tossed an incomplete pass. Becht dove out of a collapsing pocket but was tackled after gaining two yards. On fourth-and-three at the Penn State 42, the Nittany Lions lined up to snap the ball before calling its second timeout of the half.
Becht passed to Andrew Rappleyea for five yards. Carson Hansen ran for three yards. Becht passed to Benjamin Brahmer for four yards. On third-and-three at the USC 46, Becht ran for two yards. On fourth-and-one at the USC 44, Hansen ran for five yards.
Becht tossed an incomplete pass intended for Chase Sowell. Becht tossed an incomplete pass to Andrew Rappleyea. Luke Wafle sacked Becht for a loss of nine yards. Penn State was called for holding.
Penn State punted to the USC 7.
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Jayden Maiava carves up Penn State defense, extends USC’s lead
No. 19 USC 31, Penn State 23, 11:11 left in the fourth quarter
USC started on its 29 after Ethan “Boobie” Feaster’s 25-yard kickoff return.
Jayden Maiava passed to Trent Mosley for five yards. Maiava gathered a low snap and passed across to the middle to Tucker Ashcraft for 12 yards. Waymond Jordan ran for six yards. Maiava passed to Feaster and he couldn’t hold onto the ball. On third-and-four, Maiava passed across the middle to Mosley for six yards.
On first down at the Penn State 42, Maiava passed low to Zacharyus Williams for 11 yards. Maiava passed to Mosley along the left sideline for 21 yards.
On first down at the Penn State 10, Maiava tossed a pass that Williams couldn’t pull in and fell incomplete. Maiava tossed another incomplete pass intended for Tanook Hines. Maiava stayed in the pocket and scanned the field before connecting with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for a 10-yard touchdown.
Caden Chittenden hit the extra point.
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USC defense limits Penn State to a field goal, protects lead
No. 19 USC 24, Penn State 23, 14:52 left in the fourth quarter
On third-and-five at the USC 7, Rocco Becht tossed an incomplete pass through the back of the end zone.
Ryan Barker hit a 26-yard field goal to trim USC’s lead.
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Penn State driving as third quarter expires
No. 19 USC 24, Penn State 20, end of third quarter
Penn State started on its 25 after the touchback.
Rocco Becht ran for three yards. Becht tossed an incomplete pass. Becht passe to Brett Eskildsen for 21 yards.
On first down at the Penn State 49, the Nittany Lions had to call timeout after late shifts allowed USC to make substitutions that prevented the Nittany Lions from snapping the ball before the play clock expired.
Becht passed to Gabe Burkle for nine yards. Becht passed to Andrew Rappleyea for 20 yards.
On first down at the USC 22, Becht passed to Rappleyea for six yards. Becht tossed an incomplete pass broken up by Prophet Brown. On third-and-four, Carson Hansen ran for three yards. On fourth-and-one at the USC 13, Becht ran for one yard.
James Peoples ran for no gain. Becht left a collapsing pocket and ran for five yards as time expired in the third quarter.
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Jayden Maiava leads an efficient USC touchdown drive
No. 19 USC 24, Penn State 20, 5:38 left in the third quarter
USC started on its 25 after the touchback.
Jayden Maiava passed to Trent Mosley for 20 yards. King Miller ran for three yards. Mosley ran for nine yards. Miller ran for 13 yards and another eight yards to the Penn State 22. Waymond Jordan ran for no gain. On third-and-two, Jordan ran for one yard.
On fourth-and-one at the Penn State 21, Miller ran for two yards. Maiava passed to Mosley for six yards. Maiava ran with the ball before tossing an option pitch to Miller for a 13-yard touchdown run.
Caden Chittenden hit the extra point.
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USC onside kick to open third quarter sets up Penn State field goal
Penn State 20, No. 19 USC 17, 11:23 left in the third quarter
USC attempted an onside kick, but Penn State covered the ball at the Trojans’ 47.
Carson Hansen ran for no gain. Rocco Becht passed to Brett Eskildsen for 14 yards. Hansen ran for five yards. Becht passed to Hansen for 10 yards.
On first down at the USC 18, Becht tossed an incomplete pass, Hansen ran for two yards and Becht tossed another incomplete pass.
Ryan Barker hit a 35-yard field goal.
USC rolls the dice with an onside kick BUT Penn State comes away with the recovery! 😱
📺 Big Ten Saturday Night: USC at Penn State on NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/f3MTEFjmQq
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) October 11, 2026
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Penn State hits 48-yard field goal to tie game as time expires in second quarter
No. 19 USC 17, Penn State 17, end of second quarter
Penn State started on its 25 after the touchback.
James Peoples ran for two yards and the two-minute timeout was triggered. Rocco Becht passed to Andrew Rappleyea for eight yards. Rocco passed to Zay Robinson for 18 yards. Becht passed to Chase Sowell for one yard. Becht ran for two yards.
On third-and-seven at the USC 42, Rocco passed to Rappleyea for four yards. A timeout was triggered for a Sowell injury.
On fourth-and-three at the USC 40, Becht scanned the field for passing options before running for 10 yards before stepping out of bounds to stop the clock with three seconds remaining.
Ryan Barker lined up for a 48-yard field goal attempt. Lincoln Riley called timeout to ice the kicker. After the break, Barker hit the 48-yard field goal to tie the game as time expired.
During his halftime interview with NBC, USC coach Lincoln Riley praised quarterback Jayden Maiava’s poise and said the defense had to “do a better job of limiting explosive plays.”
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USC hits field goal after a series of long pass plays
No. 19 USC 17, Penn State 14, 2:11 left in the second quarter
USC started on its 10 after the punt.
King Miller ran for two yards. Jayden Maiava passed to Trent Mosley for 20 yards.
On first down at the USC 32, Miller ran for three yards. Maiava passed the ball just out of Miller’s reach. Maiava rolled out pressure and fired up field on the run and Tanook Hines slid to pull in the 40-yard catch.
On first down at the Penn State 25, Maiava tossed an incomplete pass intended for Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. Miller fumbled after he was hit and USC recovered for no loss. Maiava ran for five yards.
Caden Chittenden hit a 37-yard field goal to give USC the lead.
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USC defense forces a Penn State punt
No. 19 USC 14, Penn State 14, 6:15 left in the second quarter
Penn State started on its 39 after the missed field goal.
Rocco Becht passed to Gabe Burkle for 13 yards. James Peoples ran for a loss of one yard. Becht passed across the middle to Peoples and he dropped it. Becht tossed another incomplete pass broken up by Elijah Newby.
Trent Mosley took a fair catch at the USC 10.
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USC kicker Ryon Sayeri misses 56-yard field goal attempt.
No. 19 USC 14, Penn State 14, 7:42 left in the second quarter
USC will start on its 31 after Jadyn Ramos’ two-yard kickoff return.
Jayden Maiava’s pass was deflected and he batted it down to prevent an interception. Maiava passed to Tanook Hines, who appeared to pull in a one-handed catch but it was ruled incomplete on the field. After a review, the call on the field was upheld. On third-and-10 at the USC 31, Maiava tossed a screen pass to Trent Mosley for 13 yards.
Maiava faked a handoff and passed to Tanook Hines for 17 yards.
On first down at the Penn State 39, Waymond Jordan ran for no gain. Maiava’s passed intended for Trent Mosley sailed high and out of bounds. Maiava tossed another deep incomplete pass intended for Mosley.
On fourth-and-10 at the Penn State 39, USC called timeout.
Ryon Sayeri missed a 56-yard field goal.
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USC penalty helps extend Penn State scoring drive
No. 19 USC 14, Penn State 14, 9:59 left in the second quarter
Penn State started on its 25 after the kickoff.
James Peoples ran for four yards. Rocco Becht tossed an incomplete pass. Becht tossed another incomplete pass, but Elbert Hill IV was called for pass interference.
On first down at the Penn State 44, Becht passed to Sowell Chase for 37 yards. Peoples ran for eight yards. On first down at the USC 11, Peoples ran for another eight yards.
On first-and-goal at the USC 3, Carson Hansen ran for no gain. Hansen carried the ball again and was ruled short of reaching the end zone, but after a review, officials signaled he scored a three-yard touchdown.
Penn State hit the extra point to tie the game.
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Tanook Hines pulls in acrobatic catch, gives USC the lead
No. 19 USC 14, Penn State 7, 13:36 left in the second quarter
On first down at the Penn State 34, Jayden Maiava passed to Ethan “Boobie” Feaster for 11 yards. Maiava tossed an incomplete pass intended for Tanook Hines, but Penn State was called for pass interference.
On first-and-goal at the Penn State 8, King Miller fumbled and recovered for a loss of three yards. Maiava passed to Hines for an 11-yard touchdown. Hines pulled the ball away from the defensive back’s helmet on the acrobatic play.
Caden Chittenden hit the extra point.
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USC driving as time expires in first quarter
No. 19 USC 7, Penn State 7, end of first quarter
USC started on its 25 after the punt.
King Miller ran for five yards. Jayden Maiava passed to Trent Mosley, who dropped the ball as he was hit for an incomplete pass. On third-and-four, Maiava scanned the field and passed to Tanook Hines for 14 yards.
On first down at the USC 39, Waymond Jordan ran for five yards. Maiava passed to Zacharyus Williams for 22 yards as time expired in the first quarter.
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USC defense earns its first stop of the game, forces Penn State to punt
No. 19 USC 7, Penn State 7, 1:31 left in the first quarter
Penn State started on its 30.
Rocco Becht ran for two yards. Becht passed to Chase Sowell for 10 yards. Carson Hansen ran for three yards. Becht ran for two yards. On third-and-five, Becht passed to Brett Eskildsen for 10 yards to the USC 43.
Hansen ran for no gain. Penn State tried tossing a lateral Hansen for a pass play, but he was dropped for a 10-yard loss by Kennedy Urlacher. On third-and-20, Becht passed to Gabe Burkle for seven yards.
Penn State punted into the end zone.
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USC goes three-and-out on its second drive
No. 19 USC 7, Penn State 7, 6:16 left in the first quarter
USC started on its 25 after a touchback.
King Miller rushed for one yard. He carried the ball again and ran for one yard. On third-and-eight, Jayden Maiava tossed an incomplete pass intended for Tanook Hines.
Lachlan Carrigan punted to the Penn State 18 and it was returned 12 yards to the Nittany Lions’ 30.
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Penn State responds, scores on its opening drive to tie game
No. 19 USC 7, Penn State 7, 7:26 left in the first quarter
Penn State started on its 25 after the touchback.
Carson Hansen ran for seven yards. Rocco Becht passed to Chase Sowell for 47 yards.
Hansen ran two yards. James Peoples ran for a loss of one yard. Becht passed to Andrew Rappleyea for a 13-yard touchdown and Penn State hit the extra point to tie the game.
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Trent Mosley returns, scores touchdown on USC’s opening drive
No. 19 USC 7, Penn State 0, 10:38 left in the first quarter
USC won the toss and elected to receive.
Jayden Maiava passed to Zacharyus Williams for 12 yards. USC was called for a false start. Maiava passed to Williams for 12 yards. King Miller ran for 14 yards. Maiava passed to Trent Mosley for one yard. Maiava was sacked for a loss of six yards.
On third-and-15, Waymond Jordan ran for 10 yards. On fourth-and-five, Maiava passed to Kayden Wyatt-Dixon for 18 yards. Maiava passed to Mosley, back from a two-game injury absence, for a 19-yard touchdown.
Caden Chittenden hit the extra point.
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Listen now: Podcast ‘House of Troy’ features inside look at highs, lows of USC Athletics
(Harrison Freeman / Los Angeles Times Studios )
By Los Angeles Times Staff
Why has it been so hard for USC football to compete for a national title after setting the standard in college football during Pete Carroll’s tenure?
(Harrison Freeman / Los Angeles Times Studios )
Times USC beat reporter Ryan Kartje spent the past four years conducting more than 100 interviews, gaining new insight into the football program’s dramatic rise, fall and difficult push to return to national relevance.
Today, we begin sharing that story with you in “House of Troy,” a new narrative podcast from L.A. Times Studios available now on Spotify and Apple.
Check out Episode 1: “Win Now.”
In the late 1990s, USC football was in desperate need of a revival. The school turned to an unpopular choice: Pete Carroll, a former NFL coach. What happened next would transform USC into a college football powerhouse and Carroll into the face of a modern dynasty. In the first episode of “House of Troy,” Kartje takes us back to the beginning of the Carroll era and the drama that unfolded on and off the field.
Times of Troy: What’s going on with USC QB Jayden Maiava?
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava scans the field for receiving options during the fourth quarter the Trojans’ win over Washington at the Coliseum on Saturday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where I, like many of you, can’t help but wonder: What’s going on with Jayden Maiava?
As USC’s quarterback kneeled out the final seconds of an unsatisfying win over Washington on Saturday, he didn’t waste any time celebrating on the field. Maiava spotted an NBC camera trained on him, turned toward the Coliseum tunnel and took off.
The camera followed Maiava and caught USC sports information director Katie Ryan sprinting to reach him. But even after Ryan caught up to the quarterback, Maiava barely broke his stride. He just kept running, the first one up the tunnel, while his Trojan teammates remained on the field.
Trojans aim to prove they can stay poised amid constant pressure at packed Penn State
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava talks with teammates against Washington at the Coliseum on Oct. 3.
(Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times)
No. 19 USC has a better record, a national ranking and more talent than Penn State.
And yet the Nittany Lions (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) are favored to win by 1.5 points when the Trojans (5-1, 2-1) visit Happy Valley on Saturday (4:30 p.m. PDT) for a “white-out” game expected to draw more than 109,000 fans.
Lincoln Riley backs coordinator Gary Patterson amid USC defensive woes
USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson shouts instructions at his players during the Trojans’ loss to Oregon at the Coliseum on Saturday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
When Lincoln Riley hired Gary Patterson to be his third defensive coordinator in five seasons, the USC head coach naturally pointed to Patterson’s impressive track record.
His reputation, after all, was as one of the great defensive minds in the modern history of college football, a coach who, at Texas Christian, knew how to get more out of lesser talent. It stood to reason that he could do the same at USC, where they’d just signed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class. And through the spring and summer, that appeared to be the case, as coaches and players alike raved about their new coordinator, who earlier this year was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
But as the Trojans approach the midway point of an increasingly tense campaign, Patterson and his defense have fallen drastically short of those expectations.
USC silences the ‘Fire Lincoln!’ chants with thrilling comeback win over Washington
USC defensive end Luke Wafle closes in to tackle Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. during the Trojans’ 25-21 victory Saturday at the Coliseum.
(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
The knives already were out. The boos already were ringing.
At the end of an already brutal week at USC, during which the nation was ready to dance on the graves of the Trojans and their coach, it seemed for much of Saturday that any last shreds of faith in coach Lincoln Riley might melt away in the beating Southern California sun. Not only had the aftermath of their Oregon loss gone as poorly as possible, but now the Trojans were tripping over themselves again, trailing Washington, a middling Big Ten team down to its fourth-string running back, and a chant began to rise above the fray in the Coliseum, from the USC student section.
“FIRE LINCOLN!” they roared.
USC coach Lincoln Riley says Jayden Maiava isn’t hurt despite dip in performance
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava looks to pass the ball during a game against Washington at the Coliseum on Saturday.
(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava has been playing above-average football, but the signal-caller’s deep throws have not been as sharp lately and he has shied away from some contact after taking a big hit to his shoulder during a 39-0 shutout of Fresno State on Sept. 4.
When asked about his quarterback on Tuesday, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley quickly replied that Maiava is not injured.
“Jayden has been pretty healthy,” Riley said. “They’ve kept him upright all season long.”