The first roadtrip of Penn State's Big Ten slate is expected to be a highly anticipated one as the Nittany Lions travel to Southern California to take on USC in the Coliseum.
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Lincoln Riley has been one the most scrutinized coaches in all of college football since leaving Oklahoma for the Trojans in 2022. USC has had mixed results over the last two years, the most recent of which has potentially warmed up Riley's seat.
With the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams under center, USC finished just 8-5 in what was a disappointing season for the program. A 6-0 start to the year offered optimism, but close wins over Arizona and Colorado showed the Trojans were on the cusp of watching their College Football Playoff hopes come crashing down.
That occurred in October, as losses to Notre Dame and Utah turned into a downhill spiral for Riley and company. After a 50-49 win over Cal, USC would go on to lose three straight to Washington, Oregon and UCLA to finish the regular season at 7-5. The Trojans did take some momentum into the off-season by beating Louisville in the Holiday Bowl.
HEAD COACH PROFILE: Lincoln Riley
Salary: $11,000,000 per year (Reportedly)
Overall Record: 74-18
Record at USC: 19-8
Record against Penn State: 0-0
After taking the reigns of Oklahoma in 2017, Riley emerged as one of the top young coaches in the country with the Sooners. Riley led Oklahoma to three straight years with 12 wins, including a trio of College Football Playoff appearances in his first three years at the helm. Oklahoma would go on to win the Big 12 once again in 2020, but was on the outside looking in on the College Football Playoff in that year and again in 2021.
Riley then made waves across the college football world, leaving for USC prior to the 2022 season for a massively lucrative deal, which has not been fully disclosed as USC in a private institution.
The Riley era started off strong with an 11-win campaign in 2022, but a National Championship opportunity was soiled by two defeats to Utah, before another loss to Tulane in the Cotton Bowl. The Trojans took a step in the wrong direction under Riley in 2023, going just 8-5, which has caused Riley to be a hot topic this off-season for all the wrong reasons.
Offensive Coordinator: Josh Henson
- Points Per Game: 41.85
- Yards Per Game: 466.9
- Passing Yards Per Game: 333.0
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 133.9
Defensive Coordinator: D'Anton Lynn (Hired from UCLA)
- Points Allowed Per Game: 34.4
- Yards Allowed Per Game: 432.8
- Passing Allowed Yards Per Game: 246.4
- Rushing Allowed Yards Per Game: 186.5
LAST TIME PENN STATE MET USC
Penn State and USC have not squared off since the 2017 Rose Bowl, which saw the Nittany Lions was 52-49 in a thriller at the Coliseum. The Trojans have held a slight upper hand in the all-time series, with a 6-4 record over the Nittany Lions in ten meetings, including winning the last three. The last win for Penn State over USC came in 1996, when the Nittany Lions won 24-7 in New Jersey.
USC lost a lot of production on the offensive side of the ball, with quarterback Caleb Williams, leading rusher Marshawn Lloyd, leading receivers Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice, all heading to the NFL. That provides an opportunity for several players, but perhaps none more than quarterback Miller Moss. The redshirt junior shine in the Holiday Bowl, throwing for 372 yards and six touchdowns against Louisville.
A poor defensive unit last season will look for a massive improvement under D'Anton Lynn in 2024. That group returns a solid core, including linebackers Mason Cobb and Jamil Muhammad.
After having the 93rd ranked passing defense in the country last season, the focus of the transfer portal proved to be the secondary, with five of USC's top ten incoming transfers being defensive backs. Kamari Ramsey (safety), Akili Arnold (safety) and John Humphrey (cornerback) could all earn starting roles from day one for the Trojans.
On the offensive side, Woody Marks was the most high-profile addition after leading the Bulldogs in rushing over the last three season, tallying 573 yards and four scores a year ago.
USC saw a number of talented young players enter the portal this off-season, two that would have likely been in the rotation or potentially started on the defensive side of the ball in sophomore defensive back Domani Jackson and freshman linebacker Tackett Curtis.
Running back Raleek Brown and former five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson also left town, with Nelson being one of the most intriguing departures in all of college football. The freshman signal caller was seemingly behind Miller Moss heading into 2024, and opted to go to Boise State instead of perhaps waiting another year.
25 players in total left the program, seven of which were top in the Rivals top 100 portal rankings for the cycle. The 34th ranked incoming portal class in the country could help lessen those blows, however.
2024 SIGNING CLASS / TOP SIGNEES
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