STATE COLLEGE — On Saturday, Oct. 12, No. 3 Penn State football narrowly escaped USC in overtime.
The Nittany Lions trailed 20-6 at halftime, but big performances from Drew Allar and Tyler Warren helped Penn State complete the 33-30 comeback win.
The Trojans started the game with the ball and tried to get running back Woody Marks and quarterback Miller Moss going early. The Nittany Lion’s defense was up for the task, though, and forced a punt on the sixth play of the drive.
Now with the ball, Allar led a 15-play drive to the USC 2-yard line. Penn State was faced with a fourth-and-two and decided to go for it. Warren caught the pass in the endzone, but an offensive pass interference brought the play back. Head coach James Franklin decided to kick the field goal and take the 3-0 lead.
All it took was one play for the Trojans to score on the next drive. A creative end-around for Quinten Joyner resulted in a 75-yard touchdown with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.
USC’s momentum continued as they stopped Penn State before the quarter ended and Joyner scored another touchdown to push the lead to 11 for the Trojans.
Penn State couldn’t respond to this touchdown either as Allar threw an interception four plays into the next drive. Up to this point, USC looked to be the better side.
The remaining time in the second half was a kicker’s paradise. Neither team found the endzone, but the Trojans scored two field goals and the Nittany Lions scored one.
Penn State went into the break down 20-6.
However, Penn State seemed to shake off its jet lag in the second half and started playing Nittany Lion football again.
On the first drive, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki drew up the most creative play of the season to this point. Warren lined up at center, Beau Pribula lined up at quarterback and Allar was out wide.
Warren snapped the ball to Pribula who threw a screen to Allar. After the snap, Warren streaked upfield and was found by Allar for a 32-yard touchdown. Warren’s catch was directly over his defender’s head.
The score brought the game to 20-13.
With four minutes left in the third quarter, Penn State tied the game at 20 apiece. An eight-play drive highlighted by a 34-yard Warren grab ended in a Kaytron Allen touchdown. The momentum had completely shifted in favor of the Nittany Lions.
Another interception by Allar, though, was all USC needed to retake the lead. A 39-yard field goal with 28 seconds left in the third had Penn State down 23-20 at the start of the fourth.
The Nittany Lions tied the game four minutes later with a field goal of their own.
Both teams battled their way into the end zone in the fourth quarter. USC found it easier and scored off a nine-play drive. Penn State on the other hand took 12 plays and two fourth and long conversions. Both times Julian Flemming made excellent grabs to keep the drive alive.
Tied 30-30, Penn State’s defense made a huge stop capped with an interception that effectively brought the game to overtime.
The Nittany Lion defense stepped up once again in overtime. They stopped the USC offense and caused a missed field goal that set Ryan Barker up to hit the game-winner.
Penn State won 33-30.
The biggest story of the game was Warren’s performance. The tight end had 17 receptions for 224 yards and a touchdown.
“I’ve been talking about him being the best tight end in college football,” Franklin said. “But the reality is, he’s now part of a conversation on one of the best players in all of college football.”
Warren’s 224 yards set a Penn State and Big Ten record tight-end record. His 17 catches were the most since Northwestern’s Joe Harvey in 1982.
Another refreshing performer for Nittany Lion fans was that of kicker Ryan Barker. In his second career start, the walk-on went four-for-four including the game-winner.
“Coach Franklin does a great job of being excessive with those specialists. When they get in those situations, they’re unfazed,” Allar said. “It’s a credit to his confidence and his demeanor. He’s the same person every day. I’m super happy for him that he was able to enjoy that moment.”
Allar confidence also shined through. Going into the game Allar had the lowest pass attempt to interception percentage in college football history with 0.5%. The previous record was set by Marcus Mariota in 2012-14 with 1.2%.
This percentage skyrocketed with Allar’s three interceptions this weekend. The former five-star was unphased, though, and just kept throwing the next big pass.
“Coach K, Coach Franklin, they never lost faith in me,” Allar said. “We always talk in the QB room, to keep shooting. Keep shooting no matter what. Some things aren’t going to go your way. But it’s about how you bounce back.”
Penn State as a whole bounced back on Saturday to move to 6-0 on the year. A record good enough to receive the No. 3 ranking for the first time since 2017.
