Penn State football overcomes two touchdown deficits to beat USC 33-30

The stories were all there. And soon the stories would bear fruit. We've seen them all week, so there's no point repeating them here. However, it is noted how the game ended.

Lincoln Riley, a brilliant offensive player in his own right, had the perfect game plan to attack the Nittany Lions. It worked pretty well except for the third quarter. Penn State's defense was on its heels for much of the game and, compounded by a few offensive errors, allowed the Trojans to hang in there until the end.

The pace of the game was set from the jump. USC decided to take the ball and even though they didn't score there, they showed what the game plan would be. To their credit, Penn State's offense responded by running the field on its first possession. However, an offensive pass interference call negated what would have been a touchdown drive.

The Trojans followed up with an explosive run and took the lead. One that they didn't want to give up until the end. The creativity continued in the half quarter and the Trojans were able to use misdirection and quick passes to get the ball into the hands of their best players. They were also able to run the ball, something they have struggled with in recent weeks. In the end, the Trojans had a 14-point lead at halftime.

It has to be said that Penn State came back confidently in the second half. They held USC to 3 points in the third quarter, scored 14 points of their own and traded points with the Trojans early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 30 points.

USC only had one more shot to decide this game. The Trojans started at the Trojan 25 and went all the way to the Penn State 49. The Trojans chose to let time run out rather than try to put themselves in better position for a win. To James Franklin's credit, he took some time off to set up the right defense. The Nittany Lions then intercepted Miller Moss' pass to force it overtime. Yes, the Lions did it again, but Hail Marys are tough.

The fateful event occurred in overtime. The Lions held strong on defense, forced a USC field goal and, a man who has been automatic all season, missed a 45-yarder that sailed straight left.

Penn State, a team we all feared in a situation like this, prevailed. What has been her Achilles heel all season has saved her. Ryan Barker came into the game knowing a field goal would decide the game and fired the shot straight through the uprights. Penn State leaves the Coliseum with a win.

Statistics and storylines

224 – Receiving yards from Tyler Warren on 17 receptions. The first is a new record that Warren himself set earlier in the season, the other is also a record that he is likely to break later in the season.

Mackey at the castle – Speaking of which: Do we have to wait until the end of the season to give him the award?

Up to the task – We've seen Drew Allar in situations like this in the past. It didn't bode well for the Lions. This year everything is different. The leadership shows and in a game where Allar needed to step up, he did just that. He had more interceptions in that game than he had in his entire career, and he still stood there and put the Lions in position to win.

To the moon and back – I'm not proud to go public with this, but I openly wish Julian Fleming would be hurled into the sky after the early game failures. Well, after two massive 4th down catches, I'm glad he's at Penn State and not on the moon.

We don't apologize – As the title of this article and the discussion on the BSD YouTube show (which you should definitely watch and subscribe to) state, there is no excuse for victories. Penn State won, other teams in the top 10 didn't, and they get to go another week undefeated. That's what counts.

Couldn't be us – Imagine going to the West Coast and losing.

Highlights