LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The USC Trojans could easily be 6-0, but instead, they now sit at 3-3 while Penn State’s undefeated season continues. USC took a 20-6 lead into halftime before the Nittany Lions came roaring back for an improbable 33-30 overtime victory.
Tyler Warren was unstoppable for Penn State during their comeback win, tying the FBS single-game reception record by a tight end. He caught 17 passes for 224 yards and added an acrobatic 32-yard touchdown grab to his highlight tape.
Warren also completed a pass, picked up a four-yard carry, and even started the trickeration on his touchdown play by snapping the ball.
??? pic.twitter.com/pC808ys688
— USC Football ?? (@uscfb) October 12, 2024
“That doesn’t even count what he is doing in the running game, what he is doing blocking. I have been talking about him being the best tight end in college football, but the reality is he’s now part of the conversation of one of the best players in all of college football,” said Penn State head coach James Franklin.
He is a player to watch as the Nittany Lions continue their pursuit of one of the four coveted College Football Playoff spots. Warren is a versatile and humble player who can make an impact in many different ways at the next level.
HIM ? pic.twitter.com/X8cGQoOztA
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) October 12, 2024
“One guy will make a play, but there are so many things that go into it. There are ten other guys that had to do something for that one guy to make a play. That is why I love football. It takes your team and the guys around you, and that is what I really enjoy about the game,” said Warren.
It is back to the drawing board for USC. After a third heartbreaking loss in four weeks, the coaching staff might have to change some things up. What is most unfortunate about their season so far is that the defense has improved tremendously, but the offense is not as explosive without Caleb Williams. This season’s version of their defense, with the offense of years past, is capable of beating all of the best teams in college football.
The Miller Moss-led offense is still a good unit, but it is not what we have become accustomed to from a Lincoln Riley-led system. While the defense is making strides and opponents are scoring nearly 14 fewer points per game, the offense has taken a step back, scoring 30.7 a game compared to over 41 the previous two seasons.
Go-ahead TD from @kyron___hudson ??
— USC Football ?? (@uscfb) October 12, 2024
? CBS
pic.twitter.com/ZJZYTbBg5l
“We have played the toughest schedule in the country the first six games, and we have had a chance to win every single game, and that is hard to do,” said Riley. “I have to do a better job, our coaches, our player, because we are doing too many good things to put us in situations where we have the lead, and we can win, but we have to get paid off for it and finish. It all falls on my shoulders at the end, and that is why they call me head coach.”
Moss is a quality quarterback who excels in the pocket, but he does not extend plays in the same way that other Riley quarterbacks have in the past. The Trojans called a solid game script, and the plan worked in many ways, but Riley can still find ways to make Moss’s job easier.
Zachariah Branch is the most explosive player on USC’s roster, and it would make sense to get him more involved. He is a gadget player who is being used almost exclusively as a wide receiver on offense.
He only has two carries on the season and only brought in two passes for six yards against Penn State. Instead of manufacturing him touches with end-around runs and short passes, most of his targets on Saturday were downfield.

The Trojans also mismanaged the clock down the stretch. In a tie ball game, they got the ball with 2:53 left on the clock while having all three timeouts. USC ended up nearly running out of time before Moss threw an interception while trying to force the issue. If they had used any of their timeouts, the offense would not have been in as much of a rush, and the overtime period might have never happened.
“We were talking about if we need to use timeouts and stop the clock here because it was 2nd and 12. If you don’t get anything there, all of a sudden, it’s 3rd and 12, and you potentially bought them a series, and we weren’t in field goal range yet. We went back and forth on do we use them and stop the clock or not,” said Riley.
It has to be extremely frustrating, but Penn State is ranked fourth in the country for a reason, and USC can build off this performance, knowing they outplayed one of the best teams in college football for much of the day.
Top Photo Caption: Photo credit: Ser Baffo

Benjamin Verbrugge is a reporter for News4usonline who studied journalism at CSU Dominguez Hills. “Sports have brought me much joy throughout my life, and I want to give a little back to something that has meant so much to me.” Email Benjamin at benverbrugge8@gmail.com.
Discover more from News4usonline
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.