Questionable Officiating Tarnishes PSU's OT Victory Over USC

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In a Big Ten Conference clash on the West Coast, No. 4 Penn State (6-0, 3-0) notched a 33-30 overtime victory over the unranked USC Trojans (3-3, 1-3 ).

The outcome of the game is marred by controversy, as the referees failed to call two obvious pass interference penalties by Penn State in the overtime session, leading to a missed field goal attempt by USC and a winning field goal by Penn State moments later.

ESPN senior writer Heather Dinich took to social media to memorialize the missed PI calls.

In the words of OutKick, "The game ended on a Nittany Lions field goal[] after Penn State interfered with USC wide receivers on two of three plays on the Trojans' one [overtime] possession."

This was the first meeting between USC and Peen State since 2017.

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Game Summary

Both defenses started strong. Penn State forced the Trojans to punt on their first possession after allowing just one first down. Then, USC mounted a goal-line stand on the Nittany Lions' first drive, holding them to a short field goal.

Southern Cal responded with a dazzling end-around on the first play of the following drive. After faking a pitch to speedy Zachariah Branch, redshirt freshman Quentin Joyner dashed around the edge of the Penn State defense and sprinted 75 yards to the end zone, putting the Trojans ahead 7-3.

USC stopped Penn State on its next drive, then took the ball steadily downfield in a drive featuring runs by Woody Marks and capped by a second Joyner TD, this time on a pass reception from Miller Moss that gave USC a 14-3 lead.

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The Trojans then stopped the Nittany Lions again on an interception by freshman linebacker Desman Stephens II, only the second INT thrown this season by Penn State quarterback Drew Allar. The turnover led to a 45-yard Field goal by Michael Lantz, making the score 17-3.

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The teams then traded field goals to make the score 20-6 in USC's favor at halftime.

Penn State tight end Tyler Warren was Allar's favorite target in the first half, with 9 receptions for 98 yards. Although the Nittany Lions controlled time of possession in the first half, holding the ball for 17 minutes and 49 seconds, the Trojans outgained Penn State 248 to 204 yards.

Penn State dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Trojans 14-3. Going into the fourth quarter USC's lead was only 23-20.

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The Nittany Lions kicked a field goal early in the final stanza to even the score at 23.

After inexplicably staying away from the run game in the third quarter, the Trojans returned to it on their first drive in the fourth quarter, and it paid dividends. Marks led the Trojans down the field on an impressive drive, and the Trojans took a 30-23 lead on a 7-yard strike from Miller Moss to Kyron Hudson.

But, PSU responded with a game-tying drive highlighted by two lengthy fourth-down conversions.

USC vs. Penn State: Refs Dominate Overtime

Penn State won the toss and opted to play defense first in overtime. The Trojans ran three plays, two of which were pass plays involving blatant pass interference penalties by Penn State defenders. Neither foul was called, however. On fourth down, USC missed its field goal attempt. With the script written by the officials, Penn State kicked a field goal on its possession to secure a 33-30 win.

Next Up

The Trojans travel to the East Coast to take on the Maryland Terrapins (3-3, 0-3) in College Park, Md. on Oct 19. After a bye in Week 8, the Nittany Lions head to Madison, Wis. to take on the Wisconsin Badgers (4-2, 2-1).