What We Learned From Penn State's Rousing Overtime Win at USC

Tyler Warren was unstoppable for the Nittany Lions, while Drew Allar and Ryan Barker came up clutch.

Penn State tight end Tyler Warren runs by USC Trojans safety Akili Arnold (0) in the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

It was an exhilarating 60+ minutes of football in Los Angeles, as Penn State rallied to defeat USC 33-30 on the road and improve to 6-0. The Nittany Lions came out flat in the first half and fell behind 20-6, but a rejuvenated offense emerged from the locker room and led an exciting comeback. Here’s what we learned from Penn State’s win. 

Tyler Warren is unstoppable

Tyler Warren posted a record-breaking performance against USC, almost single-handedly carrying the Penn State offense. Warren racked up 17 receptions for 224 yards and a touchdown, breaking Penn State’s single-game receptions record, which DaeSean Hamilton set with 14 catches against Ohio State in 2014. Warren's yardage total was second only to Jahan Dotson’s 242 yards at Maryland in 2021. 

Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki continued to manufacture touches to the playmaking tight end, including direct snaps and screens. Warren seemingly lined up everywhere, including at tight end, fullback, wideout and quarterback. 

The play of the day was when Warren lined up on the end of the line and snapped the ball like a center. He then ran a go-route downfield and made an outstanding catch over a defender for a 32-yard touchdown. 

“I’ve been talking about him being the best tight end in college football,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “But the reality is, he’s now part of a conversation as one of the best players in all of college football.”

The career game puts Warren up to 514 yards and four touchdowns on 40 receptions this season. “I’ve thrown the ball 17 times in high school, but I just started catching balls when I got to college, so it was fun,” Warren said.

DOUBLE PASS AND WHAT A CATCH! pic.twitter.com/DSOQOIa14t

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 12, 2024

Defense gives up big plays early, comes up clutch

After largely encouraging performances against Illinois and UCLA, the Penn State defense was exposed early by USC’s playmakers. The Trojans’ offensive duo of Woody Marks and Quinten Joyner gave Penn State’s defense fits all day. Joyner started it off with a 75-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, before following with a 9-yard touchdown reception out of the backfield. 

Marks got the bulk of the touches, gaining 155 yards from scrimmage on 22 touches. He was able to slip out of tackle attempts and knife through Penn State’s defense throughout the game. And quarterback Miller Moss enjoyed a solid performance and was mostly unscathed, as Penn State only got one sack and didn’t get much pressure overall. 

Still, the Nittany Lions’ defense was clutch when it mattered. Allar’s first two interceptions set USC up with short fields, but Penn State forced three-and-outs both times, limiting the Trojans to field goals. Trailing 20-6 to start the third quarter, the defense held USC to two punts, giving the offense the opportunity to score a pair of touchdowns and tie the game at 20-20.

In the last minute of regulation, Jaylen Reed grabbed an interception to halt USC and force overtime. In overtime, the defense pushed the Trojans backward, which led to a missed field goal. 

“My play, it was just amazing,” Reed said. “Shout out to [defensive coordinator Tom] Allen for setting me up and putting me in that position. For the defense and the team to be that resilient and to play that gutsy game, I’m super proud.”

There will be areas to address for Allen — namely tackling — but the defense rallied to get stops when it mattered most. 

Drew Allar overcomes interceptions for a career game

It was a peaks-and-valleys game for the Penn State quarterback, who overcame those valleys exceptionally well. Allar equaled his career interception total by throwing three picks (one on a last-play Hail Mary) but also threw for a career-high 391 yards and led the Nittany Lions to a 14-point comeback victory. 

Two of the interceptions were forced throws over the middle that led to USC points, but Allar made up for them with big-time throws in the second half to lead Penn State downfield. Penn State’s game-tying drive was one of Allar’s most clutch sequences of his career. He zipped a pair of throws to Julian Fleming to keep the drive alive, converting a fourth-and-7 and a fourth-and-10, and capped it by finding a wide-open Nick Singleton in the flat for the game-tying touchdown. 

Allar hasn’t played in many close games in his career, but his performance against USC was a showcase of his leadership and late-game heroics, which could serve the Nittany Lions very well moving forward.

“What I probably love the most about Drew, and it is probably reflective of our whole team, is it didn’t go perfectly for him today and he just ground through it,” Franklin said. “He flushed the bad plays and moved on. That’s what you have to do in college football.”

Ryan Barker is clutch

Penn State may have found its starting kicker of the future. Redshirt freshman Ryan Barker hit all four of his field-goal attempts, including the overtime game-winner. His long against USC was only 36 yards, and his long on the season is 40 yards, so he’s still untested from distance. But no field goal is a freebie in college football, and Barker has appeared reliable so far in his young career. 

Franklin called him “Cold as Ice Barker” after his overtime winner. He said the way Barker has stepped up when opportunity knocked is “what our country is about.”  

“It’s a credit to his confidence and his demeanor,” Allar said. “He’s the same person every day. I’m super happy for him that he was able to enjoy that moment.”

Ryan Barker hit the "Night Night" after kicking the winner pic.twitter.com/JZ2NXOHDY2

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 12, 2024

More Penn State Football

What they said after the Penn State-USC game

The Penn State football report card: USC edition

Penn State rallies to stun USC in overtime, remain unbeaten

Sam Woloson has covered Penn State Athletics for the past three years and is currently the managing editor of The Daily Collegian. His work has also appeared in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Huntingdon Daily News and Rivals. Follow him on X @sam_woloson