Preview: USC Trojans' Run Defense Against Penn State's Physical Offense

The USC Trojans struggled to contain a strong rushing attack from the Minnesota Golden Gophers. They face a Penn State offense that ranks in the top 20 in rushing offense. Will the Trojans run defense be able to hold up?

Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) runs the ball against the USC Trojans during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans struggled to contain a strong rushing attack from the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Sophomore running back Darius Taylor ran for 144 yards on 25 carries and Minnesota finished the night with 193 yards on the ground.

Taylor and senior running back Marcus Major each averaged over five yards per carry against the Trojans. On their go-ahead touchdown drive, Minnesota ran the ball on 10 out of 12 plays.

Tackling was issue in Saturdays upset loss. USC had a season-high 15 missed tackles according to Pro Football Focus. 

"We didn't command the line of scrimmage on the defensive front like we have,” said USC coach Lincoln Riley. “We've gotta be more controlling at the line of scrimmage, and then I didn't think we tackled as well at the second level."

“We gotta get back to our fundamentals, we got to really trust it," Riley continued. "We gotta play better upfront, we gotta do a better job of putting a cap on things in the backend.”

Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) runs the ball against the USC Trojans during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

It was the second time in the last three games the Trojans have allowed at least 190 yards on the ground. Lead by senior running back Kalel Mullings, the Michigan Wolverines ran for 290 yards on the Trojans defense in week four. Mullings averaged 9.4 yards per carry thanks to explosive runs of 53 and 63 yards. Senior running back Donovan Edwards also broke loose for a 41-yard touchdown of his own. 

A defense that appeared to fix its tackling issues from a season ago, now has become a major problem. Missed tackles have led to explosive plays. And it won’t get any easier with No. 4 Penn State coming into town. 

The teams with the most success against USC are the ones that have leaned heavily into the running game. On Saturday, Oct. 5, Minnesota called 40 run plays versus only 19 pass plays. For Michigan, it was 46 run plays versus 12 pass attempts that netted just 37 yards from junior quarterback Alex Orji. Both schools had a game plan to run the football and stuck with it, even when they trailed in the fourth quarter. 

The reality of making the transition to the Big Ten conference means facing programs with much bigger offensive lineman than what USC has dealt with in the past. More schools that play a ground and pound, physical form of football. 

The Nittany Lions rank No. 3 in the Big Ten and No. 17 nationally in rushing yards per game (217.8). Four out of five starting offensive lineman weigh over 300 pounds, with three of them over 320. USC has one defensive lineman in the rotation, Kobe Pepe that weighs over 300 pounds. 

Similar to Michigan and Minnesota, Penn State will go with a heavy dose of junior running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Singleton missed last Saturdays contest against UCLA and the Nittany Lions were limited to just 85 rushing yards.

Penn State coach James Franklin is “very confident” that Singelton will be available against USC. The dynamic 1-2 punch have been the Nittany Lions top two rushers since they both arrived on campus in 2022. The workload has virtually been split evenly during that time. Having one of the country's top running back duos and a strong defense has allowed them to be conservative on offense. 

Sep 21, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) runs with the ball while breaking a tackle during the first quarter against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Junior quarterback Drew Allar has not attempted more than 24 passes in any of the team's five games this season. As a result, the former five-star has only thrown one interception and three interceptions total in 18 career starts. 

Kickoff on Saturday, Oct.12, is set for 12:30 p.m. PT and will be televised on CBS.

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