USC Coach Lincoln Riley Takes Blame For Overtime Loss to Penn State: 'Gut Punch'

The USC Trojans dropped its third game of the season to the Penn State Nittany Lions 33-30 in overtime at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It is the third time this season the Trojans have lost in the final minute of regulation or in overtime.

Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley, left, talks with Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin on the field prior to the game at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans drop its third game of the season to the Penn State Nittany Lions 33-30 in overtime at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It is the third time this season the Trojans have lost in the final minute of regulation or in overtime.

"Really difficult loss, "said USC coach Lincoln Riley. "No way to sugercoat that. Our guys fought their a-- offf from beginning to end. As a coach, can't ask for anything more than the effort out guys put on the field. There are two good football teams going at it, it came down to the last play

"We've had, obviously, a few games like this, where we've had chances to win right there at the end and to not, you know, not make the plays, not have some of the breaks bounce your way. There's no doubt about it. So we're disappointed with not finishing off."

Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley, left, talks with Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin on the field prior to the game at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After netting just 15 yards on their opening possession, the Trojans offense exploded on their second thanks to a 75-yard run by running back Quinten Joyner. It was the longest touchdown of the year so far for USC. Joyner then scored his touchdown of the afternoon when he caught a nine-yard pass from quarterback Miller Moss.

It was a good day on the ground for the Trojans with senior running back Woody Marks reaching the century mark for the second consecutive week, this time he carried the ball 20 times for 118 yards. USC finished the game with 200 yards on the ground against the No. 4 rushing defense in college football

USC was in complete control in the first half as they headed into the locker room with a 20-6 lead. The second half was a different story.

All of the momentum began shifting to Penn State when they opened the half with two consecutive scoring drives of 75 and 90 yards to the tie the game at 20. From there, like a great boxing match, the two blue bloods began exchanging jabs.

Moss connected with Kyron Hudson late in the fourth quarter to give the Trojans a lead, but on the ensuing possession quarterback Drew Allar connected with receiver Julian Fleming twice on fourth down to extend the drive. Allar would then find a wide-open Nick Singleton for a 9-yard touchdown to tie the game and send into overtime.

Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) throws a pass in the first half against the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

USC got the ball first, Michael Lantz missed his 45-yard field goal attempt, Penn State's Ryan Barker nailed his 36-yard field goal and Penn State walked away with their perfect record still intact.

"The reality is, we've played the toughest schedule in the country" Riley said. "We've had a chance to win every single game, and that's hard to do ... we've got to do a better job at the end of games. I have to do better job, our coaches, our players, because we're doing too many good things in situations where we have a lead and we can win and we got to get paid off for it. We got to be able to finish."

USC will be making their own coast-to-coast trip when they travel to College Park next Saturday, Oct. 19 to face the Maryland Terrapins. It will be the first ever matchup between the two programs. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m. PT and will be televised on FS1.

MORE: How to Watch USC Trojans vs. Penn State Nittany Lions: Preview, Prediction, Channel

MORE: USC Trojans' Jaylin Smith Reveals Strategy for Defending Penn State's Drew Allar

MORE: [EXCLUSIVE] USC Trojans' Juju Watkins Signs NIL Deal With Gatorade: 'Surreal Dream'

MORE: USC Trojans Recruiting: 4-Star Julian Lewis Headlines Visitors List vs. Penn State

MORE: Minnesota Vikings' Sam Darnold To Lead USC Trojans Out of Tunnel vs. Penn State

MORE: USC Trojans Injury Update vs. Penn State: Lake McRee, Eric Gentry, Anthony Lucas