No. 19 USC has a better record, a national ranking and more talent than Penn State.
And yet the Nittany Lions (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) are favored to win by 1.5 points when the Trojans (5-1, 2-1) visit Happy Valley on Saturday (4:30 p.m. PDT) for a “white-out” game expected to draw more than 109,000 fans.
Why?
The Trojans entered the season expected to make the College Football Playoff for the first time during Lincoln Riley’s tenure but have struggled to handle pressure.
Freshman defensive end Luke Wafle said the Trojans are prepared for the electric crowd, using their new state-of-the-art sound system to blast noise that made it difficult to hear during practice.
“That speaker gets loud,” Wafle said. “You can hear it across campus. It scared me the first time they were doing sound checks. I was walking out of my class.”
He said coaches have been giving defensive players tips on how to deal with fan noise.
Linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson transferred from Penn State to USC and has experience playing in Happy Valley at peak volume. He said communication is key to leaving with a win.
“Everybody’s eyes will have to be right,” Robinson said. “We got the speakers all the way up, so we are ready and prepared for that.”
USC has never won at Penn State, losing 21-20 in 1993 and 38-14 in 1994.
The Trojans have to do more than navigate crowd noise to post their first victory there.
Battle of the flags
Penalties rank high on the USC’s list of problems. The Trojans were called for nine last week against Washington that cost them 94 yards, including an illegal formation penalty that nullified a long touchdown pass.
After the comeback win, Riley said the Trojans have to show more discipline.
“That’s got to get better,” he said.
USC ranks 82nd nationally with 6.83 penalties per game. There were bound to be some mistakes while featuring freshmen who were members of the No. 1 recruiting class, but the penalties have come at terrible moments for USC — extending opponents’ drives and crushing the Trojans’ push to reach the end zone.
Defensive pressure
Gary Patterson directed the defense from the press box last week after operating on the sideline to start the season.
It is one of many efforts the Trojans have made to improve their communication, speed and execution on defense.
Tackle Jahkeem Stewart said no team opens the season executing perfectly, but he expects improvement against Penn State.
“We are slowly starting to be where we want to be,” Stewart said. “We play connected, and I feel we must play as connected going into this weekend.”
Patterson, a Hall of Fame coach known for stout defenses, was supposed to help Riley address the Trojans’ biggest weakness, but the turnaround hasn’t been swift or smooth.
However, many aspects of the defense enjoyed breakthroughs against Washington, with USC recording a season-high five sacks after having just eight through its first five games.
Stewart said that playing free will help the defense build on its success.
“Especially as a D-line, the big word was play free and play together,” Stewart said. “We aren’t where we want to be, especially as a D-line. We want to be one of the best D-lines in the country at the end of the season.”
Stewart said it’s been great to see Patterson, who coached at Texas Christian for 22 seasons, trust his defensive linemen to make plays.
“[Patterson] is a great coach,” Stewart said. “He’s a hard worker, and us just feeding off his work, we are going to do great things.”
Maiava embraces a challenge
The best way for the Trojans to limit the impact of a hostile crowd is to play well on offense. Quarterback Jayden Maiava has adapted to different groups of receivers each game and will have to run the offense with confidence under pressure.
“Coach [Dennis] Simmons has done a great job of getting the guys ready,” Maiava said, noting the receivers group has coped with injuries. “Next-man-up mentality, and we’re all bought into the same goal that we just want to win.”
Maiava, who had his fewest yards (245) and touchdown passes (one) of the season against Washington, knows he needs to play well against Penn State.
“Definitely bringing the energy,” he said.
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