Penn State White Out Loss Leaves More Questions than Answers

Penn State’s losing streak has grown to three games, with the 31-23 loss to No. 19 USC in the White Out. Each loss in this streak has revealed a new weakness, and previous struggles persist, leaving Penn State with more questions than answers.

The Nittany Lions have failed to consistently rush the passer and establish a run game this season. The Penn State White Out exposed pass-defense vulnerabilities when the front seven can’t pressure a talented quarterback, and it showed the offense needs a run game, no matter how good the passing attack is.

Penn State’s defense looked like one of the best in the Big Ten after the first three games of the season, but that has since unraveled. One persistent issue has been the pass rush.

Penn State’s pass rush was inconsistent once again against USC. According to Pro Football Focus, the Nittany Lions had 13 pressures, which was their second-lowest total of the season, and Tony Rojas had the lone sack.

The quality of pressure from Penn State’s pass rush hasn’t been the issue; it’s the frequency. When the rush got to Trojans’ quarterback Jayden Maiva, he was 3-of-7 passing for 69 yards. However, Penn State frequently rushed three, and Maiva was able to pick the Nittany Lions apart, completing 18-of-26 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns when kept clean.

“I think we tried to have some multiplicity in terms of what we were doing, especially for the quarterback,” Campbell said. “I think from our end, how many different ways could we disguise coverage, especially post-snap and when it got under 15 seconds on the shot clock.”

Maiva’s 301 passing yards and three touchdowns are the highest totals Penn State’s pass defense has allowed all season.

Penn State defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn said in the week leading up to Saturday’s loss that “We need to be great on third down. We need to be great in the red zone, and we need to stop the run, and then don’t give them chunk plays. Make them drive all the way down the field.”

Well, USC converted nearly half of its third downs (5-for-11) even when the average distance was 7.7 yards, and went 5-for-5 on red zone trips with four touchdowns. Running back King Miller averaged 5.4 yards per carry with 102 yards and a touchdown. USC also had 14 plays that went 10-plus yards, and the average drive went 49 yards.

Although the offense improved, it wasn’t enough to win the game. Penn State’s 23 points against USC is the most it has scored against a Big Ten opponent this season.

Rocco Becht looked better, completing 66% of his throws for 289 yards and a touchdown, but he left some throws on the table.

“I don’t know if Rocco missed downfield in the second half, but I think he missed maybe in some of the short spaces in the second half,” Campbell said. “I think the growth we made offensively was we played in a better rhythm tonight that allowed him to play the style of quarterback that Rocco, when he’s playing great football, is playing.”

Chase Sowell was impressive with his four catches for 95 yards, and so was Andrew Rappleyea with his seven grabs for 63 yards and a touchdown.

But one constant has been the dormant ground game. The Nittany Lions rushed for only 68 yards and averaged a dismal 2.2 yards per carry. Carson Hansen was the leading rusher with 14 carries for 28 yards and a touchdown.

The ground game is still holding the offense back. Even when Becht and the receivers played well, only 23 points were scored.

Penn State started the 2025 season 3-0, then lost six straight, but finished the season with four straight wins, including the Pinstripe Bowl over Clemson. The 2026 season has followed a similar path so far.

The Nittany Lions still have road games at 3-2 Michigan, 3-3 Washington and 2-4 Maryland, and home games against 3-3 Purdue, 4-2 Minnesota and 1-4 Rutgers. That is not a daunting schedule by any means.

It’s still possible to finish the year strong, but the issues pointed out above haven’t improved. To end the losing streak, Penn State must answer questions rather than create more.

Main Photo: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images