USC’s post-halftime onside kick blows up in their faces vs. Penn State
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Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans battled injuries ahead of Week 6’s game against Penn State in what became a close game. The Trojans, who shared a season-ending surgery announcement before the game, got tricky after halftime as Riley rolled the dice on an onside kick that didn’t go as planned.
Ryon Sayeri’s dribble of a kick was quickly snatched up by Penn State, ending coach Riley’s hopes of recovery.
USC tried to catch Penn State off guard with an onside kick to open the second half, but the Nittany Lions were ready for it
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The game was tied at 17 each after halftime, with Matt Campbell’s Nittany Lions and Riley’s Trojans feeling each other out. USC QB Jayden Maiava and Penn State QB Rocco Becht both played well, each compiling nearly 300 yards and avoiding interceptions as of early in the fourth quarter.
The Trojans extended to a 31-23 lead on a Maiava to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt at the 11:11 mark giving Riley and his team’s fans plenty to cheer about headed toward the game’s stretch run. The Trojans had 393 yards to 315 for Penn State at that juncture of the game, once again putting the onus on Gary Patterson’s defense to hold the fort and secure the win.
USC got over 100 yards from ailing wide receiver Trent Mosley as he helped out his quarterback on a day when King Miller led the Trojans in rushing.
Penn State eventually drove into USC territory, looking to take back the lead as their fans looked on. The clock wound down to just over eight minutes as Becht continued to lead his team as both its top passer and top rusher.
USC needed a win badly, and as they showed earlier — were willing to pull out all the stops to make it happen.
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