NFL
By George Lopez
The USC Trojans return to the LA Coliseum this Saturday to take on #4 Penn St. The Trojans will look to bounce back following a disappointing 24-17 loss to Minnesota. Penn St. looks to improve to 6-0 following their 27-11 victory over UCLA.
Trojans quarterback Miller Moss struggled against the Gophers, completing 23-38 passes for 200 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. The Trojans passing game was not in sync throughout the game. Ja’Kobi Lane, who had a monster game against Wisconsin, was a non-factor against the Gophers. Lane was held to 2 receptions for only 13 yards. Zachariah Branch was limited to 3 receptions for 10 yards. The Gophers were able to take away two key playmakers in the Trojans passing game. Look for Penn St. to use a scheme similar to Minnesota to take away Lane and Branch from the Trojans passing attack.
The Trojans did have success running the ball against Minnesota, rushing 173 yards. RB Woody Marks led the Trojans with 134 yards on 20 carries and 1 touchdown. Quinten Joyner accounted for 44 yards on 4 carries. The Trojans will be facing a tough Penn St. rush defense, as the Nittany Lions have allowed 76 rushing yards per game through their first five games. The Trojans will need to establish their running game. Look for the offensive line to make a concerted effort to stay on their blocks to open running lanes for Marks and company.
The Nittany Lions are led by quarterback Drew Allar. For the season, Allar has passed for 1101 yards with 9 touchdowns and 1 interception. Allar is a threat to run the ball, rushing for 89 yards and 3 touchdowns this season. Look for the defensive front to try to collapse the pocket from the inside and maintain outside containment to keep Allar in the pocket.
The Nittany Lions will bring a strong rushing attack to the Coliseum as they average 218 rushing yards per game. The running game is led by Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, who have rushed for 367 yards and 408 respectively. The Trojans struggled to contain the Gophers rushing attack, allowing 193 yards on 40 attempts. On the season, the Trojans have allowed an average of 158 yards rushing per game. Look for the Nittany Lions to test the rush defense early in the game. Trojans defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn will look to devise a scheme to slow down the Nittany Lions rushing attack. Look for the Trojans to use an 8-man front to contain the running game. With an 8-man front, the USC secondary will be looked upon to provide solid pass coverage against the Nittany Lions receivers. If the secondary is not able to play man-to-man pass coverage, Coach Lynn will be forced to drop the safeties back into coverage which will leave the defense with a 7-man front the Nittany Lions will look to exploit with their running game.
The Trojans will look to get back into the win column this weekend. Penn St. will look to contain the Trojans running game and make the team one-dimensional. If the Nittany Lions take away the Trojans running game, look for them to bring a heavy pass rush against Miller Moss. Look for the Nittany Lions to improve to 6-0 as the Trojans will drop their second consecutive BIG10 game.
Penn St. 28
Trojans. 20
