LOS ANGELES --- USC barely managed to survive a messy game last Saturday. Trailing 21-10 in the third quarter after some poor tackling led to a 42-yard Washington touchdown, it took a 48-yard fumble return for a touchdown by defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart to escape the Coliseum with a 25-21 victory.
This week, the test gets personal, as USC travels to Beaver Stadium to face a Penn State defense coordinated by D'Anton Lynn. That's the same D'Anton Lynn who spearheaded the Trojans' defense for the previous two seasons before taking off to Happy Valley this offseason.
Head coach Lincoln Riley didn't dodge the subplot when asked about the Penn State secondary.
"[D'Anton]'s a really good coach," he said. "He's always done a really good job with the secondary. He's got a good group of [defensive backs] it looks like...he's always been very multiple, so they're doing a good job."
Riley was also candid about the ugly tackling sequence that put USC in a hole against Washington, which allowed tight end Decker DeGraaf to score his squad's longest touchdown of the season thus far. Both safety Kennedy Urlacher and cornerback Rock Hill IV displayed minimal effort as they attempted to make the play.
"It was just two really poor attempts at a tackle," Riley said. "It really wasn't representative of the way we played the entire game. It was kind of weird that our two worst attempts at a tackle happened on the exact same play. You can't play for us and play like that."
Quarterback Jayden Maiava, who played his first two seasons with Lynn on the staff, didn't pretend that the familiarity would bode fully in USC's favor.
Nico Alba - The Sporting Tribune
Jayden Maiava #14 of the USC Trojans throws a pass during a NCAA football game against the UW Huskies, Saturday October 3rd, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
"Obviously he was here my first two years, which was huge," Maiava said. "But anything happens in this game, so we're just ready to go out and compete.
Tight end Carson Tabaracci, who took on an extended role in the victory over Washington with Mark Bowman sidelined due to injury, pointed to the comeback as something larger. He feels that it showcased the team's identity and credited the locker room for their lack of panic despite the deficit.
"We were down...but with this team, we're just focused on the main thing, and sometimes it doesn't even feel that way," he said. "We're just trying to do our job at our best, and do it at a high level."
Despite the respect for Lynn and his defense from Riley and Maiava, wide receiver Tanook Hines wasn't shy about his confidence level.
"Not much...probably just the stadium," Hines said when asked what stood out to him about the Penn State secondary. "It's pretty loud in there, so the communication has to be on point."
Hines is coming off his most productive game of the season so far, where he reeled in five catches for 51 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown grab in the second half that assisted the Trojans' comeback.
USC players acknowledged that the Beaver Stadium environment will certainly pose an additional challenge, with loud crowd noise being pumped in throughout practice to prepare. Whether that preparation pays off or not will be determined Saturday, as the squad looks for its first-ever win in Happy Valley.