USC silences Beaver Stadium in signature win over Penn State

If there was ever a signature win to be had, USC just earned it. The Trojans marched into Beaver Stadium, spoiling Penn State's White Out in a 31-23 victory on Saturday night. 

After relying on the defense to hold on in a nail-biting victory last week, this time around, it was Jayden Maiava and the offense that took charge in a hostile road environment. As 114,419 watched on, setting an all-time attendance record for Beaver Stadium, Maiava remained unfazed.

The redshirt senior completed 21 of 33 passes, throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns. A dominant showing from the Trojan receiving corps, led by the return of freshman Trent Mosley, had the Nittany Lion secondary searching for answers all game long.

With his standout performance, Maiava reached both 10,000 career passing yards and 70 touchdown passes. 

Mosley reeled in 111 yards on nine catches, returning to action for the first time since September 12. He helped get USC on the board early, snagging a 19-yard touchdown grab down the seam at the 10:37 mark of the first quarter.

Fellow freshman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt also provided a crucial 10-yard touchdown in the contest, giving the Trojans some much-needed padding in the fourth quarter as he extended the lead from 24-23 to 31-23.

Tanook Hines was responsible for Maiava's other touchdown pass, reaching across the pylon to secure an 11-yard score in the second quarter. Hines finished second on the Trojans in receiving yards behind Mosley, reeling in 82 overall.

On the ground, King Miller did much of the work, rushing for 102 yards and a score on 19 carries. The sophomore has now eclipsed 80 yards from scrimmage in his last five games.

Penn State also managed to move the ball down the field effectively, matching USC's 17 first-half points to keep the game tied heading into the break. Quarterback Rocco Becht completed 21 of 32 passes in total, throwing for 289 yards and a touchdown.

USC took a gamble to start the second half, attempting a surprise onside kick but failing to recover it. The Trojan defense was able to hold the Nittany Lions to three points on the drive, falling behind 20-17 before going on a 14-3 run to close out the game.

With Dixon-Wyatt's fourth-quarter touchdown putting USC in front 31-23, the offense stalled out on its following drive to give Penn State one final chance. On the very first play of the drive, Becht completed over the middle to receiver Brett Eskildsen for a big gain into Trojan territory before he fumbled the ball. Safety Christian Pierce forced it out, allowing cornerback Chasen Johnson to recover and finish off a game-changing play.

A pair of double-digit runs from Miller on the following drive officially iced the game, allowing Maiava and the Trojans to kneel out the remainder of the clock.

Improving to 6-1 this season and 3-1 in the Big Ten, USC heads into the bye week on a significant high note. The squad will return to action looking for a third consecutive win on Saturday, October 24, in Madison against the Wisconsin Badgers.