2026 PSU vs. USC

Back to 2026 Schedule

General Pre-Game Information

• Game Six of 2026 season—This is the third game on Penn State’s Big Ten schedule and second of 5 league contests at home. PSU is facing USC for the first time ever at Beaver Stadium in a Big Ten Conference game, and for only the second time ever as league foes. Penn State (0-0, 0-0) is coming off its Big Ten Friday night road opener at Northwestern. The USC Trojans (0-0, 0-0) are coming off their Oct. 3 home date with Washington. This game pits new Penn State Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn against his former team. Lynn was the Trojans DC in 2024 & 2025 before being hired away by Matt Campbell. This game will also bring two former PSU players back to Beaver Stadium—Zuriah Fisher DE (PS 2020-25) & Ta’Mere Robinson LB (PS 2023-24). Fisher skipped the 2025 Pinstripe Bowl and signed with USC via the portal on January 15 to play a 7th year (missed entire 2024 season at PSU with injury). Robinson is in his 2nd season with the Trojans.

• Last PSU Game played (Fri., Oct. 2): Penn State X Northwestern X at “New” Ryan Field in Evanston, IL

• Current Rankings: AP Poll-TBA / US LBM Coaches Poll-TBA

• USC 2025 Record: 9-4 overall, 7-2 in Big Ten (2-4 away from home including the bowl)—Head Coach: Lincoln Riley (5th season)—Riley is 0-1 vs. PSU with the loss coming in overtime in 2024 at Los Angeles.

• 12th meeting with USC all-time (3rd at home): Penn State is 5-6 all-time vs. USC and 2-0 vs. the Trojans at Beaver Stadium with those wins coming in 1993 and 1994. The Lions are 1-2 vs. USC at the LA Coliseum (lone win came in 2024 in the first in-conference meeting of the two). PSU is also 2-4 all-time vs. USC at neutral sites—1-3 in bowl games (1-0 Fiesta/0-3 Rose) and 1-1 in Kickoff Classics played in the old Giants Stadium at the New Jersey Meadowlands—The neutral site wins came at the 1982 Fiesta Bowl and the 1996 Kickoff Classic. The series with USC dates to the 1923 Rose Bowl which saw the Nittany Lions lose 14-3 in the first ever bowl game to be played in the current Rose Bowl Stadium. Penn State’s lone score in its first bowl game came on what is commonly reported as a 20-yard drop kick field goal by Mike Palm QB. Since then, PSU lost to USC in two additional Rose Bowl Games in 2009 and 2017. The 2017 game which ended 52-49 on a last second Trojan field goal was the first Rose Bowl to exceed 100 points, and the 101 points scored remains the record for most in a regulation Rose Bowl game. Saquon Barkley rushed for a then-Penn State bowl record 194 yards and 2 TDs, with Trace McSorley passing for 254 yards and 4 TDs (2 to Chris Godwin).

• Last PSU Game vs. USC (2024 at the LA Coliseum): The 4th ranked Nittany Lions needed some heroics from Drew Allar QB, Tyler Warren TE, and Ryan Barker PK to come from 14-points down and pull out a 33-30 win in overtime to remain unbeaten at 6-0. Allar had a day of personal bests completing 30 of 43 passes for 391 yards (6th best in PSU history to date), 2 TDs, 3 INTs, 0 sacks. 17 of Allar’s completions and 1 TD were to Tyler Warren (see more below). Ryan Barker had the day that established him solidly as Penn State’s kicker (3 for 3 on PATs, 4 for 4 on FGs in just his 2nd start) and he hit the clutch 36-yard FG to win it in OT.This was the first walk-off game winning FG since Sam Ficken in 2014 vs. UCF in Ireland, and Barker was first to kick 4 FGs in single game since Tyler Davis in 2016 at Rutgers. This was PSU’s first victory over the Trojans in their 6 games played in California and their second win all-time at the LA Coliseum including the 1968 win over UCLA. This was the first OT win for PSU since the Appalachian State game in 2018, and the first OT win for PSU over a Big Ten foe since Minnesota in 2016.

• The 2024 OT victory over USC produced a number of memorable moments, but two really stood out. In the 3rd period, PSU takes the opening kick for a 75-yard drive in only 5 plays. Passes to Warren, Trey Wallace and Nick Singleton give PSU a first down at the USC 32. OC Andy Kotelnicki gets inventive. Beau Pribula checks in as QB and Allar swings out to the left. The offensive line suddenly shifts to an unbalanced look to the right of the ball. Warren then slips from the backfield to the left side of the line and assumes the role of center. Tyler Warren then snaps the ball to Pribula in the shotgun and quickly runs a route straight to the endzone (virtually unnoticed by the Trojans). Pribula throws a backwards pass to Allar who lofts the ball to Warren in the endzone. Tyler is obviously interfered with, but there’s no flag, he still makes the tough catch and holds on as he lands flat on his back. 32-yard TD for Warren, PSU is back within 7, down 20-13 with 12:52 to go in the 3rd. Moving to the 4th, after a TD catch by future Nittany Lion Kyron Hudson puts USC up 30-23, Penn State follows up with a gutty drive that began at its own 25-yard line. Facing a 4th and 7 at the PSU 44, Allar gets the ball to Julian Fleming WR for the 1st down at the USC 39. Moments later, with 3:48 remaining, it’s fourth and 10 and Allar has to scramble to keep the play alive and delivers what was probably his greatest play under pressure. Somehow, he sees Fleming and gets the ball to him for a 17-yard pickup inside the USC 28 for yet another 1st down. Fleming, who dropped a pass earlier, has now made the two biggest catches he will ever make for Penn State. An Allar 9-yard run gets the ball to the 14 where, with 2:53 to go, Allar ties the game again. Nick Singleton RB, on the snap, chips a defender and moves to the right flank where he’s wide open. Allar hits Nick with the pass and Singleton takes it 14 yards for the score, 30-30. (On that drive, Allar had 56 yards passing, 9 yards rushing, and converted two 4th and longs). Jaylen Reed’s INT then shuts off USC’s offense and sends it to OT where USC’s kicker misses from 45, and Barker wins it from 36.

• Tyler Warren’s record-setting performance at USC in 2024: In addition to his unforgettable 32-yard TD catch (see above), his 17 receptions (16 in regulation/he was targeted 20 times in the game) set a new PSU record breaking the old mark of 14 catches (12 in regulation) by DaeSean Hamilton in the 2014 2-OT loss to Ohio State. The 17 receptions tied the FBS Tight End record originally set in 1967 (Emilio Vallez of New Mexico), and it ties the Big Ten TE record set in 1982 (Jon Harvey of Northwestern). Tyler’s 224 yards receiving was the most at PSU for any TE, and he’s the first TE at Penn State to have more than 200+ yards in a single game. 224 yards (3 yards came in OT on 1 reception) is still second all-time at PSU to the 242 yards receiving by Jahan Dotson at Maryland in 2021. (Warren was only the 5th Nittany Lion receiver with 200 yards or more in a single game—It was the 6th overall time that 200+ has been achieved at State). Warren was credited with 136 YAC against USC. He also accounted for 13 of PSU’s 28 first downs against the Trojans. Tyler generated 228 yards in total offense vs. USC including a 4-yard gain on a run after taking the snap in wildcat formation (Warren also completed a pass to Kaytron Allen RB for 9 yards giving him 237 yards in total yards responsible for). NOTE: Through the first 6 games in 2024, only 1 Penn State WR, Harrison Wallace, had 17 receptions in the entire season to that point (Wallace had 3 catches vs. USC).

• Commemorative football card for the 2024 win at USC: Topps Bowman U Now issued football cards featuring Drew Allar following the OT win at USC noting Allar’s new personal best 391 yards in passing (there were regular base, numbered, and autographed versions offered for sale through the company’s website). This was the third Penn State football game to have a commemorative card issued by Topps (the others were: 2023 Iowa Whiteout Shutout & 2024 Kent State new total offense record).

• Last PSU Game vs. USC at Beaver Stadium (1994): 9th ranked Penn State jumped on #14 USC right off the bat and rolled to a 35-0 lead at the half. Ki-Jana Carter opened the scoring with a 32-yard TD run and Kerry Collins followed with TD passes to Freddie Scott and Bobby Engram to blow the game open. USC lost control just seconds after the Carter TD when a Rob Johnson QB fumble was recovered by Nittany Lion Brian Gelzheiser LB at the Trojan 44. Next play, it’s Collins to Scott for 44 yards and the score and the rout was in progress. PSU took its foot off the gas in the second half and won 38-14 for a 2-0 start to what would be a 12-0 championship season. Note: PSU only played 8 conference games in the 1994 season, but interestingly, 3 of their 4 non-conference opponents that season would later become Big Ten members (USC, Rutgers, & Oregon)—The same is true of the 1993 season which also featured a win over USC.

• Memorable (& Critical) PSU moment from the 1982 Fiesta Bowl (PSU’s lone bowl win over USC): A light rain had fallen on the grass field at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, AZ prior to the game. After the opening kick, USC has the ball at its own 20. On the first play, USC QB John Mazur hands off to Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen. Allen bobbles the ball and is hit by PSU DT Dave Opfar causing the ball to bounce off Allen’s knee into the air. Roger Jackson (who had made the clutch endzone INT of Dan Marino in the victory over Pitt to close the ‘81 regular season) makes the grab at the USC 17 giving the Nittany Lions incredible field position. Two plays later, Curt Warner bursts up the middle and slants left for the 17-yard TD run as Penn State jumps out to a 7-0 lead just 15 second into the game. It’s the 2nd straight year in which Warner scored on his first touch in a bowl game. Penn State goes on to stun USC, 26-10 as Warner rushes 26 times for 145 yards and 2 TDs to easily outshine the Heisman winner.

• 1st Xpm ET kick for PSU in 2026 season.

  TV/Radio Information

• TV Game Announcers: TBA

• First game televised on X since

• This is the xx game this season to be televised on a traditional or non-traditional TV Network

• Penn State Radio Network Announcers: Steve Jones (PBP), Jack Ham (Analyst), & Brian Tripp (Sidelines). Jones & Ham are in their 27th season in the booth together. Ham, a member of both the CHOF (1990) and Pro Football Hall of Fame (1988), played linebacker at Penn State (1968-70). Jones (Class of 1980) & Tripp (Class of 2011) are also Penn State grads.