LOS ANGELES — There were tears. There were hugs. There was an overall sense of joy and accomplishment after Penn State’s 33-30 overtime win at USC on Saturday. Hakeem Beamon waved a “We Are” flag by the well-attended section of fans in white. Then he ran toward the USC logo at midfield and planted it. It was that type of game.
Drew Allar squatted and dipped his head. He looked like he couldn’t believe what had just happened. Then he came to his senses, realized it was reality and embraced game-winning place kicker Ryan Barker, who’s hair was dripping wet from the water his teammates had poured on him in celebration after the victory.
As James Franklin entered the tunnel, he looked up at the Nittany Lion fans who had stuck around for the party. They were all smiling, but they very well could’ve been frowning at a loss — which seemed a possible outcome nearly the entire game. How exactly did Penn State win that game? Here are some key takeaways.
Allar, offense just kept ‘shooting’
In previous years, the Nittany Lions wouldn’t likely have been able to keep up. That is, offensively, of course. But under offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, things are different. Penn State was down 20-6 at halftime and trailed by a touchdown with just under six minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Allar and the rest of his offense just kept battling.
It didn’t matter that Allar threw three interceptions — the first multi-turnover game of his college career — nor that his running backs consistently struggled to make their mark on the ground. The thought of losing never crossed his mind, from the halftime deficit to his game-tying touchdown pass to Nick Singleton that sent the game to overtime.
Allar did his job, and so did Kotelnicki, even if the execution wasn’t always perfect. Kotelnicki was the first person Allar saw when he walked off the field and into the tunnel. They held a long embrace. The system is working.
“Coach K, Coach Franklin never lost faith in me and allowed me to keep playing. We always talk about it in the quarterback room: just keep shooting. Keep shooting, no matter what,” Allar said. “Some things aren’t going to go your way, but it’s just how you bounce back from them. I think as an overall offense, we did a great job of bouncing back in the second half.”
Is Warren one of the nation’s top players?
Tyler Warren began the play at center. He snapped the ball from the far left side of the offensive line to backup quarterback Beau Pribula. Then he ran straight toward the end zone. Pribula fed the ball to Allar, who let it fly 32 yards downfield. Any other player likely wouldn’t have caught that ball over the defender like Warren did. But no other player is like him.
It wasn’t just that catch and score. It was Warren’s 17 receptions, a single-game school record, and 224 yards, a tally that broke the program record that he set last month for receiving yards in a game by a tight end.
There’s no denying it. Warren is the heart and soul of the offense that proved resilient and victorious against USC, and the statistics will back that up. Warren caught, threw, ran and snapped the ball on Saturday, and was responsible for 237 of the Nittany Lions’ 518 total yards.
“I’ve been talking about him being the best tight end in college football, but the reality is, he’s now part of the conversation of one of the best players in all of college football,” Franklin said.
Barker’s game-winner a ‘dream come true’
Barker had never attempted a field goal as a collegiate place kicker until last weekend. Up to that point, he was just a walk-on, paying for school and the opportunity to be a part, in some degree, of a historic football program. Now, Barker’s so much more than that. He’s a starter, and, as of Saturday, a game-winner.
“It’s truly a dream come true,” Barker said. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do since I stepped foot here is hit a game-winning field goal.”
Not even in high school had Barker attempted a walk-off kick. But the lack of experience evidently didn’t matter to him against the Trojans. His 37-yard make gave the Nittany Lions their sixth consecutive win to start the year, and makes him an admirable 6-for-6 in the two games since he replaced former starter Sander Sahaydak.
Defense struggled, but rebounded when it mattered
The pass by Trojans’ quarterback Miller Moss was overthrown, and it landed perfectly into the hands of safety Jaylen Reed. There was a relief for those on Penn State’s sideline who could hardly watch as USC scraped together a drive that could’ve won the game with just seconds remaining.
The Nittany Lions’ defense showed signs of weakness throughout Saturday’s contest. They allowed 20 points and 147 rushing yards at the half. It was ugly. But they rebounded, holding the Trojans to just 10 points in the second half, which was capped by Reed’s interception that sent the game to overtime, where the defense did its job on one series and set up the victory.
Reed, known to Franklin as a “tough dude from Detroit,” could hardly contain his emotions as he watched Barker’s game-winning kick go through the uprights.
“I was so overwhelmed with just how proud I was. It was more on the proud side. And I’m the type of guy that’s always helping everybody else, making sure they don’t cry, and it got to me,” Reed said. “Just having stuff like that, just winning the type of gutsy game like that, just made me super happy.”
