Penn State report card for USC: Lions 'D' wakes up late, Tyler Warren puts Trojans to sleep

Six matches, six wins. Penn State owns road wins over West Virginia and USC.

The latter victory, accomplished Saturday at the LA Coliseum, was one of the more impressive victories of James Franklin's tenure in State College.

PSU's offense scored a late touchdown to force overtime and the Lions won 33-30.

Lincoln Riley's Trojans had their share of plays against Penn State, but the Lions made the biggest plays late.

Up to the grade.

Crime: b.

Three turnovers, all of which were interceptions by Drew Aller, kept PSU from taking control early. Aller, however, threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns and added 32 rushing yards. … Aller teamed with Julian Fleming to convert a fourth-and-seven and a fourth-and-10 on Lions' TD drives that forced OT. … Running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton struggled to gain traction, finishing with 26 combined carries for 82 yards. … Tyler Warren caught 17 of 20 targets for 224 yards and a touchdown, ran for a first down and threw a nine-yard pass to Allen. … PSU converted just 4 of 13 third-down opportunities. … No sacks for USC but the Lions offense managed just a pair of field goals in the first half.

Defense: B-minus.

The unit thwarted a USC drive late in regulation to force overtime and then registered a three-and-out that resulted in a 45-yard miss by Trojan kicker Michael Lantz. … Tom Allen's team wasn't ready for Quinten Joyner's 75-yard touchdown against the first-quarter. … USC converted just 2 of 13 third-down attempts. … Trojans running back Woody Marks had trouble in the run game (111 yards) and as a receiver (two catches, 44 yards).

Special teams: a.

Ryan Barker, who replaced Sander Sahaydak as placekicker, converted all four field-goal attempts (34, 33, 20, 36). … Punter Riley Thompson punted just twice, averaging 42.5 yards and forcing USC to start inside its 20 on both kicks.

Coaching: B.

Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki reached deep into his strategy from the start. The highlight? Warren threw a ball on a play that ended with Aller throwing a 32-yard touchdown pass to Warren. … The Lions offense was aggressive on fourth down, converting fourth-and-seven and fourth-and-10 in the final minute on a game-tying touchdown drive.

Overall: b

Penn State had big problems in the first half as the Lions fell behind 20-6. But Kotelnicki's offense took off in the third quarter, scoring touchdowns on its first two possessions. It was an improbable comeback, but the Lions were able to finish off a desperate USC team. Warren finished with 224 receiving yards and three points in the Penn State victory. The big man could be eligible to travel to New York City in December.