STATE COLLEGE | Penn State coach Matt Campbell stoicly praised his team's growth after a 31-23 loss to USC on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions' third straight Big Ten loss marked an improvement over last week at Northwestern, but this team still is nowhere near what Campbell expected from it at the season's midpoint.

“My disappointment is, right now we can’t give them the result they deserve.” Campbell said of the fans who delivered the largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history (114.419).

Penn State (3-3) won't grade as harshly as it did after a 34-13 loss to Northwestern but still has a world of improvement before it. To the report card.

Penn State offensive grade: C

Quarterback Rocco Becht (21-for-32, 289 yards) was an order of magnitude better than in his past two games, particularly in the first half. He rolled out of the pocket well, was far more accurate and lofted two deep gems to Chase Sowell in the first half. That's the improvement Campbell properly found.

But the Penn State coach also strained to say that his team's run game (31 carries, 68 yards) was better. It wasn't. The Nittany Lions just can't generate explosives in the run game. Their longest rush by a back was 8 yards (by James Peoples), and he and Carson Hansen averaged 2.3 yards per carry.

That has been the most disappointing aspect of Penn State's season by far and flows through the rest of the offense. The offensive line simply can't block up the backs for any consistent space. Credit Sowell for a big first half (4 catches, 95 yards), but he clearly was limited by a lower-body injury in the second half (no catches). Field goals on three consecutive possessions didn't cut it, either.

Penn State defensive grade: C-

Fortunately for Penn State defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn, he won't face any more former bosses this season. Last week, Northwestern OC Chip Kelly (who hired Lynn at UCLA 2023) gashed his defense for 413 yards rushing with the Wing-T. Last night it was his boss the past two years, USC coach Lincoln Riley, who toook advantage of a weakness.

Penn State can't establish two basic functions this season: a run game and a pass rush. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava (21-for-33, 301 yards, 3 TDs) basked in 8-second pockets, freely distributing the ball to his arsenal of receivers as Penn State simply could not get a pass rush near him.

Lynn was forlorn at seeing freshman receiver Trent Mosley (9 catches, 111 yards) return to the field after missing the past three games. Mosley overworked Terry Smith's corners. Worse, USC's receivers made Penn State's eight-man backfields look lost on third down.

Lynn rushed only three linemen multiple times on third down, and Maiava went 5-for-8 for five first downs against it. The quarterback operated expertly under very little duress and made Penn State's corners, the team's best position group, look overwhelmed.

Penn State special teams grade: B

Solid night for kicker Ryan Barker, who made three field goals (the longest from 48 yards) to keep Penn State in the game. Amarion Jackson alertly recovered Riley's aggressive onside-kick attempt to start the second half, a play that should have meant more in the game. Penn State got only a field goal out of it.

Punter Nathan Tiyce is what he is. He had a chance to stuff USC inside its 10-yard line late in the first quarter but booted the ball into the end zone for a touchback. Maiava led an 80-yard touchdown drive after that.

Penn State coaching grades: C-

Campbell uncharacteristically used timeouts for shaky reasons. He was forced to burn two in the first half because the play clock wound down as the offense was late getting plays and personnel in.

The other was on a fourth-quarter USC punt that made Campbell feel uncomfortable. It ultimately didn't matter (receiver Brett Eskildsen fumbled on the ensuing series) but underscored how off Campbell appeared all night.

Lynn also was obstinate about trying to force Maiava into stressful situations through coverage instead of blitzes. On one of his few blitz calls, linebacker Tony Rojas got a sack. Maiava was unfazed by most anything Lynn threw at him, however, and made Penn Stat pay for that.

Penn State overall grade: C-

We're weighting this grade toward defense and coaching, which had uneven nights. Campbell said Penn State got closer Saturday night, and perhaps it did against the best team on its schedule. But it's still far from being competitive with the top two tiers of the conference.

Up next

Penn State visits Michigan on Oct. 17 at Michigan Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.

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