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Penn State rallies, takes down USC with walk-off FG in overtime

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Penn State certainly did not have its best performance of the season against USC in Week 7. Somehow, that makes coming away with the win over the Trojans that much sweeter.

All credit goes out to USC and its new-look defense for a much better performance against the Nittany Lions than the Trojans have produced in the past. Drew Allar was intercepted 3 times, and USC controlled the ground game and held Penn State under 4 yards per carry for the game.

It led up to a dramatic drive in the 4th quarter that forced Penn State to cover 75 yards in 12 plays to even tie the game. Allar was called on to convert a pair of 4th downs on that drive, and both of those plays went to Julian Fleming in clutch moments.

After Allar tied the game with a touchdown pass to Nicholas Singleton, overtime would eventually ensue. Penn State’s defense found its footing, tossing Woody Marks for a loss of 3 yards and forcing a field goal attempt that would sail wide.

During Penn State’s OT drive, the Nittany Lions understandably went a touch conservative. It set up a game-winning field goal try for new starting kicker Ryan Barker, and he delivered.

Though fresh off of landing the starting job, Barker was magnificent in the win. The left-footed kicker converted all 7 of his kicks, including 4-for-4 on field goals with the big one added on at the end.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.