Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 8 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M USC knew what it was getting when it hired Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma ahead of the 2022 season. The Trojans were getting a visionary offensive coach whose quarterback-development talents and demonstrated recruiting prowess were sure to make them one of the na- tion's highest-scoring teams. In that area, Riley has unquestion- ably delivered. They were also get- ting a coach whose defenses at Oklahoma had been middling at best and major liabili- ties at worst, and that, too, has been the case at his new school. Last season, USC s u r r e n d e r e d 3 4 . 4 p o i n ts a n d 4 3 2 .8 yards per game, rank- ing 118th in the FBS in the former category and 116th in the lat- ter. Even boasting an offense that ranked third in the country with a scoring aver- age of 41.8 points per game, the Trojans managed to drop five of their last seven contests, and several of their wins were white-knuckle rides, too. To help fix their defensive struggles, Ri- ley hired coordinator D'Anton Lynn away from UCLA. That name will of course be familiar to many Penn State fans; Lynn was an All-Big Ten cornerback at PSU before transitioning into coaching and quickly developing a reputation as one of the profession's rising stars during stops in the NFL and later with the Bruins. Now he's getting set to rebuild a Trojans defense that ranked near the bottom of the FBS in nearly every major statistical category last year. While a few standouts return, such as junior defensive tackle Bear Alexander, who had 6.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks last season, the trans- fer portal has figured prominently in the Trojans' plans. The secondary was a high priority, with USC nabbing safeties Akili Arnold from Oregon State and Kamari Ramsey from UCLA, as well as corner- back DeCarlos Nicholson from Missis- sippi State. All three will have a chance to start this fall in a defensive backfield that surrendered 246.4 yards per game last year to rank 101st nationally. Another Oregon State transfer — senior linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold — could also break into the starting lineup. He was a 12-game starter for the Beavers last year, finishing with 107 tackles and a pair of interceptions. On offense, the big question is whether junior returnee Miller Moss or UNLV trans- fer Jayden Maiava will be the starting quar- terback following the departure of 2022 Heisman Trophy win- ner and No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Wil- liams. Moss saw action in five games last fall and started the Holiday Bowl after Wil- liams opted out, throwing for 372 yards and 6 touchdowns in the Trojans' 42- 28 victory over Louisville. That perfor- mance would seem to give him the edge, but Maiava has reportedly impressed since arriving on campus. The redshirt sophomore completed 15 of 17 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown in the spring game. Elsewhere on offense, Mississippi State transfer Woody Marks figures to bolster both the running and passing attacks. The 5-foot-10, 208-pound Marks was a ver- satile threat in his four seasons with the Bulldogs, rushing for 1,883 yards while also catching 214 passes for 1,225 yards. Another talented pass catcher, sopho- more wideout Zachariah Branch, appears headed for stardom after totaling 31 re- ceptions for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns last year, while also excelling on punt and kickoff returns. If history is any indication, Marks and Branch will find plenty of success in the USC offense. And if Lynn is able to en- gineer a quick turnaround, the Trojans might not need those yards quite as des- perately as they did last year. — Matt Herb O C T . 1 2 | T I M E T B A | T V T B A | L . A . M E M O R I A L C O L I S E U M | L O S A N G E L E S Miller Moss threw for 372 yards and 6 touchdowns in the Trojans' 42-28 victory over Louisville in the Holiday Bowl last season. PHOTO COURTESY USC ATHLETICS GAME 6 USC BEST-CASE SCENARIO The offense could hit the ground run- ning, and the defense could be sufficiently improved to give USC a chance at a major bowl game or even the College Football Playoff. WORST-CASE SCENARIO Is USC ready for a schedule that serves up games against LSU, Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State in the season's first half? If not, Lincoln Riley could find himself feeling some heat from a fan following that is impatient for a return to the glory days. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: USC leads 6-4 Last Meeting: Saquon Barkley had 306 yards of total offense and scored 3 touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to hold off USC in a 52-49 loss in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2, 2017 Head Coach: Lincoln Riley (19-8 in two seasons at USC; career coaching record: 74-18) 2023 Record: 8-5, 5-4 Pac-12 Returning Starters: 10 (4 offense, 4 defense, 2 specialists) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Quinten Joyner (125 yards, 1 TD) Passing: QB Miller Moss (681 yards, 7 TD) Receiving: WR Duce Robinson (351 yards, 2 TD) Tackles: LB Mason Cobb (85) Sacks: DE Jamil Muhammad (6.5) Interceptions: CB Jacobe Covington, LB Eric Gentry (1) 2024 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2023 Result Sept. 1 LSU — Sept. 7 Utah State — Sept. 21 at Michigan — Sept. 28 Wisconsin — Oct. 5 at Minnesota — Oct. 12 Penn State — Oct. 19 at Maryland — Oct. 25 Rutgers — Nov. 2 at Washington L, 52-42 Nov. 16 Nebraska — Nov. 23 at UCLA L, 38-20 Nov. 30 Notre Dame L, 48-20