Reactions from Penn State and USC: The Lions' promising first drive fizzles out, Tyler Warren's great one, more

LOS ANGELES – Watching USC push No. 4 Penn State to the limit on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, it's hard to believe there's a better 3-3 team in the country than Lincoln Riley's Trojans.

But here we are.

Penn State is 6-0 after rallying from a 14-point deficit in the second half to beat USC 33-30 in overtime.

Forget the Trojans' record, this is one of the most impressive wins of the James Franklin era.

USC should probably be 5-1. The Trojans blew late leads to Michigan and Minnesota and put the Lions in serious trouble on several occasions.

But PSU quarterback Drew Allar and his teammates got it done when they had to in the fourth quarter, the Lions' defense stepped up late in regulation and in OT, and new placekicker Ryan Barker converted on all four of his field runs -Goal attempts.

Here are some notes and observations.

Penn State's crazy opening possession. The Lions' offense, which utilized a variety of weapons and formations, kept USC off balance for most of a 14-game stretch.

It ended with Barker's 34-yard field goal with 4:53 left in the first quarter, but the Lions had taken six points from the field.

When faced with a fourth-and-goal push from the USC 2, Allar connected with Warren on the right side for the touchdown, but PSU wideout Julian Fleming, who was stationed near Warren, was cited for offensive pass interference called.

“I can’t tell you what I think about it, I can tell you it was a flag on the field,” Fleming said when asked about the penalty.

“That's exactly how it was. Of course I have to learn from my mistake. I need to do better in this category. … It’s part of the game.”

Abdul Carter marvels at Tyler Warren's impact. Carter, Penn State University's third-year edge rusher, finished the game with 1.5 tackles for a loss, a quarterback rush and a pass breakup. He was the subject of frequent double teams. One of his teammates, tight end Tyler Warren, was unstoppable as the known No. 1 option in the PSU passing game.

Warren finished the game with 17 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown. He also completed a nine-yard pass and rushed for four yards on a third-and-1 play in the first quarter.

“Being here for three years, going against (Warren) in practice, seeing him in games, it’s unbelievable,” Carter said with a smile when asked about Warren’s game against USC.

“He will continue to do incredible things for us. He is the greatest tight end in Penn State history and he will continue to build on that.”

The Lions defense got caught early. After an early 3-0 deficit, USC took the lead on the first play of its second drive, a 75-yard scoring run by running back Quinten Joyner.

Joyner, lined up wide to the right, ran back into the backfield to take the ball from quarterback Miller Moss, faked a handoff to wideout Zachariah Branch, who was running the other way, and headed up the sideline to the left. USC blocked Carter and safety Zakee Wheatley to create space for Joyner. PSU corner AJ Harris, running from the other side of the field, was unable to shut down the Trojans against the PSU 11.

The problems in the first quarter continue. Penn State only managed one field goal in the first quarter. The Lions have scored 17 points in the last four first quarters, including seven against Kent State.

Donkoh returns. Running back Nicholas Singleton was the big name returning for Penn State, but the Lions also got a boost from the return of starting right tackle Anthony Donkoh, who left the UCLA game and did not return.

Notable: Penn State's game captains were guard Vega Ioane, safety Jaylen Reed and linebackers Dom DeLuca and DaKaari Nelson. … Former USC quarterback Sam Darnold was the Trojans' honorary game captain. Darnold, now the Minnesota Vikings' starting quarterback, was the offensive leader of the USC team that defeated Penn State in the 2017 Rose Bowl.