Penn State's come-from-behind win proves they are not the same Nittany Lions

LOS ANGELES — Penn State had every reason to panic as it sat in the cramped visitors' locker room at halftime at the LA Memorial Coliseum.

Just about anything could have gone wrong for No. 4 Penn State in the first half on Saturday. Lincoln Riley masterfully led the way while Tom Allen's Penn State defense crushed play after play. Running back Woody Marks pinballed his way through a defense that is said to be one of the best in the country.

A Nittany Lions offense praised for its creativity and risk-taking under Andy Kotelnicki – exactly what this group needs to do in a season considered the make-or-bust of the College Football Playoff – gave USC everything it had , but failed to enter the red zone twice. Each time, Penn State had to settle for field goals. Quarterback Drew Allar, with a few extra eyes on him and a desperate USC team clinging to its own CFP life, caught an interception across the middle of the field in the second quarter.

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The list of deficiencies from the first half kept piling up. Dropped passes. A questionable offensive pass interference penalty that wiped out a Penn State touchdown. The keyboard warriors gathered. The all-too-familiar tales of Penn State floundering in big games and James Franklin-coached teams failing in the top five and playing on the road all seemed ready to rear their ugly heads again. Facing a 20-6 halftime deficit, Penn State had to dig deep.

In a city built on drama and fairytale endings, with the big Hollywood sign visible in the distance, Penn State has finally flipped the script. A dramatic 33:30 win against USC showed that this is no longer the old Nittany Lions. Instead, this team, now 6-0 at the midpoint of the season, is showing that it is playoff-caliber and that, if it works, it can do even more than just make the 12-team field. It was far from pretty in the first half, but Penn State showed the type of resiliency that will be needed in the second half of the season. The path to potentially hosting a playoff game remains, and that didn't seem likely at halftime.

“It was a courageous win,” said Allar, who like many of his teammates was emotional on the field afterwards.

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Penn State secured the victory by staging a game-winning performance as Allar masterfully led the offense down the field late in the fourth quarter. For those who had questions about Allar in big moments, he answered them. Penn State got it done by stepping up on defense as safety Jaylen Reed shut down Miller Moss when it mattered at the end of regulation to fend off a potential last-second field goal attempt by USC. Penn State won with last-second heroics from kicker Ryan Barker, who wasn't even the team's kicker until two weeks ago. Barker trotted toward his field goal in overtime and, as he did all afternoon (4-on-4), practiced the 36-yard walk-off field goal.

“I never thought anything like this would happen when I came here today,” Barker said as a crowd of reporters gathered around him. “It's just a crazy feeling. … There was a lot of screaming and hi-fives.”

“I'm just so proud of him. He came to Penn State as a walk-on and busted his ass. The opportunity presents itself. He used it.”@JennyDell_ caught up @PennStateFball Coach James Franklin and kicker Ryan Barker after his winning goal in overtime pic.twitter.com/YrjfFuQ9Tq

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 12, 2024

Penn State won it after traveling across the country – including a two-hour bus ride – and that achievement will be celebrated on the long road back to State College.

It was as emotionally draining and uplifting a victory as Penn State had during Franklin's 11-year tenure. Players and coaches fell to their knees exhausted after the field goal. The staff yelled that these Nittany Lions were some “bad swear words.”

Defensive tackle Hakeem Beamon grabbed a large flag from a Penn State cheerleader and placed it emphatically at midfield on the USC logo. When Beamon's flag tipped over, cornerback Audavion Collins followed with another flag. But before Collins' flag could get stuck, Franklin saw what was happening, turned around and said, absolutely not.

Wait. James Franklin retrieved the posted flag from the 50-yard line. Logo. And says we don't do that.

Respect🫡 pic.twitter.com/8Q2oeXNZ5R

– Trojan Football Fan (@TrojanFBx) October 13, 2024

Even if they hadn't had such a moment this season, even though the adrenaline and perhaps the realization that this was a damn good team had kicked in, Penn State had to at least act like they'd been here before.

“You have to find different ways to win over the course of a season,” Franklin said. “Some of them will be busts, hopefully more, but some of them will be comebacks. … The word ‘resilient’ is probably the best word to define our team.”

This group exudes a confidence and smugness that is slowly starting to shine through. With every flip of the do-it-all tight end Tyler Warren's hair, every wave of the defensive backs' arms after a pass breakup signaling the no-fly zone, this group seems to be constructed a little differently than in previous years.

When they should have been worried at halftime, Kotelnicki reminded them of the offensive theme throughout the week. They came to Los Angeles to swing one way or the other.

“We talked about emptying the clip for us as an offense,” Allar said. “We want to play to win, not to be afraid, and not to not lose.” That was one of those calls we had to make to show that we were fearless out there with Coach K . That's why I think we've seen so much growth on offense this year. Coach K is fearless and will definitely call these plays. … We let it go the whole second half.”

Penn State had been preparing for a big moment for weeks. Last week before UCLA, as they played a one-two in practice, Kotelnicki told them the game would start soon.

When they repeated it in practice, scout team linebacker Max Chizmar immediately sniffed it and began barking that Warren — the center — was a viable receiver. Kotelnicki would take the piece back to the drawing board this week, the players said, cutting out some requests that were in the original version. Kotelnicki would use the one-two to fuel Penn State's comeback.

“When he saw it and called it at the time, everyone on the sideline knew this was going to be the one,” wide receiver Julian Fleming said.

It's as bold a decision as Kotelnicki could have made, and even more so with Penn State trailing 20-6. Warren, who continues to be considered the best tight end and one of the most versatile players in college football, capped the day with 17 receptions for 224 yards and a 32-yard touchdown. On the one-two pass, Warren grabbed the ball – something he hadn't done since his flag football days until this season – and darted toward the end zone. Backup quarterback Beau Pribula took the snap and fired the ball to Allar, who threw it into the end zone. Warren made a spectacular grab to get Penn State rolling.

“The thing we talked about all week was playing to win,” left tackle Drew Shelton said. “Whatever it takes. … (Kotelnicki) having the courage, having the courage to call it that, it really instills in us the confidence that he knows we're going to get the job done.”

There were many of those confidence-building moments for Penn State in the second half. To be fair, wide receiver Julian Fleming spent most of the first three quarters trying to get out of his own head. An offensive pass interference penalty in the end zone on the first drive negated what would have been a Penn State touchdown. The Nittany Lions had to settle for a field goal. Later, when the offense needed to gain traction, Allar looked in Fleming's direction and the ball went through his hands.

On the sideline, Fleming recalled a tough workout he did before the UCLA game last week.

“Everyone has personal goals and for a long time it was just in my head,” Fleming said.

Trailing 30-23 late in the fourth quarter, Allar was undeterred by what Fleming had missed earlier. When he was needed most, Fleming recovered beautifully. Late in the fourth quarter, Fleming fought through the ball and converted Allar's pass into a 17-yard gain. The home crowd groaned and USC defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn, himself a former Nittany Lion, spoke into the headset

During the same crucial drive, Allar found Fleming on fourth and tenth. Fleming converted it into a 16-yard gain. Two plays later, Nick Singleton's 14-yard touchdown catch and run tied the score.

“Those were two of the most impressive catches I’ve ever seen,” Allar said. “DB is like anyone else…those two catches just helped us keep the momentum going and I couldn't be prouder of him.”

Let's not forget what this comeback win means for Allar too. On a day in which he threw three interceptions – two plus a Hail Mary at the end of regulation – Allar also showed he could lead a game-winning drive in a pressure-filled situation. In the crowd he was “cool as a cucumber,” said Fleming. For Penn State to make the playoffs, it must respond to higher-pressure situations like Saturday.

Penn State is far from perfect, but is still undefeated and has proven it has the grit of a playoff-caliber team.

“It’s going to be a great ride home,” Franklin said. “It’s going to be a great farewell week. There are a lot of things we can learn from this game and we need to learn from this game. … We’re going to take it and run.”

(Photo of Ryan Barker's game-winning field goal: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)