The article discusses an upcoming college football game between USC and Penn State, highlighting it as a referendum on both coaches' performances this season. USC's Lincoln Riley sees his team’s recent comeback against Washington as a turning point that could galvanize them for the future. Meanwhile, Penn State’s Matt Campbell faces pressure after back-to-back losses in Big Ten play. The article also notes USC’s struggles with travel games and mentions an unusual comment by USC wide receiver Tanook Hines about not being impressed with Penn State's secondary.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The upcoming football game between USC and Penn State, scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PT on NBC from Beaver Stadium, has taken on added significance due to recent performances by both teams' head coaches. Lincoln Riley, hired in 2019 to lead USC into a new era of success, faces mounting pressure after his team's mixed results. Meanwhile, Matt Campbell, recently brought in as Penn State’s replacement for James Franklin from Iowa State, is under scrutiny following back-to-back losses at the start of Big Ten play. The game pits USC (5-1 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) against Penn State (3-2, 0-2), with both teams looking to turn their seasons around and prove their coaching hires were worthwhile. Riley believes that even an ugly victory can serve as a turning point for his team's morale and momentum moving forward.
Written for “College Football Concerns” on 2026-10-10,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
This could be labeled the Buyer’s Remorse Bowl.
uncertain
This → label → ?
On one sideline will be USC’s Lincoln Riley, still trying in Year 5 to prove he was the right hire to take the Trojans somewhere meaningful.
asserted
he → try → Trojans
On the other will be Penn State’s Matt Campbell, the recent James Franklin replacement who is already making some fans hanker for Franklin.
asserted
fans → make → Franklin
Hired away from Iowa State late in the coaching carousel, Campbell was initially hailed as having salvaged a chaotic search.
asserted
Campbell → hire → search
Back-to-back losses to open Big Ten play — including a 34-13 drubbing by Northwestern — have considerably lessened the level of enthusiasm.
asserted
losses → open → enthusiasm
That makes the game between the No. 19 Trojans (5-1 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) and Nittany Lions (3-2, 0-2) on Saturday at Beaver Stadium something of a midseason referendum on who might qualify as the bigger disappointment.
uncertain
who → make → disappointment
Here are five things to watch in a game scheduled to kick off at 4:30 p.m. PT on NBC:
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things → watch → NBC
Can a team gain momentum from an ugly win?
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team → gain → win
Riley seems to believe so.
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Riley → seem → ?
Needing to score the final 15 points and make a late defensive stop to beat Washington last week may not have impressed many Trojans fans, but it apparently served as a galvanizing moment for their coach.
uncertain
it → need → coach
Riley praised his team’s resolve for rallying past the Huskies amid a home crowd that briefly turned on the coach early in the third quarter, chanting “Fire Lincoln!” as USC fell into a 21-10 hole.
asserted
USC → praise → hole
Those chants were silenced the rest of the way, and Riley said he believed his team may have unlocked something meaningful by the way it pulled together.
uncertain
it → silence → way
“It wouldn’t shock me if in six, eight weeks down the road, whatever it is, if we look back on this and see that game is one of the critical points of the season,” Riley said.
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Riley → shock → season
“I think just the way that it transpired, the way we won the game, winning a game a different way than we’ve won all season, it develops the personality of your team.
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it → think → team
Pump up the volume
The award for the biggest workload this week might have gone to USC’s volume control at its practice facility.
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award → pump → facility
With the Trojans set to face Penn State at a designated “White Out” game, it was time to bring the noise before taking a cross-country flight.
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it → set → flight
Riley said before the season that the new loudspeaker system had only been pushed to 70% of its maximum.
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system → say → maximum
That percentage undoubtedly rose over the last week.
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percentage → rise → week
“We had it up on Sunday, and they said it wasn’t the loudest,” quarterback Jayden Maiava said, “so I think they cranked it up even more.”
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they → have → it
USC has struggled while traveling multiple time zones under Riley, dropping games at Michigan, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Maryland and Illinois.
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USC → struggle → Michigan
The Trojans also barely beat Rutgers last month on the road, holding on for a 42-35 victory.
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Trojans → beat → victory
Bulletin board material
USC wide receiver Tanook Hines raised a different kind of ruckus given his curious comment when asked what stood out about Penn State’s secondary.
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what → raise → secondary
“Nothing much, for real,” Hines said.
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Hines → say → Nothing
Riley said Maiava, who seemed hesitant to run while playing his worst game of the season last week, was not dealing with any nagging physical limitations after appearing to hurt his shoulder against Fresno State last month.
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who → say → State
That means that it’s entirely on Maiava to get back to the way he was playing earlier this season, when he completed nearly 90% of his passes over his first two games.
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he → mean → games
“Got to play better,” said Maiava, who completed 21 of 34 passes for 245 yards and one touchdown with one interception against Washington.
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who → got → Washington
The Trojans will go against their old defensive coordinator when they face Penn State’s D’Anton Lynn, who returned to his alma mater after spending two seasons at USC.
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who → go → USC
“D’Anton’s a really good coach,” Riley said.
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Riley → ’ → ?
“He’s always done a really good job with the secondary.”
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He → do → secondary
Penn State ranks No. 3 nationally in passing yardage allowed — a measly 119.6 yards per game.
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State → rank → game
Where the Nittany Lions have struggled is in stopping the run.
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struggled → struggle → run
Opponents are averaging 173.2 yards per game on the ground, giving them less reason to throw the ball.
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Opponents → average → ball
The Aporia
