Penn State football barely survived USC on the road on Saturday, prevailing 33-30 in overtime. The Nittany Lions generated several big plays on both sides of the ball, enough to overcome a slow start in the first half.

Penn State was far from perfect, so let’s break down how each position group fared in Los Angeles.

Quarterbacks: A

Drew Allar may have thrown three interceptions (one on a hail mary), but he stepped up in a big way. He completed 30-of-43 passing attempts for a career-high 391 yards and two touchdowns, which propelled the Nittany Lions to the win. He looked poised and capable of making plays, and this is the closest thing to a “coming out game” he’s had at Penn State.

Running Backs: D

Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton were sparsely involved. Allen had only 56 rushing yards over 16 carries, but he scored a touchdown in the second half. Singleton, on the other hand, had just 26 yards over 10 carries. That wasn’t good enough, and this shouldn’t have been the case against USC’s defense.

Wide Receivers: C+

Julian Fleming had two fourth-down conversions in the fourth quarter, but the wide receivers were otherwise an afterthought on Saturday. This isn’t necessarily a knock on what’s been a reliable group when asked to step up, but that doesn’t happen often given Tyler Warren’s presence.

Tight Ends: A+

Have you ever seen someone line up at center and score a touchdown on the same play? I’ll bet you haven’t.

Warren had a career day that included the aforementioned play in the first half. His day ended with 224 receiving yards, a touchdown, and a nine-yard pass. Warren is making a case as the nation’s best tight end, and games like this only solidify the argument.

Offensive Line: B-

Penn State’s offensive line had two false starts and allowed one tackle for loss, one quarterback hurry, and no sacks. USC doesn’t get many sacks or hurries, and the sack leader and tackler Eric Gentry didn’t play. Keeping the Trojans’ front seven at bay shouldn’t have been hard, and it typically wasn’t.

Front Seven: D-

Woody Marks and Quinton Joyner ran all over the defense with a combined 193 yards, the most rushing yards allowed by Penn State all season. Joyner’s end-around in the first quarter was unacceptable. The performance nearly resulted in a loss, and it would’ve been reasonable to expect much better from the group. Sure, the front seven got better as the game went on and it began disrupting the Trojans, but its overall performance left more to be desired.

Secondary: C+

Moss threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns, but he only completed 58.8% of passing attempts. Star wideout Zachariah Branch and Ja’Kobi Lane were contained, but Makai Lemon had 76 receiving yards. However, Jaylen Reed most likely saved the game with his fourth-quarter interception, so it was a mixed bag.

Special Teams: A+

Asking a redshirt freshman walk-on to kick a game-winning field goal in overtime in his second game as the starter is…a lot. Nonetheless, Ryan Barker was up for the challenge. He made all four field goals and all three extra-point attempts. It’s early, but Penn State’s kicking woes appear to be a thing of the past.