The first White Out of the Matt Campbell era is upon us.

There’s no denying the 2026 Penn State season has already had its share of disappointments. After fumbling away a 17-point home lead to Wisconsin, the Nittany Lions recently lost to Northwestern 34-13, giving up 413 rushing yards.

Rocco Becht has struggled, throwing just one touchdown in the past two games. The run game can’t seem to get going, and as the previous statistic suggests, the defense has lacked physicality and, in turn, results.

When No. 19 USC comes to town Saturday, it will be Campbell’s first crack at a ranked opponent as the head coach of Penn State. 

The last time the Nittany Lions took on the Trojans, they won a thrilling 33-30 overtime game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on a Ryan Barker game-winning field goal.

The blue and white have a chance to even the all-time series with USC on Saturday, as they currently have a 5-6 record against the SoCal team. One of the most memorable contests between the two blue bloods came in 2017, when the Trojans defeated Penn State in a 52-49 affair, once again on a walk-off kick.

Penn State is a 1.5-point favorite, per FanDuel.

The Team

USC has not played up to program standards over the last decade.

After Lincoln Riley took the reins of the Trojans following an abysmal 4-8 2021 season, the cardinal and gold have lost 19 games in his 4.5-year tenure, putting him firmly on the hot seat. 

Before arriving in Los Angeles, Riley coached the Oklahoma Sooners for five seasons, helping lead the team to three College Football Playoff appearances. He lost all three games.

Riley’s team has gotten off to an as-expected start to 2026. USC currently sits at 5-1, with its lone 41-27 loss coming at the hands of the then-No. 20 Oregon Ducks. Last week, the Trojans narrowly escaped a near game-winning drive from Washington. 

USC has also beaten San Jose State, Fresno State, Louisiana, and Rutgers.

Luke Huard is the team’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He is currently coaching in his fifth season with the Trojans and is second in charge of the offense. 

In those two years, Huard has overseen one of the top offenses in the Big Ten and the nation. Last season, USC touted the No. 1 unit in the Big Ten and No. 8 in the country, averaging 465.5 yards per game. 

The defensive coordinator is Gary Patterson, who is coaching in his first season in cardinal and gold. The USC defense has been a major weakness of this team in 2026. The Trojans surrendered 35 points to Rutgers, the bottom-ranked team in the conference. They allowed Oregon to hang 41 points and gave up 30 points to Louisiana from the Sun Belt.

Before Patterson was hired at USC, he served as a consultant at Baylor and was the special assistant to Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian in 2022.  

The Offense

USC enters Saturday’s game touting one of the best passing offenses in the Big Ten. Its 1,870 yards through the air lead the conference, with its 311 yards per game ranking third.

Much of the success USC has had has come courtesy of senior quarterback Jayden Maiava. Through six games this season, he has thrown for 1,744 yards and 15 touchdowns, while logging three interceptions.

Maiava’s primary target has been true freshman wideout Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, who has shown superstar potential early in his Trojan career. The Hayward, California, native has two 100-plus-yard games this year, but seemed uninvolved in the team’s narrow 25-21 win over Washington last week.

Wide receivers Trent Mosley and Zacharyus Williams are also key parts of this USC offense, each with nearly identical stats, averaging around 14 catches and just over 250 yards. Tight end Mark Bowman, another freshman, is the team’s second-most-targeted player. He’s caught 21 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns. 

On the ground, King Miller leads the charge with 493 rushing yards on 95 carries. Miller has struggled with speed and true explosive plays, which may be due to offseason bulk. In a pass-heavy offense, the USC run game specializes in late-down, short-distance situations.

The offensive line is led by five veterans, but it is still working out its kinks in the run game. Maiava has been sacked just five times this season in six games.

The Defense

On the defensive side of the ball, the Trojans have struggled mightily, surrendering an average of 348.8 yards per game and 25.5 points per game.

Despite a secondary that has been less than stellar since the year began, safety Christian Pierce tops the tackles list with 35 total, 23 solo. Kennedy Urlacher is another safety who has taken a step in the right direction, having notched 18 total tackles, 16 solo, this season.

At linebacker, Washington transfer Deven Bryant has been a real difference-maker, bringing talent to a group that suffered from inexperience in 2025. Bryant is second on the team in tackles with 33 total and 22 solo. 

Junior Desman Stephens II is another linebacker who has been making his presence known, with 19 total tackles and 0.5 sacks attributed to his name. Speaking of sacks, Urlacher, cornerback Alex Graham, and defensive end Jadyn Ramos each have two apiece. 

When it comes to takeaways, cornerback Prophet Brown has found success this season. His two interceptions lead the team, including a 99-yard pick-six in the team’s close victory over Rutgers.

USC’s defensive line has been one of the few bright spots on defense. Penn State fans might be familiar with the name Luke Wafle, a former top defensive end target of the Nittany Lions who is now a true freshman. The Class of 2026 five-star recruit from Middletown, New Jersey, is third on the team in tackles with 22 total and 16 solo. He has one sack and one pass deflection as well.

Defensive tackles Jide Abasiri and Jahkeem Stewart have also been solid for the Trojans and are key pieces in the trenches.

Special Teams

UNLV transfer Caden Chittenden is USC’s placekicker in 2026. He missed the entirety of the 2025 season after suffering an injury in fall camp. He is 6-for-7 on the year in field goals, but his longest this season is just 39 yards. 

Chittenden hasn’t attempted a kick of 40 yards or more in two years.

It will be dueling Aussies on Saturday in the punting game. Lachlan Carrigan from Melbourne, Australia, averages 49.3 yards per kick. His longest on the season is 59 yards.