Death, taxes, and Penn State football losing big games.

The Nittany Lions extended their losing streak to three on Saturday, falling 31-23 to USC in the annual White Out. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava torched the Penn State secondary with 301 yards and three touchdowns.

Despite the loss, the energy in and around Beaver Stadium was palpable all day. Here’s what we noticed while Penn State fell to 3-3 on the season.

Record Attendance

Penn State fans, you did it again.

The 2026 edition of the White Out drew a record-breaking 114,419 fans to Beaver Stadium. That’s the second-highest ever for a college football game played in a stadium. The record came from a Michigan-Notre Dame battle at the Big House, with over 115,000 in attendance.

Fans arrived early and were loud, silencing the “Penn State has an attendance problem” crowd for at least the week. The energy helped Penn State stay in the game until late. Players were also highly appreciative of the support despite the loss.

The Final Domino

While most of the position groups have struggled for Penn State in 2026, the secondary has been the lone bright spot. That was, until Saturday.

Maiava had a career day, throwing for over 300 passing yards and three touchdowns while spreading the ball to six different players. Trent Mosley finished with nine receptions for 111 yards, and Tanook Hine had four for 82 yards and a touchdown.

The Nittany Lions have also relied on interceptions this season, including a few returned for six, but they didn’t get any against USC.

Andrew Rappleyea

A lot has been said about the Penn State tight end room over the past six weeks, but Saturday may have allowed one player to separate as a true starter.

Andrew Rappleyea has been praised this season as a tenacious blocker, but has taken some flak in the pass-catching area. He looked great in all areas of the game Saturday and finished with seven receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown.

His first-quarter score allowed Rocco Becht to settle in, and it felt like Becht looked No. 87’s way when he needed him most.

Can Penn State Win Again?

Though I truly believe the Nittany Lions are better than they’re playing and will improve at some point this season, everyone else on Penn State’s schedule looks formidable.

Teams like Purdue and Minnesota were originally thought to be roll-over games for the Nittany Lions, but both teams look better than expected and, well, Penn State looks a lot worse.

Hopefully Rutgers will offer the team, players, and fans some much-needed joy if all else fails.