Just like that, Penn State football is .500 for the season.

The Nittany Lions fell 31-23 to USC in the White Out game on Saturday night, marking their third straight loss. Now sitting at 3-3, Penn State has yet to win a Big Ten game under Matt Campbell as struggles persist in the team’s pass rush and run game.

Here’s a quick review of each position group’s performance against the Trojans. 

Quarterbacks: B

Rocco Becht finally looked more comfortable than he has in the past two weeks. He connected on downfield passes and threw two deep balls in the first half. 

Becht had some bad throws and a fair share of misfires, but his 309 total yards and one passing touchdown deserve respect. 

Running Backs: D-

The Penn State backfield was downright indefensible, a trend of the season. Carson Hansen started the game again, and he and James Peoples were the only running backs to get touches.

The duo combined for just 48 yards on 21 carries. Hansen averaged 2 yards per rush, and Peoples a whopping 2.9 yards.

Hansen came through in a few critical moments, including on a couple of fourth-and-short situations. He also found the end zone in the second quarter.

Receivers: B

The Penn State wideouts have been making strides since their tumultuous performance against Wisconsin two weeks ago.

Chase Sowell led the group on Saturday, tallying 95 yards on four receptions and catching the two aforementioned Becht deep balls. 

Brett Eskildsen also had his best performance of the year, catching four passes for 70 yards. That said, his crucial late-fourth-quarter fumble hurt Penn State, which was hoping to string together a game-tying drive.

Tight Ends: A-

Andrew Rappleyea finally had the breakout game he had been waiting for. The redshirt junior tight end notched 63 yards on seven receptions and a fourth-down touchdown. His 10 targets were a career high. 

Gabe Burkle was more involved than fans are used to, picking up nearly 30 yards on three receptions. Benjamin Brahmer was targeted only three times and caught one. He found separation more than the stat sheet suggests, but Becht wasn’t looking his way for most of the night.

Offensive Line: C-

With the exception of a late-game sack on third down, the offensive line’s successful pass blocking allowed Becht to find a rhythm.

Struggles persist in the run game, as Hansen and Peoples again couldn’t find any holes up front.

Front Seven: D+

The pass rush was relatively nonexistent.

Penn State stuck with a three-man rush even though USC quarterback Jayden Maiava was clearly thriving in a clean pocket from the get-go.

That said, linebacker Tony Rojas recorded a sack and 10 tackles, one of the group’s few bright spots.

On another positive note, the run defense improved significantly from last week’s loss to Northwestern. Penn State held USC to 129 yards on 30 carries, nearly 300 yards fewer than it surrendered to Northwestern.

Secondary: F

USC mustered 301 yards through the air and three passing touchdowns on Saturday night. Trojan wideout Trent Mosley caught 9 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. Tanook Hines backed up his trash talk, tallying 82 yards and a score of his own.

Despite dropping eight men into coverage on numerous passing plays, the Nittany Lions chased all night. 

Special Teams: A

Ryan Barker was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals, including one from 48 yards out that tied the score before halftime.

Penn State was prepared for USC’s onside kick attempt to start the second half, falling on the football and securing great field position for the offense.

On punts, Zay Robinson had few chances to showcase his return skills, and Nathan Tiyce matched his previous performances.