USC beats Penn State 31-23 before record 114,419 at Beaver Stadium White Out No. 19 USC defeated Penn State 31-23 on Saturday night as Jayden Maiava threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns, handing the Nittany Lions their third straight loss in front of a record 114,419 fans at Beaver Stadium. No. 19 USC outlasted Penn State 31-23 on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium behind a strong performance from quarterback Jayden Maiava, who completed 21 of 33 passes for 301 yards with three touchdowns. The game was played before an announced crowd of 114,419, the largest in Beaver Stadium history. Most fans wore white for Penn State's annual White Out game, desperate to see the first Big Ten win of the Matt Campbell era. The Trojans improved to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten. Penn State fell to 3-3 and 0-3 in conference play, losing its third straight game.USC's Offensive Stars Shine in VictoryUSC now leads the all-time series 7-5. Trent Mosley, Tanook Hines and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt caught touchdown passes for USC. King Miller ran for a score, and Caden Chittenden kicked a field goal. Mosley, who had missed the last couple of games with an injury, caught nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.Maiava was perfect on a quick opening scoring drive and led the Trojans on two more in the first half. Each USC score was answered by Penn State, producing a 17-17 halftime tie. The Trojans attempted an onside kick to start the second half, but Penn State recovered and used the short field to take its only lead on a 35-yard field goal from Ryan Barker.Miller's 13-yard touchdown run capped a 10-play drive on USC's next possession and gave the Trojans the lead for good. USC outgained Penn State 430 to 357 and averaged nearly eight yards per play through the first three quarters. Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht completed 21 of 32 passes for 289 yards with a touchdown. Carson Hansen ran for a touchdown, Andrew Rappleyea caught another, and Barker kicked two field goals for the Nittany Lions.Penn State Struggles to Find MomentumThe Nittany Lions managed just 68 rushing yards on 31 carries, an average of 2.2 yards per attempt. USC defensive end Luke Wafle, who finished with five tackles and a sack, said stopping the run was the priority. He said that closing that section of Penn State's playbook makes the game a lot more fun. Penn State converted three fourth downs on scoring drives and played its best conference game under new leadership.But on several second-half drives, the Nittany Lions could not get into the end zone after long marches, settling for field goals instead. The decisive play came in the fourth quarter when Christian Pierce punched the ball away from Brett Eskildsen with 3:59 to go in regulation. Penn State never got the ball back, and USC's offense killed the rest of the clock.After USC took an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Trojans had a first and 10 at their own 39-yard line with 6:31 to go. They went incomplete pass, incomplete pass, sack, punt. Even after forcing a punt and getting the ball back, Penn State immediately fumbled it right back to the Trojans. USC ran out the clock thanks to a few first downs.Coaches Reflect on Hard-Fought BattleUSC coach Lincoln Riley called it one of his favorite wins as a head coach for so many reasons. He praised the phenomenal atmosphere and gave credit to Penn State and its fans, adding that he was really proud of his team. Maiava called it a great team victory and credited the Penn State fans for showing up, but said the Trojans handled the environment well.Penn State coach Matt Campbell called it one of the most impressive environments he has been able to coach in and be a part of. He said his disappointment is that the team cannot give the fans the result they deserve, but he believes they will find the pathway forward. The loss continued a difficult stretch for Penn State, which was coming off a brutal 34-13 loss to Northwestern in which it allowed 506 total yards, including 413 rushing yards.USC entered the game one week removed from an ugly 25-21 win over Washington and two weeks removed from a 41-27 loss to Oregon. For Riley, the game had become the latest must-win. Already on the hot seat despite his massive buyout, a loss would have effectively ended any chance USC had of reaching the College Football Playoff, given upcoming games against Ohio State and Indiana.Under Riley, USC had also struggled on the road, particularly in the Eastern Time Zone. Entering Saturday, the Trojans had gone just 4-7 in away games since joining the Big Ten. For Penn State, the game was a chance to make several statements: that Beaver Stadium is still one of the toughest places to play in the country, and that the Nittany Lions would progress in year one of the Matt Campbell era by winning big games against ranked teams.Instead, USC made the statement and may have cooled off Riley's seat just a bit. After allowing 168 rushing yards to Rutgers on Sept. 19, the Trojans tightened up and surrendered just 138 and 116 yards respectively to Oregon and Washington. They had their best performance inside Beaver Stadium. Penn State fell to 13-10 in its marquee White Out event.The Nittany Lions remain winless in Big Ten play this season and will look to regroup in the coming weeks.