James Franklin will need to deliver the halftime speech of his life if No. 4 Penn State is going to defeat USC this Saturday afternoon.
The Nittany Lions entered this weekend’s game against the Trojans with a 5-0 record. So far, they’ve struggled to find any consistency on offense. Drew Allar has completed 12-of-18 pass attempts for 124 yards with an interception. Not only has the passing game been inconsistent, the defense for Penn State has struggled.
Penn State’s defense has already given up a 75-yard touchdown to Quinten Joyner. He scored his second touchdown of the game in the second quarter. That score was courtesy of a touchdown pass from Miller Moss, who has just four incompletions.
With the first half in the books, Penn State trails 20-6 to USC. What makes this score so frustrating for the Nittany Lions is the fact they’re winning the time of possession battle.
The good news for Penn State is that it’ll start the second half with the football.
Star running back Nic Singleton has just six carries for 19 yards. If he’s unable to go in the second half, that’ll hurt Penn State’s chances of mounting a comeback.
As of right now, ESPN’s computer model gives USC an 89.2 percent chance of winning this game. Of course, that could change depending on how Penn State’s first drive of the second half plays out.
The second half of this game between Penn State and USC will be televised on CBS.
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