Times of Troy writer Ryan Kartje is out sick this week, but we didn’t want USC fans to miss extended coverage of the Trojans’ win at Penn State. Times sports editor Iliana Limón Romero is filling until Kartje returns.
USC coach Lincoln Riley lingered at Beaver Stadium on Saturday night, soaking up a hard-fought moment of vindication.
Riley celebrated out-coaching Penn State’s Matt Campbell like he won a national championship, offered gleeful remarks to NBC and reporters at his postgame news conference and shook the hands of USC fans who ventured to Happy Valley to catch the Trojans’ first road win over Penn State.
“It’s one of my favorite wins as a head coach no question, for so many reasons,” Riley said after the Trojans’ 31-23 victory. “Obviously phenomenal atmosphere, as good as it gets there in college football, so give credit to Penn State, their fans, but really proud of our team, man.”
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And even Riley’s harshest critics had trouble arguing this wasn’t a meaningful win. A serious test his team passed. The kind of beast Riley and the Trojans have struggled to slay.
Yes, the Nittany Lions now sit 3-3 overall and 0-3 in Big Ten play, but White Out games are their super power. When an announced crowd of 114,419 fans commits to wearing white and roaring in unison, it’s hard for any visiting team to pull off a victory. USC had never won in State College, Pa., and Riley noted seemingly no one outside of his team believed the streak would end Saturday.
How did USC do it?
The Trojans figured out how to overachieve in every area that was considered a weakness entering the matchup.
Maiava lights up Nittany Lions
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava delivers an option pitch under pressure from Penn State’s Caleb Bacon on a play that scored a touchdown Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
With big-play threats Mosley and Tanook Hines on the field, Maiava looked like an elite Big Ten quarterback dealing the ball in locations only his two ace receivers could catch.
Maiava completed 21 of 33 passes for 301 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers.
Mosley had nine catches for 111 yards and one touchdown. Hines had four catches for 82 yards and another score. The passing attack opened up enough space for King Miller to earn 102 yards and a touchdown in 19 carries.
Of course fans have come to expect big highlight plays from a Riley offense, but Maiava was unquestionably tentative the past few weeks and the offense wasn’t clicking. It hit top gear at Penn State.
USC’s Christian Pierce punches the ball out of the hands of Penn State’s Brett Eskildsen, forcing a fumble in the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.
(Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images)
While Riley has caught considerable heat this season, the USC defense directed by Gary Patterson wasn’t far behind.
The Trojans have shown marked improvement with Patterson shifting from the sideline to the press box the last two games.
Patterson had always worked from the sideline, but he also was always surrounded by staff members who knew his system well. Riley said the goal of the move was to speed up communication.
Desman Stephens II returned from his one-game suspension and led USC in tackles with nine. Luke Wafle and Kennedy Urlacher earned sacks. Jahkeem Stewart played after being listed as a game-time decision on the injury report and recorded a quarterback hurry.
Jontez Williams, Prophet Brown and Elijah Newby were credited with breaking up one pass apiece.
Riley can deliver in crunch time
USc coach Lincoln Riley talks with quarterback Jayden Maiava during the Trojans’ win over Penn State Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
And he was well aware few expected USC to win at Penn State, with betting odds favoring a rebuilding Nittany Lions squad by 1 1/2 points.
Riley’s clock management and use of timeouts, along with his play-calling, unquestionably got the best of Penn State’s Campbell and helped seal the USC win.
Opening the second half with an onside kick set the tone that everything was on the table for USC.
When Riley kept his offense on the field on fourth and four at the USC 13 late in the fourth quarter. Campbell said he called timeout with 4:15 remaining to be sure he put his team position to go get the ball.
Riley was delighted Campbell burned his final timeout and sent on his punt team.
After his defense forced a turnover, Riley’s offense burned time off the clock and lined up for fourth down when Penn State jumped offside.
For once, the Trojans didn’t flinch when it mattered most. USC finished with three penalties for a loss of 25 yards, a remarkable improvement for a team that has racked up a lot of ill-timed penalties during Riley’s tenure.
USC was awarded the first down and took a knee to run out the clock on a victory.
USC’s Kameryn Crawford and Luke Wafle celebrate with fans after their win over Penn State Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
(Barry Reeger / Associated Press)
The Trojans celebrated in the rain before starting a bye week.
“I was not surprised at all that we played well,” Riley said. “I felt like we really had one of the best weeks of prep that we’ve had since I’ve been here. I thought team had a great mindset coming in.
”… I’ve only been a head coach at two schools. They’ve both been blue bloods. … Blue bloods are unbelievable. The advantages far, far outweigh the disadvantages, but the disadvantages at blue bloods are the outside noise is always going to be way over the top, no matter what’s happening. And your ability to deal with that as a coach and then your team is critical if you want to have success in these jobs.
“And I thought our team blocked out everything. Our team knows how good of a team we have in that locker room and didn’t flinch.”
House of Troy ‘Chapter 4: Higher Power’ episode drops this week
Lane Kiffin was stunned when he was fired on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport at about 3 a.m. on Sept. 29, 2013.
He called his wife, who was equally surprised by the abrupt end to his tenure leading the Trojans.
“And I remember saying, I do not want to wake up tomorrow,” Kiffin recounts in the latest episode. “My life’s over.”
Kiffin helps provide an inside look back at the highs and lows of his USC era during Episode 4 of “House of Troy” available Tuesday morning at latimes.com/sports and everywhere you get your podcasts.
Olympic sports spotlight
The USC women’s volleyball team has been through some big changes, with coach Brad Keller missing matches Oct. 2 and Oct 4 because of an illness. USC announced on Oct. 5 Keller is taking personal leave and assistant Megan Moenoa is the Trojans’ interim head coach.
The Trojans (8-8, 2-4 Big Ten) earned a 26-24, 25-19, 25-22 road win over No. 15 Indiana (10-5, 3-3) in Bloomington on Sunday. It was Moenoa’s first win since stepping in for Keller.
Sophomore Abigail Mullen led USC with 11 kills, four blocks and nine digs. Freshman Milly McGee earned 31 assists, six digs and one kill.
Polling the people
Please note the following poll included voting before USC’s win over Penn State. The results do help illustrate the stress level Riley faced entering the game.
We asked “Will Lincoln Riley be USC’s coach in 2027?”
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email Ryan at ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Claudia Winkleman is known for her bold fringe and dark eyeliner
Claudia Winkleman(Image: Darren Gerrish/WireImage for The Royal Academy of Arts)
Recognised almost as much for her bronzed complexion, striking fringe and dramatic eyeliner as for her razor-sharp humour, Claudia Winkleman is adored by millions of television viewers. Claudia, 54, made her comeback to screens earlier this month for the second series of Celebrity Traitors on the BBC.
Claudia, who stepped down from her position as Strictly Come Dancing co-host last year, alongside Tess Daly, has previously joked that her distinctive look is what secures her work. She said: “I think it’s the only reason I get work. I’m sure TV producers go, ‘Who’s the one with the fringe? We’ll have her’.”
Claudia inherited her passion for a sun-kissed appearance from her mum, journalist and editor Eve Pollard, previously revealing: “Like me, my mum loves an orange glow, so I remember her swirling huge brushes of orange over her face and thinking it was the most glamorous thing ever.”
Looking like a ‘real-life’ pirate
She also told Closer Magazine: “I think my fringe starts at the back of my head, it’s got more weight to it than a tonne of bricks. They gave it to me and I knew that was that.
“You have to make much less effort when you have a really heavy fringe. I love eyeliner, but you don’t even need makeup really. If you’ve got a very heavy fringe, you’re wearing some old, battered, buckled-up boots and you’re holding a book then you’re done. You look like a real-life pirate”.
And while she undoubtedly possesses a distinctive style, a rediscovered photograph reveals Claudia sporting a more understated look.
In the image, captured for Red Nose Day in 2003, Claudia holds a giant cheque and appears without the heavily tanned complexion she’s recognised for, alongside lighter hair styled to one side.
While Claudia is currently most recognised for presenting The Traitors and Strictly, she launched her career conducting celebrity interviews on ITV’s This Morning. She also fronted several gameshows throughout the 90s.
