Rose Bowl: Penn State’s Explosive Offense a Familiar Sight for USC

With a spread attack and mobile quarterback, the Penn State offense will be a familiar sight for the USC football defense in the Rose Bowl.

There’s something familiar about the Penn State Nittany Lions.

It’s not just that PSU was USC’s opponent the last time the Trojans were in the Rose Bowl. Or even that the Nittany Lions are perhaps the only school in the modern era who have come close to understanding the strain of NCAA sanctions like USC’s.

Despite playing in a completely different region, in a conference associated with “three yards and a cloud of dust,” Penn State’s offense looks decidedly Pac-12-esque.

“They have a little bit of everything of everybody that we’ve played,” USC defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast said.

Penn State isn’t your father’s Big Ten offense.

Indeed, the Nittany Lions run an uptempo spread attack under new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead, one that has averaged 36.7 points and 430.1 yards per game

“I think everyone in the Pac-12 is running that spread offense that they do. It’s quite similar,” linebacker Quinton Powell said. “It surprised me because I thought they would come out with something different since it’s in the Big Ten.”

Penn State isn’t your father’s Big Ten offense.

They average just 168 yards on the ground per game, though Saquon Barkley was one of the top backs in the conference with 1,302 yards and a league-high 16 touchdowns.

Though Moorhead preaches balance, the Nittany Lion passing game has taken center stage, in part because of Penn State’s penchant for second-half comebacks.

The danger man is quarterback Trace McSorley, who stands out as another somewhat familiar element of the PSU offense. He’s earned comparisons to USC’s Sam Darnold as a mobile quarterback prone to improvisation.

“McSorley, in our opinion, is one of the most creative quarterbacks that we’ve seen to date,” head coach Clay Helton said. “His ability to escape rush, keep plays alive. He’s a big reason why they’re ultra successful.”

Though Darnold has been the more efficient quarterback and McSorley has been more productive overall, even their stat lines match up.

The Trojan has 2,497 yards in nine starts, averaging 277 yards per start. He also has 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions on the season as a whole.

The Nittany Lion has 3,360 yards in 13 starts, averaging 258 yards per game with 25 touchdowns and five interceptions on the year.

Darnold’s season passer rating is 161, while McSorely’s is 156.

From a stylistic perspective, Pendergast thinks the thing that makes them most comparable is the thing that all elevates great mobile quarterbacks from the ordinary.

“They both have good vision and keep their eyes downfield,” Pendergast said. “That’s a very important thing for a quarterback, especially for a guy that likes to move around in the pocket.”

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For Powell, he sees similarities in their accuracy and mobility. He thinks the Trojans can use that familiarity to their advantage.

“The difference that they have is that Sam’s a lot faster, other than that I think that they’re quite similar,” Powell said. “So it’s good that we go against him in practice.”

Familiarity can be a critical factor for a defense. It’s why division and conference match ups are always that little bit more challenging.

Though these coaching staffs and players have never faced each other, USC’s defense will hope the experience of battling Darnold in practice will give them a leg up in defending McSorley. By the same token, an entire season of preparing for offenses similar to Penn State’s should mean the Trojans won’t be surprised or unprepared for anything they see.

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