Lincoln Riley Celebrates New Personal Favorite USC Victory Over Penn State

College football witnessed multiple top 25 teams go down in stunning fashion on Saturday, Oct. 10. The No. 19 USC Trojans needed to overcome a hostile environment and whiteout to avoid their own upset at Penn State.

USC withstood the record-setting crowd inside Beaver Stadium, leaning into the return of wide receiver Trent Mosley and recording pivotal defensive stops to win 31-23 over the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Beaver Stadium is one of college football's loudest venues. This Week 6 showdown marked the first time Coach Lincoln Riley heard the famed noise levels and became honest about what this victory means to him after the game.

Lincoln Riley Places Penn State win High on Personal List

USC Trojans Penn State Nittany Lions Beaver Stadium College Football Big Ten Conference Trent Mosley Lincoln Riley — Oct 10, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Trent Mosley (4) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"One of my favorite wins as a head coach, no question, for so many reasons. Obviously, it's a phenomenal atmosphere. It's as good as it gets there. Credit to Penn State and their fans. But proud of our team, man."

Lincoln Riley Takes Swipe at Doubters

Lincoln Riley USC Trojans Washington Huskies Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Big Ten Conference College Football — Oct 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley looks on against the Washington Huskies during the third quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Griffin Hooper-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"We didn't listen to all you guys had to say on the outside. This group doesn't really care. Nobody in the world gave us a chance to come in and win this game. We did it our way. We won on our terms, and I'm really damn proud of this football team."

"The best is ahead for this group. This will be a big spark for us going into the bye week and this next stretch of the season. But huge contributions on all sides. This is a tough place to play and a really hard place to win. You've got to really outplay them to beat them."

Trent Mosley Dipped Back Into Dominating Self

Trent Mosley USC trojans College Football Louisiana Ragin Cajuns Big Ten Conference Kerry Wilson Penn State Nittany Lions — Sep 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Trent Mosley (4) carries the ball on an 86-yard punt return against Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns safety Kerry Wilson (26) in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"How awesome was he? He was really key to the win. We didn't know he'd play until warm-ups. It was out of thin air, a little bit. He was ready to go. Everyone knows on this roster that he's a hard-nosed competitor. And he played his butt off, a lot of guys did. And in that environment? You can't say enough about him."

Lincoln Riley Not Phased by Fan Noise

Penn State Nittany Lions USC Trojans College Football Beaver Stadium Big Ten Conference Lincoln Riley Jayden Maiava — Oct 10, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lion players run onto the field as fireworks explode overhead prior to the game against the Southern California Trojans at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I don't listen to any fan chants or what they say. It was fun, though. Just taking it all in with the environment and being in the moment at the end."

"What our team did tonight is really difficult to do. I'm just so appreciative of our team. They did what we've been preaching between the walls. I wasn't surprised that we played well. I also thought we had one of the best weeks of prep since I've been here. I thought our team had a great mindset coming in here."

"The outside noise is always going to be over the top, no matter what's happening. Your ability to deal with that is critical if you want to have success at this job. And our team blocked out everything and didn't flinch."

"Wins like this take the whole program. There's so many people behind the scenes who contributed to the win there."

"Watch out for this group. We've been on a pretty heavy stretch, and we're going to get some guys healthy. We have some young guys getting better really fast. This group scratches the surface. We saw a little bit of firepower tonight, but this group will only get better and better."

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