Lincoln Riley's Comments on Facing Penn State's Matt Campbell Speak Volumes

The No. 19 USC Trojans advanced to 5-1 with a win over Washington, and the next test comes in the shape of a road game against new Penn State coach Matt Matt Campbell and the Nittany Lions. The matchup will be USC's first time experience Penn State's famous White Out, but Trojans coach Lincoln Riley is quite familiar with Campbell from their shared time in the Big 12.

While Riley was the coach of Oklahoma from 2017-2021, he faced off against Campbell and Iowa State six times. With the Sooners, Riley held a 4-2 record over Iowa State, but Campbell often kept his teams in the game with three of the Cyclones' losses coming by one possession.

usc trojans lincoln riley matt campbell penn state nittany lions white out oklahoma sooners iowa state cyclones big ten — Nov 20, 2021; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley (left) speaks with Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell (right) after the game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports

Lincoln Riley on Matt Campbell, Penn State Nittany Lions

On Monday before USC travels to take on Penn State, Riley spoke on Trojans Live about his expectations for the environment in Happy Valley as well as his history with Campbell, now coaching the Nittany Lions.

"Matt Campbell's a heck of a coach. We coached each other a ton in the Big 12 when he was at Iowa State. And I have immense respect for him. You go turn on the film and they have an experienced quarterback [Rocco Becht], heck of a player. They do a lot of challenging things with their groupings."

"Going back to Iowa State, they've always used their tight ends really well and they're doing so here [Penn State]. Defensively they look a lot like the past Penn State teams in being big up front. They've got really good athletes and talented players and they're excellent on the back end. It's a well coached football team and it'll be a heck of a night."

The Trojans can expect Beaver Stadium to be a noisy atmosphere during the White Out, but there shouldn't be too many surprises for USC and Riley when it comes to facing Campbell. The Nittany Lions are currently riding a two-game losing streak after falling to Wisconsin and Northwestern, but Campbell and company could turn the season around with a win over USC.

Penn State Nittany Lions Profile

Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht is completing 61.9 percent of his passes, throwing for 10 touchdowns and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions' ground game is led by a running back duo of James Peoples and Carson Hansen. Wide receiver Koby Howard leads Penn State in receiving despite missing the Wisconsin and Northwestern games with an injury, and his absence will be worth monitoring against USC.

Tight end Benjamin Brahmer is third on the team with 16 receptions for 178 yards and three touchdowns while fellow tight end Andrew Rappleyea also poses a threat in the Nittany Lions offense.

Veteran linebacker Tony Rojas leads the defense with 21 solo tackles and three sacks, and safeties Marcus Neal Jr., Jeremiah Cooper, and Jamison Patton play a key role in the secondary for current Penn State defensive coordinator and former USC Trojans coach D'Anton Lynn.

Betting odds from FanDuel Sportsbook for USC vs. Penn State currently favor the Nittany Lions by 1.5 points, potentially calling into question the Trojans' struggles on the road under Riley.

Kickoff is slated for 4:30 p.m. PT on NBC as USC plays its third consecutive game in prime time.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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