One Game for USC Trojans, Lincoln Riley to Change Big Ten Road Narrative

USC has had its struggles on the road under coach Lincoln Riley since joining the Big Ten in 2024.

In that inaugural season, the Trojans did not win a single road game outside the state of California. Last season, all three of their regular season losses came away from the Coliseum.

Trip to Happy Valley

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Penn State Nittany Lions Jayden Maiava Big Ten Road Football Schedule Nebraska Oregon Notre Dame — Sep 13, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

USC has a big-time matchup against Indiana Hoosiers, the defending national champions in Bloomington on Nov. 14. However, a month before making that trip, the Trojans will make a cross-country trip to Happy Valley on Oct. 10 to face Penn State.

A game that figures to be a ranked matchup and the Nittany Lions annual “White Out” game, one of the most hostile environments in all of college football. Beaver Stadium has an official seating capacity of 106,572 people.

Michigan famously had to call a timeout on the first play of the game in 2019 to avoid a delay of game penalty because of how intense the crowd was when they took the field.

With a gauntlet of a schedule this fall, Southern Cal can’t afford to stumble in early October to Penn State. It would be a signature win for Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell in year one and further push the narrative of Riley’s tenure at USC in the wrong direction.

Jayden Maiava’s Road Struggles

Quarterback Jayden Maiava’s three lowest completion percentages from a year ago came on the road in games against Nebraska, Notre Dame and Oregon.

Against the Cornhuskers, Maiava struggled mightily all night in a tough road environment. He went a mere 9 of 23 for 135 yards and one interception. Maiava was effective using his legs, carrying the ball 11 times for 62 yards and one touchdown, which kept them alive in the second half. He was picked off twice in games against the Irish and Ducks.

The next step in the Trojans becoming one of premier teams in the conference and ultimately reaching the College Football Playoff is winning tough games on the road. There’s no way around it. And that starts with Maiava. The hope is the USC signal-caller was able to learn from experiences last season and he grows from it.

Maiava will see a familiar face on the other sideline against Penn State in defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who left after two seasons to take the same role with the Nittany Lions, his alma mater, in December. Lynn knows the Maiava very well from the past couple of seasons and vice versa. Who wins that matchup will be a big factor in the final result.

But it doesn't all fall on the shoulders of Maiava. The defense gave up 28.8 points on the road last season. The hiring of College Football Hall of Fame electee Gary Patterson and new defensive assistants should lead to better results in that department. The run game also has to be much better away from the Coliseum.

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