UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State hosts 19/17 USC on Saturday night at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on NBC and Peacock in the annual Penn State White Out game. The 2026 Penn State Football season is presented by PSECU.
SERIES HISTORY: Penn State takes on USC for the 12th time in program history. The Nittany Lions trail the all-time series, 6-5, but lead 4-3 in regular-season matchups. Saturday will mark the third matchup in Beaver Stadium between the storied programs and the first matchup in Happy Valley since a 38-14 Penn State win in 1994. Penn State earned a 33-30 overtime win at USC in 2024 as PSU rallied from a 20-6 halftime deficit.
PENN STATE WHITE OUT: The Nittany Lions will play their 19th full-stadium Penn State White Out on Saturday. The tradition began with a student section White Out in 2004 and the first full-stadium White Out was against Notre Dame in 2007. Penn State had won six-straight White Out games until falling 30-24 in double-overtime against Oregon in 2025.
STORIED PROGRAMS MEET: Penn State and USC meet as two of the most storied programs in college football. Both programs rank among the Top 10 all-time in total wins and win percentage. Penn State ranks seventh all-time with 953 wins and ninth with a .688 win percentage. USC sits 10th all-time with 896 wins and eighth with a .695 win percentage.
ROJAS MAKING SPLASH PLAYS: Tony Rojas is off to a strong start to his redshirt junior campaign. He leads Penn State in total tackles (34), solo tackles (21), tackles for loss (7.5), sacks (3.0) and interceptions (2). Against Northwestern, Rojas posted a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss for his third game this season with multiple tackles for loss. He is the only player in the FBS this season with 7.5+ tackles for loss and 2+ interceptions.
THE OPPOSITION: USC is 5-1 this season and 2-1 in Big Ten play after earning a 25-21 home win over Washington. The Trojans gained 360 total yards. Jayden Maiava threw for 245 yards and a touchdown, a 10-yard strike to Tanook Hines. King Miller rushed for 81 yards, while Waymond Jordan had 36 rushing yards and an eight-yard score. The USC defense recorded five tackles for loss and four sacks.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
21 + 6 - With a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss at Northwestern, Tony Rojas now has 21.5 tackles for loss in his career. Rojas is the only active FBS player with 21+ tackles for loss and 6+ interceptions in their career.
19 - The Nittany Lions will play their 19th full-stadium Penn State White Out on Saturday.
8 - Eight of Rocco Becht's 10 touchdown passes this season have been 15+ yard completions.
7.5 + 2 - Rojas is also the only FBS player with 7.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions this season.
7 - Audavion Collins is tied-fourth in the nation with seven pass breakups this season.
SERIES HISTORY VS. USC
- Penn State meets USC for the 12th time in program history.
- The Nittany Lions trail 6-5 in the all-time series.
- Penn State and USC will play for the eighth time in a regular season game with PSU leading 4-3 in those games.
- PSU faces USC for the third time in Beaver Stadium and the first time since a 38-14 win in 1994.
- In 2024, the Nittany Lions earned a 33-30 overtime win in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.
- After trailing 20-6 at halftime, PSU rallied back to tie the game at 30-30 with 2:53 remaining on a 14-yard touchdown catch by Nicholas Singleton.
- Ryan Barker hit four field goals, including a go-ahead 36-yard kick in the first overtime period.
- Drew Allar threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns.
- Tyler Warren hauled in 17 receptions for 224 yards and a 32-yard touchdown. Warren set a Penn State and Big Ten tight end record with his 224 receiving yards and tied an FBS tight end record with his 17 receptions.
- Jaylen Reed intercepted a pass with five seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime.
PENN STATE WHITE OUT
- A tradition stretching back to a student section White Out in 2004, Penn State White Outs have created an unmatched atmosphere inside Beaver Stadium.
- In 2026, Penn State will take on No. 19 USC on October 10 at 7:30 p.m. on NBC and Peacock.
- Penn State's 2025 matchup against Oregon marked the 18th time the Nittany Lions hosted a full-stadium Penn State White Out.
- Penn State holds an 11-7 record when the full stadium wears white.
- Six of Penn State's Top 10 most-attended games have been White Outs, including 111,015 fans against Oregon in 2025, which ranks second all-time.
- Penn State’s first full-stadium White Out was against Notre Dame in 2007.
NORTHWESTERN NOTES
- The Nittany Lions are 44-45-6 in non-Saturday games and 17-9-1 in Friday games.
- Penn State limited Northwestern to 93 passing yards.
- CB Josiah Zayas recovered a fumble in the second quarter.
- LB Tony Rojas secured a career-best 12 tackles. He added a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
- LB Kooper Ebel finished the game with a career-high-tying 11 stops.