Jayden Maiava throws 3 TDs as No. 19 USC wins at Penn State 31–23
- Final: USC Trojans 31, Penn State Nittany Lions 23
- Where: Beaver Stadium, State College, PA
- When: Saturday, October 10, 2026
- League: CFB
No. 19 USC went into Happy Valley and beat Penn State 31–23 behind three touchdown passes from Jayden Maiava.
The first half went back and forth. Maiava hit Trent Mosley for a 19-yard score, Rocco Becht answered with a 13-yard touchdown to Andrew Rappleyea, Maiava found Tanook Hines from 11, and Carson Hansen's 3-yard run tied it at 14. Field goals from Caden Chittenden (37 yards) and Ryan Barker (48, as the half ended) made it 17–17 at the break.
Barker's 35-yarder gave Penn State a 20–17 lead in the third quarter, but King Miller ran in a 13-yard touchdown to put USC back in front. Barker cut it to 24–23 early in the fourth. Then Maiava found Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for a 10-yard touchdown with 11:11 left, and Penn State never scored again.
Maiava finished 21 of 33 for 301 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Miller ran for 102 yards and Mosley caught 9 passes for 111. USC outgained Penn State 430–357, didn't turn it over, and held the Nittany Lions to 68 rushing yards. Penn State settled for four field goals.
Our take: Penn State keeps losing the games that matter, and at some point that's just who they are. USC looked like the more complete team.
The AI house lean was USC +1.5, and the Trojans won outright. It was one of five covers in a 5–1 Saturday, and the house record moved to 51–55–2.
The AI house pick: USC +1.5, which covered. The all-time house record is 51–55–2. See the USC Trojans vs. Penn State Nittany Lions pick card for the pre-game reasoning. Every pick is graded in the open on the picks page and the archive, good and bad.
Made with AI, watched by a human. CoorsKnows is AI-powered sports takes: AI-written, human-monitored. Facts verified against ESPN.