Trace McSorley sailed his first throw for an interception and his second ricocheted off of his receiver’s hands and into the arms of defensive back Adoree’ Jackson. Two throws, two interceptions. By the end of the first quarter, McSorley had thrown for all of two yards. His counterpart, USC redshirt freshman Sam Darnold, spent the first quarter plugging his receivers with perfect intermediate throws, which opened up longer downfield shots. The Trojans probably should have taken a 21–0 advantage by the end of the first quarter, but they led by 13.
Penn State was a few weeks removed from coming back from a 28–7 deficit to win the Big Ten championship game, but its spastic beginning and poor offensive structure conjured memories of Iowa’s start in the 2015 Rose Bowl, one that saw the Hawkeyes trail 35–0 at halftime and never recover.