The narratives were all there. And, early, the narratives were about to come to fruition. We’ve seen them all week long, so it doesn’t serve a purpose to repeat them here. What does, however, is to point out how the game played out.
Lincoln Riley, a brilliant offensive mind in his own right, came with the perfect game plan to attack the Nittany Lions. For all but the third quarter, it worked quite well. Penn State’s defense found itself on its heels for large chunks of the game, and, compounded by some offensive mistakes, let the Trojans stay in it until the end.