Joe McKnight will be on the Trojan's minds when USC takes the field against Penn State on Monday ... with team captain Zach Banner telling TMZ Sports they're dedicating the game to the late alum.
The USC football team was at The Improv comedy club in West Hollywood last night when we spoke with the NFL-bound right tackle about McKnight, who was killed on Dec. 1st.
McKnight played for the Trojans from 2007 to 2009 ... and clearly meant a lot to the program.
R.I.P.