- Penn State beat USC in overtime on Saturday to remain undefeated
- But coach James Franklin didn’t mind his team’s postgame celebrations.
Penn State head coach James Franklin was left heated Saturday afternoon after one of his players gloated over the Nittany Lions’ victory at USC by placing a flag at midfield.
No. 4 Penn State, which moved to 6-0 with the win, pulled off a comeback in overtime after Ryan Barker kicked a 36-yard field goal at the LA Coliseum.
And cornerback Audavion Collins achieved victory by placing a flag reading “WE ARE” at the 50-yard line, a move that quickly drew scorn from Franklin.
The flag was at midfield for only a few seconds before Franklin pointed the finger at Collins and took the flag away.
in a video After the incident, he appeared to order one of his Penn State employees to remove the flag.
Penn State coach James Franklin, seen during Penn State’s 33-30 win at USC, was not pleased when one of his players planted a flag at midfield.
Audavion Collins (right) was scolded by Franklin after the game for planting a flag.
Planting flags has become an increasingly common way for visiting college football teams to taunt their hosts after earning a victory.
Several fans expressed support for Franklin’s decision to remove the flag.
“That’s classy of Franklin,” a USC supporter saying.
Other aggregate‘I agree with the coach on this. It’s classless and tacky, especially when you’re ranked #4 and barely eke out a 3-point overtime win against an unranked opponent.
Penn State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) never led after falling behind 7-3 until Barker capped the first extra session with the last of his four field goals. The Nittany Lions had to rally from a two-touchdown halftime deficit, and they did so thanks in part to a prolific connection between quarterback Drew Allar and tight end Tyler Warren.
Warren was on the receiving end of 17 of Allar’s 30 completions, hauling in a 32-yard touchdown reception just after halftime to ignite Penn State’s comeback.
Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) is lifted into the air by offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh (68) after scoring a touchdown on Saturday.
USC Trojans wide receiver Duce Robinson (2) runs the ball after a completion before it is stopped by Penn State Nittany Lions safety Zakee Wheatley (6).
Warren’s 224 receiving yards are the second-most of any Penn State player, trailing only Jahan Dotson’s 242 against Maryland in 2021.
Allar completed 30 of 43 passes for 391 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which was a 14-yard pass to Nicholas Singleton that tied the game at 30 with 2:53 left in regulation. Allar was also eliminated three times.
The Trojans (3-3, 1-3) crossed into Penn State territory just after the two-minute warning. But as he let time run out while trying to get into field goal range, USC saw its final strategy backfire.
Jaylen Reed intercepted Trojans quarterback Miller Moss’ deep pass attempt to keep the game tied and force overtime. In the extra period, Penn State’s defense caused a pair of incompletions and Dani Dennis-Sutton tackled Woody Marks for a 3-yard loss, making USC kicker Michael Lantz’s field goal attempt a 45-yarder.
Lantz missed, opening the door for Penn State to win.