The USC Trojans endured a challenging night in the season, experiencing the embarrassment of a 30-33 loss against Penn State. Interestingly, it appears that Penn State didn’t stop at just the game, as they managed to make things difficult for the Trojans and their head coach, Lincoln Riley, in other ways as well. Let’s see what the fuss is all about.

Following the game, the opposing team’s players boldly claimed possession of the LA Memorial Coliseum stadium by proudly waving their team’s flag. This was a major slap in the face to Lincoln Riley, the USC coach, whose home field is their beloved turf. Today after the game, CBS Sports College Football took to Instagram to share this disrespectful act with a post that said, “Huge win for Penn State.” In the video, Penn State’s athlete ran towards the center of the field, holding the flag of his team and energetically planting it. Well, this behavior showed a real lack of sportsmanship and respect for their opponents.

The Nittany Lions squeaked out a win over the Trojans in a nail-biter. It was a back-and-forth game all the way, with Penn State struggling to keep a steady pace early on. They trailed 20-6 at halftime but fought their way back into the game.

In the end, a 36-yard field goal by Ryan Barker in overtime sealed the deal for Penn State. However, the Trojans couldn’t capitalize on their first three plays, going backward three yards. Then, Michael Lantz missed a 45-yard field goal attempt. It was a tough day for the Trojans, and it led to a mixed bag of reactions online.

Fans reacting to Penn State’s move

Well, that’s not how gentlemen celebrate their victory. It’s understandable to get carried away after beating a team like the Trojans, but that doesn’t excuse forgetting basic sportsmanship. Following this, fans took a really harsh take on the whole incident and gave their mixed reactions. Penn State athletes made it look like they won the entire tournament by securing a win against Texas. “Apparently, USC is Penn State’s Super Bowl,” a CFB fan wrote.

If there are supporters, there are haters too. Fans also took a dig at the Trojans’ poor performance in today’s game, which ultimately racked them off the charts of the AP poll. “Uh, y’all are ranked #4; USC is unranked.”. Well, most of them seemed quite disappointed with the USC Trojans’ gameplay against Penn State. As they highlighted, the fact that Nittany Lions’ weird act might not be the only reason the stadium went empty this fast. “No wonder that stadium was empty,” one wrote.

Losing in your home game is not an easy pill to swallow. Now, this is the most satisfying comment yet, and someone finally said it: “I love the flag… but please don’t plant it… my mantra is “you win with class and you lose with class.” IMO, not classy.” You win with dignity, and you also lose with that; mocking others can never bring happiness and reflect less on your mindset as a player. Let’s hope players avoid such acts in the future to maintain the sanity of the game.