Everything can be temporary, but putting the head coach at the gunpoint has been a recurring theme in college football for the past few weeks, and not for nothing. As the popular anticipation turned futile in most of the week 6 matchups, a slew of bona fide coaches ended up taking the blame.

Lincoln Riley, the USC head coach, is the first one to be on the rewatch as he heads to restore his fate against No. 4 Penn State on Saturday. Now, the biggest question it begs: Can Riley bounce back with a sloppy offense against one of the nation’s top defensive front seven units?

Well, veteran analyst Joel Klatt clearly understood what could go wrong against the Trojans if Riley doesn’t raise the bar of his average attacking game.

Lincoln Riley gets alerted about the past flaws before the week 7 game

To bridge the gap, Joel Klatt nudged Riley and the team about their past mistakes. ‘‘We’ve got Penn State, and that’s the big one and we’ll just kind of cleanup with these Minnesota Golden Gophers, and then they didn’t, and USC did not play well, and guess what their weakest spots are exactly where Minnesota exploited their offensive line and defensive line so turnovers have been an issue the offensive line and defensive line have been an issue..” said Klatt on his podcast, reminding Riley how cheap confidence after topping Wisconsin led to their sloppy performance spree back to back.

Buns will be toasted, and Riley will be in the hot seat on a sunny October afternoon, heading as a slight Underdog into the next Big Ten clash at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Trojans could get an early edge if they never gave up a 63-yard run to Michigan in the latter half on September 21st if they hadn’t given the game to the Gophers early in the fourth quarter with just a single interception on Saturday.

The list could be longer, but there’s no point. After all, no one ever gives a trophy for an almost-win or almost ‘getting there’ kind of achievement. The unbeaten Nittany Lions will run the football and rush the quarterback as good as they can, making it a thought nut to crack for the shaking USC team.

USC might need to study the small loopholes to get through the tight Penn State defense

Penn State has been standing in the 8th place nationally as per their defense, allowing just over 11 points per game, and got to climb up to No. 7 in FBS in total defensive production, with an average 4.01 yards per play record.

So, even a single mistake in the high-stakes game might pin the final nail in the coffin of the Trojans’ playoff. But there are still a few areas in the opponent’s renowned defense that Riley can take advantage of if he wants.

If there’s one moment when USC can catch the Penn State defense off guard, it would be an overwhelming opening quarter. From what we have seen in the last games, James Franklin’s team looks a little bit off the place at the start.

UCLA, with a backup quarterback, took their ladder higher with 46 yards to the Penn State 23. Quickly after that opening quarter, the Penn State defense got back in control, and everything fell back into place. It’s like how it works with the Kansas City Chiefs. They may give you a touchdown initially, but it’s total shutout after that. Penn State is similar, and if Riley has to save his season, he has to figure this one out. There is simply no other way!