USC DC D’Anton Lynn: Excited to face former Penn State football teammates for first time

Penn State football will battle one of its own when the No. 4 Nittany Lions face the USC Trojans on Saturday afternoon. Across the LA Coliseum sideline, Penn State letterman D’Anton Lynn, now the leader of the Trojans defense, will have his first opportunity to knock off his alma mater since leaving Happy Valley in 2011.

As kickoff rapidly approaches, Lynn was asked to reflect on the matchup at USC practice on Wednesday evening.

“It’s exciting,” Lynn said. “I haven’t got a chance to see them play in person since I played there. So it’ll be cool. Two of my old teammates are on the staff, so it’ll be cool to see them after the game.”

Lynn, who played for the Nittany Lions from 2008 to 2011, saw his time in Happy Valley cross over with two current Penn State football staffers: tight ends coach Ty Howle (2009 to 2013) and newly appointed director of life skills Jordan Hill (2009 to 2012). Lynn also overlapped with Michael Mauti, who returned to Penn State athletics as the associate director of development this spring.

D’Anton Lynn praises Drew Allar, Penn State running backs

© Grace Carella / Basic Blues Nation, 2024.

D’Anton Lynn has sparked an impressive turnaround since taking the USC defensive coordinator position this offseason, eliminating 116 yards from the Trojans’ defensive totals and slashing points allowed per contest in half.

USC will be matched up on Saturday with a Penn State offense that has also experienced a rebirth in 2024. On Saturday, the Trojans’ defense, which ranks No. 13 nationally against the pass, will be tasked with stopping Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar, who is ninth in the country with an average of 15.08 yards per completion.

“He definitely has the strongest arm of anyone we’ve played so far,” Lynn said of Allar. “He throws the ball really well, especially down the middle of the field. And for a bigger guy, he does a really good job extending plays in the pocket. We have to do a great job containing him. And we have to do a great job staying in coverage downfield.

“They do a good job of keeping defenses on their heels, just with the personnel groups, with the formations, with the shifts; they do a good job of making you communicate and think as much as possible, and then the ball’s snapped.”

But perhaps the most significant matchup comes on the ground. The 17th-ranked Penn State rushing offense, which expects to be bolstered by the return of star back Nicholas Singleton, will face a USC defense that came into the week ranked No. 87 against the run.

“It’s two of the better backs we’re going to play all year,” said Lynn, referencing Singleton and Kaytron Allen. “They run hard. They’re downhill. But they also have the ability to score at any point in time. They make plays out of the backfield in the passing game. Any time you have backs that can do as much as their backs do, it’s tough on a defense.”

Kickoff between Penn State football and USC is set for 3:30 p.m. ET, 12:30 p.m. PT, on CBS.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation, one of the fastest-growing outlets covering Penn State athletics. Part of the Full Ride network, we are an alumni-owned, community-operated, credentialed media outlet dedicated to providing you with updated and reliable insights for all your favorite Nittany Lion sports. Whether it’s Penn State football, basketball, wrestling, or anything in between, you can find it all on Basic Blues Nation!

Please follow us on our social channels, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and subscribe to our newsletter on Substack for breaking news and notifications. For feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on social media.