USC football is off to a great start against No. 4 Penn State. The Trojans grabbed the lead in the first quarter after running back Quinten Joyner took an end around, faked a pitch and blazed down the left sideline for a 75-yard touchdown run against the Nittany Lions.

One fan chimed in on social media, “Why isn't he RB1?”

Another Trojans fan couldn't quite enjoy the moment, “Wish the defense gotta bit more rest but they’re going to need to be dominant if we’re going to steal this game ✌🏾”

And another fan knew USC football's ground game was the key to this contest.

“Remember when I said Woody Marks would be the key to USC’s win over Penn State? Well, I was kind of wrong and kind of not. The Trojans’ running backs are playing well in the first half. Quinten Joyner has a 75-yard rushing touchdown and a 9-yard touchdown catch. Woody Marks has 65 rushing yards on six attempts.”

With 1:58 left in the second quarter, USC holds the 17-6 lead over Penn State.

USC football's first year in the Big Ten off to rocky start

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It's been an interesting start to the Trojans first season in the Big Ten. It all started great with a 27-20 win against LSU, but then USC football dropped two out of their first three conference games with a 27-24 loss to Michigan and 24-17 loss to Minnesota. Both contests were on the road.

A win against Penn State would be a good turnaround, but the Trojans are already way behind in the conference standings, sitting 15th out of 20. An upset against the Nittany Lions would also take some pressure off of Lincoln Riley, who's been increasingly on the hot seat, especially after USC's 8-5 record last year.

USC defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn must slow down Drew Allar and the Penn State offense to seal the victory.

“He has one of the strongest arms,” Lynn said. “He definitely has the strongest arm of anyone we’ve played so far, 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. He’s not a guy who’s just gonna sit 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.”

A USC win would improve their record to 4-2, 2-2 Big Ten.