Penn State Fans Outraged by Officials' 'Horrible' TD-Erasing Call Amid Struggles vs. USC

For a short while, things looked good for Penn State in their debut game as the No. 4 team in the nation, facing USC on the road in Los Angeles. After forcing a Trojans punt to open the game, the Nittany Lions marched down the field to the USC 4-yard line, where they set up for a first-and-goal situation.

PSU ran three plays to gain two yards, but coach James Franklin opted to try for the touchdown on fourth-and-2. And it looked like he got it, as receiver Tyler Warren caught a quick slant on the right side from quarterback Drew Allar.

Except the officials did not quite see things that way. On the play, receiver Julian Fleming was whistled for a pass interference, as it was determined that he had picked defensive back Jaylin Smith illegally.

Penn State was moved back 15 yards and kicked a field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 17.

The problem that many had with the play was that it was not Fleming who initiated the contact. Replays showed clearly that it was Smith who reached out and put his hands on Fleming.

According to Section 6 of the the NCAA's 2023 rule book, "On a pick play, it is not offensive pass interference if the defensive player is blocking the offensive player when the pick occurs." That's the wrinkle in the rule that Penn State fans are pointing out.

However, the rules are murky. Yes, Smith initiated contact, but Fleming then proceeded to block Smith downfield before the ball was thrown. Thus, he appeared to be in violation of a Section 5 rule, noting that it is offensive pass interference when a receiver is: "Blocking downfield during a pass that legally crosses the line of scrimmage."

In the end, it could be a moot point. As much as erasing that touchdown might have thrown off Penn State to open the game, USC piled on the punishment from there, taking a 20-6 lead into halftime.