PENN STATE VS. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

OFFENSE

Penn State: 6-2, 235-pound Daryll Clark at times can still look like a fullback impersonating a quarterback, but it's hard to argue with the numbers he has put up in his first season as a starter. He has accounted for 26 touchdowns overall, 17 coming through the air (with only four interceptions) and nine more on the ground.

USC: At 6-3 and 225 pounds, junior Mark Sanchez has the size, poise and arm of a future NFL star. He's 13-2 as a starter, going 2-1 as a fill-in for the injured John David Booty last season. Accurate (64.4 completion percentage), unflappable in the pocket and surrounded by talented skill-position helpers, he has thrown at least one TD pass in each game he has started.

Advantage: USC

RUNNING BACK

Penn State: Sophomore Evan Royster rushed for 1,202 yards, (6.5 yards per carry) and scored 12 touchdowns. Big and sturdy at 6-1, 211 pounds to pound between the tackles, and elusive enough to break the occasional long-gainer. Backup Stephfon Green, a redshirt freshman who gained 521 yards on 95 carries and scored four TDs, will get his touches.

USC: The Trojans list Joe McKnight, Stafon Johnson and C.J. Gable as starters, although only one gets to be on the field for the first snap. Johnson is the biggest and busiest with 123 carries for 642 yards and nine touchdowns, but keep an eye on McKnight, who leads the team with 646 yards and a 7.7-yard average.

Advantage: USC

RECEIVER

Penn State: Last go-round for seniors Deon Butler, Derrick Williams and Jordan Norwood, who have combined for 121 catches, 1,769 and 15 touchdowns this season. "They're fast, they run precise routes and their timing is excellent," USC safety Taylor Mays said of the Lions' veteran wideouts.

USC: Look for 6-5, 220-pound senior wide receiver Patrick Turner to be Sanchez' preferred target on fade routes in the red zone, where he routinely outjumped smaller defenders en route to a team-high 10 touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore Damian Williams, a transfer from Arkansas, had a team-high 48 receptions and eight TDs.

Advantage: Even

OFFENSIVE LINE

Penn State: Rimington Award-winning center A.Q. Shipley, left tackle Gerald Cadogan and left guard Rich Ohrnberger are seniors who have started every game this season and are the nucleus of the Lions' best O-line in more than a decade.

USC: Sometimes he's at left guard, sometimes at center, but undersized Jeff Byers - if a 6-4, 285-pounder can be regarded as undersized - is an All-America who helps keep Sanchez' jersey clean as well as opening running lane for McKnight, Johnson and Gable. Center Kristofer O'Dowd is no slouch, either.

Advantage: Penn State

DEFENSE