Beavers’ Riley isn’t beyond comparing

USC and Penn State have much in common.

Each is 11-1 and a conference champion. Each is productive offensively, stingy defensively.

But there is one difference:

Penn State beat Oregon State. USC did not.

Still, Oregon State Coach Mike Riley said of the Rose Bowl matchup between the fifth-ranked Trojans and sixth-ranked Nittany Lions, “I think it’s awesome. At one point during the year I thought that would be a great national championship game.”

It probably would have been if Penn State hadn’t stumbled in a one-point loss at Iowa and the Trojans hadn’t lost their defensive identity in one forgettable first half at Corvallis, Ore.

“We go through that tape once in a while just to remind our kids that you don’t take anybody lightly,” USC defensive coordinator Nick Holt said Monday.

Penn State also studied that game to see why the Trojans struggled so mightily against a team the Nittany Lions manhandled.

Penn State routed Oregon State, 45-14, in early September at State College, Pa., in the second game of the season for both teams.

Nearly three weeks later, Oregon State knocked off then-No. 1-ranked USC, 27-21, at Reser Stadium.

“It’s not always who you play, it’s when you play them,” said Riley, whose team will take an 8-4 record into Wednesday’s Sun Bowl game against Pittsburgh.

Riley declined to predict a Rose Bowl winner during a recent phone interview but recounted his team’s games against Penn State and USC and talked of the challenges Penn State presents the Trojans.

When the Beavers traveled to Happy Valley, they were coming off a season-opening loss at Stanford.

Penn State, playing in front of more than 108,000, jumped to a 35-7 halftime lead and cruised to the 31-point victory.

Nittany Lions running back Evan Royster rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback Daryll Clark passed and ran for 276 yards and two touchdowns. Penn State held Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers to 99 yards.

“We were kind of overwhelmed by the whole Penn State experience,” Riley said.

Oregon State rebounded from its loss to the Big Ten Conference opponent by routing Hawaii and then taking advantage of an open date before playing USC.

The Trojans were coming off their own Big Ten experience. They had routed Ohio State in their Coliseum opener and then traveled to Corvallis, where they lost in 2006 and narrowly escaped with a victory in 2004.

The Beavers, on national television, proceeded to knock the Trojans off the line of scrimmage, allowing the smallish Rodgers to dart, spin and sprint his way into the secondary. Oregon State took a 21-0 halftime lead and held off a second-half Trojans rally for the victory.

Rodgers ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns.

“Field position favored the Beavers all day long,” Riley said. “Defensively, we were on top of our game. It was just one of those days. It was a really good start at our home field and we just kept playing.”

USC came back from the loss to the Beavers to win nine games in a row and finish No. 1 nationally in total defense, scoring defense and passing defense.

The Nittany Lions, No. 5 in total defense, won their first nine games before losing at Iowa.

They finished with victories over Indiana and Michigan State.

“Penn State is like a machine of a defense,” Riley said. “They have that system and have been coaching it forever. It’s almost robotic.”

Riley said Clark’s mobility and Royster’s power running make for a tough combination to defend.

“This is a Penn State offense with good speed,” Riley said. “The challenge for USC’s defense, with the power running and the speed and the athletic quarterback, is interesting.”

Penn State’s quarterback does not expect the same USC performance he studied against Oregon State.

“That was earlier in the year,” Clark said. “They’re a different team.”

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gary.klein@latimes.com