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The Helium Boys, Shotgun Spratling and Chris Trevino, are back behind the microphones to break down the Trojans improving to 6-1 with a 31-23 road win in front of a raucous crowd at Penn State's Beaver Stadium. They break down the game and the incredible environment the entire 'White Out' weekend in Pennsylvania.
The podcasting duo opens with the Two-Minute Drill where Chris unveils the top five games he's covered on the USC football beat while Shotgun talks about the incredible environment in State College for the USC fans that made the trip to support the Trojans.
The boys of Helium jump into listener comments before breaking down the Trojans' victory, which featured clean play and USC showing an ability to get out of its own way. That includes avoiding penalties on the offensive line despite starting true freshman Vlad Dyakonov at left tackle in one of the craziest environments in college football. They also discuss a different form of fan participation from last week as fans were chanting Lincoln Riley's name in a positive manner rather than negatively. Chris and Shotgun also discuss wide receiver success with the Trojans using receivers more frequently as they tried to spread out the Penn State defense. Gary Patterson also unveiled a new defensive package as USC won the red zone battle with Penn State, which proved to play a huge factor in the final outcome.
They also discuss the post-game celebration from the fans, the players with the band and Riley soaking it all in after a tough fought victory. Shotgun notes how the Trojans were able to defeat all the variables that have hampered Riley's USC teams in the past.
After a break, the Helium Boys look at the negatives in the Stock Down segment with Terrell Anderson making the list after it was reported he will be out for the season. There is still concern defensively after the Trojans allowed Penn State to convert 5-of-5 fourth-down attempts with the USC pass rush and cornerbacks not playing up to their full potential.
To close out the show, Shotgun takes on Trevino's Take It or Leave It segment before an Overtime period of Chris getting Shotgun to choose a Lincoln Riley album name.

Next listen
Foley and Arledge - The Trojan Truth on USC's White Out success
Listen guide
"Helium Boys: USC mutes Penn State White Out, Vlad Dyakonov and Lincoln Riley albums" is an episode of Peristyle Podcast - USC Trojan Football Discussion. Runtime 1 hr 57 min. Published October 13, 2026. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.