USC Stuns No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 for Lincoln Riley's Biggest Win
USC delivered the biggest win of the Lincoln Riley era on Saturday night. At the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Trojans beat second-ranked Ohio State 30-18. Freshman Trent Mosley opened the night with a 69-yard touchdown on the second play of the game, Jayden Maiava threw for 222 yards, and the defence did not allow a touchdown for 57 minutes against a Buckeyes team without its starting quarterback.
A lightning start at the Coliseum
USC needed only two plays to set the tone. On the Trojans' second snap, Jayden Maiava threw a short pass behind the line of scrimmage to Trent Mosley. The first-year receiver raced through the Buckeyes' defence and into the end zone: 69 yards, 7-0 less than a minute into the game. It was the sixth touchdown of a freshman season that was already turning heads.
Ohio State answered with a 39-yard field goal, but Mosley made the difference again in the first quarter. On a Buckeyes punt, he returned the ball 44 yards, and an Ohio State personal foul added 15 more. A few plays later, after an 18-yard catch by Mosley, Waymond Jordan finished the drive with a 9-yard run. USC led 14-3 after the first quarter.
The second quarter came down to the kickers. The two teams traded field goals: two for Ohio State, from 34 and 23 yards, and two for USC, from 54 yards and then 36 yards just before the break. The Trojans led 20-9 at halftime, a margin few would have predicted against one of the best defences in the country.
Ohio State without Sayin, without answers
The context weighed heavily on the Buckeyes. Starting quarterback Julian Sayin was injured in the 19-15 win at Indiana on Oct. 17, and Ryan Day had to hand the offence to Luke Fahey, a freshman quarterback from Orange County, just down the road from Los Angeles. It was the first start of his career.
Fahey did not lack courage. He threw for 260 yards, completing 21 of 38 passes, and made several big throws. But his offence often stalled near the end zone. Ohio State had to settle for four field goals, including a 47-yarder at the start of the fourth quarter, and did not reach the end zone until just over two minutes remained.
The numbers sum up the paradox. Ohio State gained 464 yards and held the ball for nearly 40 minutes, against barely more than 20 for USC. But the Buckeyes scored only one touchdown. USC did more with far less: just 338 yards, but decisive plays at the right moments.
The knockout blow in the third quarter
After the break, USC struck again. King Miller capped a drive with a 1-yard run, and the Trojans pushed the score to 27-9 in the third quarter. For an offence that had scored only seven points a week earlier in a 24-7 loss at Wisconsin, the transformation was striking.
Ohio State tried to come back. Fahey finally found Jeremiah Smith for a 1-yard touchdown with 2:12 left, but the two-point conversion failed. The Buckeyes then tried an onside kick. USC recovered and returned it into field-goal range, allowing the Trojans to add three points with 1:46 to play. Final score: 30-18.
Maiava finished 15 of 23 for 222 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. Mosley ended with five catches for 101 yards. And USC's defence kept Ohio State out of the end zone for 57 minutes.
A win that changes USC's season
A week ago, USC's season seemed to be on the brink after the loss at Wisconsin. A week later, the Trojans are 7-2, 4-2 in the Big Ten, with the most important win of the Lincoln Riley era. Hired away from Oklahoma in late 2021, the coach had long been chasing a result of this calibre at the Coliseum.
The rest of the schedule remains demanding. USC visits defending national champion Indiana on Nov. 14. But with an efficient quarterback, a first-year receiver capable of swinging a game and a defence that held up against one of the best teams in the country, the Trojans have reason to believe in their finish.
For Ohio State (6-2, 4-1), the loss hurts, but it does not close the door. Sayin's absence explains part of the offensive struggles, but the Buckeyes' defence, usually so solid, gave up too many big plays. The Buckeyes remain in the playoff race, as long as they respond quickly.
