LOS ANGELES
Thirty-nine seconds. That is how long No. 2 Ohio State's night at the Coliseum took to tilt. On the second play from scrimmage, Jayden Maiava flipped a short throw out to freshman Trent Mosley, Mosley turned upfield, and 69 yards later USC led 7–0 — the first sentence of a 30–18 upset that stands as the biggest win of Lincoln Riley's tenure, on a rainy Halloween night in Los Angeles.
It never really tilted back. Ohio State answered drives with field goals — four of them — while USC kept finding the end zone: Waymond Jordan's 9-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter, a 54-yard field goal from Ryon Sayeri, and a 36-yarder from Chittenden on the final snap of the half for a 20–9 lead. Maiava finished 15 of 22 for 222 yards and the opening touchdown, and the Columbus Dispatch's count had 173 of those yards coming after the catch. Mosley caught five passes for 101 yards — a freshman announcing himself on the biggest stage USC has had this season.
Trent Mosley's 69-yard touchdown, 39 seconds into USC's upset of No. 2 Ohio State — watch the play on X.
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The third quarter ended it
Ohio State's best push of the second half died at the USC 32: Luke Fahey hit Isaiah West out of the backfield, Stephens forced the fumble, and Boucard recovered for the Trojans. Three plays later the game was functionally over — Maiava found Mark Bowman over the middle, and Bowman rumbled 70 yards, down to the Ohio State 3. King Miller punched it in from a yard out to make it 27–9. Miller closed with 78 yards and that score on 13 carries.
A record, inside a loss
Ohio State did not score a touchdown until 2:12 remained — and when it finally came, it made history anyway. Fahey's 1-yard toss to Jeremiah Smith was the 40th touchdown catch of Smith's career, breaking the Big Ten record of 39 set by Michigan's Braylon Edwards from 2001 to 2004. Smith had tied the mark two weeks earlier at Indiana; he finished this one with 10 catches for 83 yards, and his score was Ohio State's first touchdown at the Coliseum since 1949 (Columbus Dispatch). The two-point try failed, USC recovered the onside kick, and Chittenden's 32-yard field goal at 1:46 sealed the 30–18 final.
No Sayin, no margin
The Buckeyes played their first game without starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who is out indefinitely with an injury to his right throwing arm suffered at Indiana on Oct. 17; head coach Ryan Day said on Oct. 20 the program is planning as if Sayin may not return this season. True freshman Luke Fahey, making his first career start back home in Southern California, went 21 of 38 for 260 yards and the Smith touchdown, and Bo Jackson ran for 121 yards on 21 carries — but Ohio State also committed a season-high 11 penalties for 75 yards (Columbus Dispatch). On the road, field goals do not beat touchdowns.
Previously Staff’s read: For Riley, it is the signature win his USC tenure had been missing — the Associated Press called it the biggest of his time in Los Angeles. For Ohio State, a second loss rewrites the math: at 6–2, the Buckeyes likely have to win out to reach the College Football Playoff and the Big Ten championship game. And the top of the sport wobbled everywhere on Saturday — No. 1 Miami survived North Carolina 38–35 — but only one giant fell. USC, now 7–2, was the one still standing at the Coliseum.
Full Game Center — drive chart, complete stats and highlights: Ohio State at USC on Previously.
Sources · 5 sources
- ESPN / Associated Press — ESPN — USC stuns No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 (game recap and box score, event 401858509)
- The Columbus Dispatch — The Columbus Dispatch — Ohio State defense fails to stop USC's big plays
- 247Sports — 247Sports — Jeremiah Smith sets the Big Ten record for receiving touchdowns
- Eleven Warriors — Eleven Warriors — Ohio State loses to USC, 30-18
- The Columbus Dispatch — The Columbus Dispatch — What happened to Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin?
