LOS ANGELES — USC opened Halloween night with a 69-yard touchdown, never trailed and sent No. 2 Ohio State into a major rankings fall with a 30–18 upset at the rain-soaked Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Jayden Maiava passed for 222 yards and a touchdown, while freshman receiver Trent Mosley turned the second play from scrimmage into the game’s defining moment. USC’s defense kept Ohio State out of the end zone for nearly 58 minutes, giving coach Lincoln Riley the biggest victory of his five-season tenure with the Trojans.
USC struck before Ohio State could settle in
Mosley caught a short pass behind the line of scrimmage, found open space and sprinted 69 yards for a touchdown just 39 seconds after kickoff. He finished with five receptions for 101 yards and 145 all-purpose yards.
The opening score immediately changed the pressure on Ohio State freshman quarterback Luke Fahey, who was making his first college start in place of injured starter Julian Sayin. The Buckeyes moved the ball at times, but repeatedly settled for field goals as USC built a 20–9 halftime lead.
Waymond Jordan added a 9-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter, and King Miller’s 1-yard score extended USC’s advantage to 27–9 in the third. The official USC box score confirms the Trojans led from Mosley’s opening strike through the final whistle.
Ohio State moved the ball but could not finish
Ohio State accumulated 464 total yards, but its first four scoring drives ended with Connor Hawkins field goals. One of those possessions reached first-and-goal at USC’s 1-yard line before the Trojans forced another kick.
Fahey completed 21 of 38 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown. Jeremiah Smith caught 10 passes for 83 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown with 2:12 remaining, but the score came too late to create a realistic comeback. USC recovered the ensuing onside kick and added a final field goal.
The Ohio State scoring summary shows how often the Buckeyes stalled: three first-half field goals produced only nine points despite multiple extended drives.
A result that changes the national picture
USC improved to 7–2 overall and 4–2 in Big Ten play, rebounding one week after a damaging 24–7 loss at Wisconsin. The Trojans scored more points than Ohio State’s defense had allowed in its previous 31 games, according to the Associated Press game report.
Ohio State fell to 6–2 and 4–1 in the conference. It was the Buckeyes’ second loss to an unranked opponent under Ryan Day and the first time since 2011 that they had suffered two defeats this early in a season.
The result guarantees significant movement near the top of the rankings. An Associated Press Top 25 analysis noted that a No. 1 or No. 2 team has now lost to an unranked opponent in four consecutive weeks.
Mosley supplied the spark USC needed
The freshman’s opening touchdown broke the longest play Ohio State had allowed all season. More importantly, it gave USC confidence after a difficult week and forced the Buckeyes to chase the game from the opening minute.
Maiava completed 15 of 22 passes and avoided the mistakes that could have returned momentum to Ohio State. USC’s rushing touchdowns, special-teams field goals and red-zone defense turned a promising start into a complete upset.
What comes next
USC has a bye before visiting No. 4 Indiana on November 14. Ohio State returns home to face Oregon next Saturday in a game that now carries even greater playoff consequences.
Saturday’s outcome does not automatically eliminate either team from postseason contention. But USC has the signature win it had been missing, while Ohio State must recover from the season’s most consequential upset.
Sources
- Associated Press: USC stuns No. 2 Ohio State
- Reuters: College football Top 25 roundup
- USC Athletics: Official box score
- Ohio State Athletics: Official box score
