USC Beats No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 at the Coliseum as the Buckeyes Fall to 6-2
USC scored on the second play and never trailed, beating No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 in Los Angeles and dropping the Buckeyes to 6-2.
USC beat No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 on Saturday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, handing the Buckeyes their second loss of the season and leaving them at 6-2 with four games left.
The Trojans scored on the second play of the game, when Trent Mosley turned a screen pass into a 69-yard touchdown. Mosley then returned a punt 44 yards in the first quarter, and a late hit out of bounds gave USC the ball at the 32-yard line. Waymond Jordan scored on a 9-yard run four plays later. USC led 14-3 after the first quarter and 20-9 at halftime.
Ohio State settled for field goals
Ohio State moved the ball but scored only one touchdown until the final minutes. True freshman Luke Fahey, making his first college start with Julian Sayin out of the lineup, completed 21 of 38 passes for 260 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. The Buckeyes reached first-and-goal inside the 1-yard line late in the second quarter and settled for a field goal after a run for no gain, a false start and two incomplete passes.
Ohio State’s defense allowed 30 points in a game for the first time since its 32-31 loss to Oregon in 2024. In the third quarter, Mark Bowman turned a catch over the middle into a 70-yard gain to the 2-yard line, and King Miller ran for a 1-yard touchdown two plays later to make it 27-9.
A late touchdown and a record
Ohio State finally scored its first touchdown with 2:12 left, when Fahey found Jeremiah Smith for a 1-yard touchdown. It was Smith’s 40th touchdown catch at Ohio State, breaking Braylon Edwards’ record for the most touchdown catches in Big Ten history. Fahey’s two-point conversion pass fell incomplete, USC recovered the onside kick, and Caden Chittenden kicked a 32-yard field goal with 1:46 left to set the final score.
The loss dropped Ohio State to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes host Oregon next, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. at Ohio Stadium and CBS televising the game. USC held Ohio State to one touchdown until the final minutes despite Ohio State gaining 464 total yards to USC’s 338.
Reporting based on coverage by Eleven Warriors.
