USC spent the week before its showdown with then-No. 2 Ohio State carrying plenty of baggage.
The Trojans were coming off a rough road loss at Wisconsin, their second defeat of the season, and Lincoln Riley’s job security beyond Halloween was being openly questioned. They needed a response, and they got one fast.
Freshman receiver Trent Mosley set the tone on the second play of the game, turning a screen pass into a 69-yard touchdown. That early strike helped USC seize control in a 30-18 upset that looked and felt like a statement win.
"It's a point we stress all week and all year really to start off fast," Mosley said in an exclusive interview with USC reporter Keely Eure. "Great call by coach Riley and executed well and we were able to go block it up and go score."
The result mattered beyond the scoreboard. Since entering the Big Ten in 2024, USC has been trying to shed the “soft West Coast team” label, and against one of the conference’s top programs, the Trojans looked like the more physical team on both sides of the ball. It was the biggest win of the Riley era, and it arrived at exactly the right moment.
That urgency has been a theme for USC because of the way its season has unfolded. The Trojans played in Week 0, giving them the advantage of two bye weeks.
The pattern after the first one was hard to ignore: USC came out of an emotional road win over Penn State in front of a record crowd of 114,419, then followed it with its worst offensive performance under Riley. All three phases struggled in a 24-7 loss to Wisconsin.
Now the Trojans are trying to avoid a similar letdown after the second bye. Their next test is a major one, as they travel to Indiana on Nov. 14 to face the defending national champions. Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers have lost only once at home since he took over in 2024, which makes this one of USC’s toughest road assignments since joining the conference.
Riley has said repeatedly during the break that this bye week has looked different from the first. Whether that change shows up on the field will be answered next Saturday.
"This is a time where it is time to recover, but you also have to balance the work," Mosley said.
The path ahead is clear enough. USC enters week 10 with two top-10 teams on the schedule, and if the Trojans are going to make their first College Football Playoff, they’ll have to get through Indiana and crosstown rival UCLA.
"Our mindset, our mentality and the talent we have on this team can take us far as we want," Mosley said. "I think when we put it together and play together on all sides, we’re a real good football team."
Riley thought the Penn State win could spark a run. The Ohio State upset raised the stakes even higher. Whether it pushes USC to a new level in the Riley era is now the next question.
"We have expectations to be the best," Mosley said. So every day we come out here and we give it our all.
In Other News...
Indiana Fan Who Missed $1 Million Kick Had A Wild Next Move
Jackson Stallings turned a rough moment on ESPNs College GameDay into something very Indiana in a hurry. The student was on the spot for two 33-yard field goals that carried a $1 million prize, and both kicks sailed wide before the Hoosiers game against Minnesota. With Pat McAfee involved in the scene and the spotlight fixed squarely on campus, it was the kind of public miss that can linger for a while.
Instead, Stallings took the attention and pushed it somewhere unexpected, posting a viral LinkedIn message that framed the experience through business lessons. For a fan base used to seeing the football program under a microscope, it was a reminder that the days most memorable moment did not end with the kicks themselves. The bigger curiosity now is how far that post travels, and whether the miss ends up being remembered more for the money left on the table or the way Stallings handled it afterward. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Suddenly Has A Quarterback Problem It Cant Ignore
Josh Hoovers early exit against Minnesota turned a routine injury update into something more complicated for Indiana. The backup, Grant Wilson, stepped in and helped guide the Hoosiers to a win after Hoover did not return for the second half, giving the staff a live look at how the offense might function if the depth chart has to change.
Curt Cignetti said the possibility of a quarterback switch was discussed, which only adds to the pressure around Hoovers status moving forward. Indiana stuck with him for now, but with injury concerns and uneven play both in the picture, the Hoosiers are suddenly facing a decision they cant put off for long. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas New-Look Rotation Just Raised A Bigger Question For Next Week
Indianas second game of the season offered a clearer look at how much this roster can change from night to night, and the early returns were encouraging. In a 92-69 win over Bellarmine, Duke transfer Darren Harris delivered a career-high 23 points, while Villanova transfer Bryce Lindsay added 15 points and four assists off the bench, giving the Hoosiers a burst of scoring and playmaking from two newcomers who are already carving out roles.
Even with the offense rolling, coach Darian DeVries spent part of the night pointing to defensive lapses that still need cleaning up before the schedule stiffens. Indiana has enough depth to keep experimenting with lineups and roles, but next week will offer a better test of whether this new-look rotation can hold up when the margin for error gets smaller. [Read more 🡒]