A week ago, Ohio State’s trip to USC looked like the game that could demand points in bunches.
A freshman quarterback making his first career start. A cross-country trip.
A night game on Halloween in the Coliseum. And a USC offense that had been putting up video-game numbers all season.
On paper, it felt like the kind of matchup where the Buckeyes might have to crack 30 just to stay in the fight.
Then Wisconsin happened.
The Badgers held USC to seven points in a 24-7 win Saturday night, and that result changed the conversation around Ohio State’s toughest remaining game. USC came into Madison averaging 36.4 points and 462.4 yards per game, while leading the country in first downs.
Jayden Maiava was pacing the Big Ten with 292.1 passing yards per game and had only thrown three interceptions on 224 attempts. Even the Trojans’ offensive line was on the Joe Moore Award midseason watch list.
None of that carried over to Madison.
USC managed just 241 total yards, its fewest under Lincoln Riley. The Trojans did not produce a single play of 20 yards or more.
They went 1-for-3 in the red zone, and four drives stalled in Wisconsin territory without points. Maiava finished 31 of 50 for 258 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
One of those picks led to Wisconsin’s first points from the USC 18. He was sacked five times and was called for intentional grounding twice.
The ground game was even worse. USC finished with -17 rushing yards on 25 carries, and even after removing the 57 yards lost on sacks, the Trojans’ backs never got going. Riley didn’t disguise how ugly it was afterward: “We flat-out didn’t play good enough on any of the three sides of the ball.”
To make the point even sharper, Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph threw for only 58 yards and still watched his team win by 17.
So where does that leave Ohio State?
The short version: the Buckeyes no longer need to worry about a USC shootout. The longer version: Wisconsin may have handed everyone a working plan.
Stop the run, force USC into obvious passing downs, and get after Maiava. Once the Trojans were behind schedule, their offense lost its rhythm.
That setup plays right into Ohio State’s defense. Over the last three games, the Buckeyes held Iowa to 39 rushing yards, Maryland to 82 and Indiana to 73.
Indiana entered that game averaging 221 rushing yards per contest. If Ohio State can choke off USC on the ground the way Wisconsin did, Maiava could be staring at the same third-and-long situations that produced those five sacks.
The piece Ohio State still has to prove is the pass rush. The Buckeyes haven’t consistently gotten home this season, and Wisconsin showed how much pressure can throw Maiava off.
Ryan Day expects most of his injured defenders back, likely including Kenyatta Jackson Jr. If he and the rest of the edge rushers can win some one-on-one battles on third down, Ohio State has a real chance to take control on defense.
That changes the script for the offense, too. What once looked like a game where a true freshman quarterback might have to chase points now feels more like the Indiana matchup: physical, lower scoring, and shaped by whether Ohio State’s defense can carry the load while the offense stays clean.
That’s a far better setup for Luke Fahey, or whoever gets the start. USC’s defense is giving up 25 points per game, so there should still be room to move the ball. If Ohio State can run it with Bo Jackson and Isaiah West, get Jeremiah Smith involved on quick throws, and protect the football, it won’t need to hang 35 on the board.
The caution flag is obvious, though. USC returns home Saturday night desperate for a win, sitting at 6-2, outside the AP top 25, and with its playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
That’s a volatile mix, especially for a young quarterback making his first start. The Trojans will come after him early, and the Coliseum crowd will be loud.
Ohio State’s trip to USC still looks like the hardest game left on the schedule. But Wisconsin just showed that the Trojans can be slowed down, and the Buckeyes have the kind of defense that can make that blueprint work even better.
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Carson Hinzman Suddenly Holds The Key To Ohio States Offense
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The plan now is to trim things down and make life easier for Fahey, with a simpler playbook built around quick throws and a heavier dose of the run game. In that setup, Hinzman becomes more than just a blocker in the middle - he is one of the players most responsible for making sure the offense gets lined up properly and stays on schedule while Ohio State tries to adjust on the fly. [Read more 🡒]