Ohio State’s trip to Los Angeles ended with a harsh reality check.
The No. 2 Buckeyes left the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night with their first Big Ten loss, falling to USC 30-18 in a game that never really let them settle in. Ohio State spent much of the night chasing the scoreboard, and when it finally produced a late touchdown, the damage had already piled up.
USC set the tone almost immediately. On the Trojans’ first possession, Jayden Maiava hit Trent Green on a screen, and Green turned it into a 69-yard touchdown just 39 seconds into the game. Ohio State had a chance to answer after an interception by Luke Fahey was wiped away on review, but the Buckeyes still had to settle for Connor Hawkins’ 39-yard field goal.
That pattern kept repeating. Ohio State moved the ball often enough to create opportunities, but the drives kept ending short of the goal line.
Hawkins hit from 34 yards early in the second quarter, then from 23 after the Buckeyes recovered a King Miller fumble with 5:55 left in the half. In between, USC kept answering, including Ryon Sayeri’s 54-yard field goal and Caden Chittenden’s 36-yarder at the end of the half.
By intermission, Ohio State was down 20-9.
The third quarter brought the game’s biggest swing. After Ohio State went three-and-out to open the half, Fahey had a pass tipped and intercepted by Floyd Boucard.
USC quickly capitalized, with Maiava finding Mark Bowman for a 70-yard gain before Miller punched in a 1-yard touchdown two plays later. That pushed the Trojans ahead 27-9 with 6:11 left in the quarter.
Ohio State still had one historic moment left. With 2:12 remaining, Fahey found Jeremiah Smith for a 1-yard touchdown pass. The catch gave Smith the Big Ten’s all-time lead in touchdown receptions and trimmed USC’s lead to 27-18 after the two-point try failed.
Smith finished with 10 catches for 83 yards and the score. Fahey, making his first collegiate start, went 21 of 38 for 260 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Bo Jackson led the ground game with 121 yards on 21 carries, while Isaiah West added 65 yards on 13 attempts.
But the Buckeyes never got close enough to truly flip the night. Hawkins added a 47-yard field goal with 14:56 left, his fourth of the game, and USC answered with Chittenden’s 32-yard kick with 1:46 remaining to seal it at 30-18.
Ohio State came into the game having won five straight and unbeaten in Big Ten play. It left with a loss, a pile of stalled drives, and a conference title chase that took a major hit.
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Ohio States Bigger Problem In Los Angeles Was Never The Freshman QB
Ohio States trip to Los Angeles quickly became less about a true freshman quarterback making his first real imprint and more about a team that kept tripping over its own mistakes. Luke Fahey did enough to keep the offense moving in the first half, completing 8 of 15 passes for 86 yards, and the coaching staff clearly trusted him to handle the job despite his inexperience. But by halftime, USC had built a 20-6 lead, and the bigger issues were showing up everywhere else.
Missed tackles, penalties, special teams problems and defensive miscommunications all helped put Ohio State in a hole before the game could settle in. Fahey was not the reason the Buckeyes were chasing the scoreboard, and the way the first half unfolded made that plain. The more pressing concern for Ohio State was how many different areas were breaking down at once, leaving the freshman quarterback to absorb blame he never really owned. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Bigger Problem Than One Road Loss
A road loss in Los Angeles already had Ohio State dealing with the usual fallout from a stumble away from home, but the bigger issue was how USC controlled the game from start to finish. The Trojans held the No. 2 Buckeyes to one touchdown, and Ohio State never found much rhythm with backup quarterback Luke Fahey under constant pressure from a USC defense that stacked up tackles for loss and sacks.
The Buckeyes also had no answer for the explosive play that tilted the night, with Mark Bowman ripping off a 70-yard catch-and-run that helped put USC in position to finish the job. It was a statement win for Lincoln Riley, his first top-five victory with the Trojans, and for Ohio State it leaves a lot more to sort through than just the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Added More Fuel To Ohio States Ugly Night
USCs 30-18 win over Ohio State was already the kind of result that left a mark, but Lincoln Riley added another layer to the night in the aftermath. In his postgame press conference, the Trojans coach leaned into the idea that the satisfaction came from inside the building, not from outside approval, a fitting tone after a victory that sent Ohio State back to Columbus with plenty to sort through.
The scene around the tunnel at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was less polished. Riley and his family ran into a bottleneck on the way out, and the moment escalated into a verbal exchange in which Riley reportedly directed profanity at Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork and other staff members. Former Buckeye Maurice Clarett stepped in to try to calm things down, a reminder that even after the final whistle, the emotions from a game like this can linger well beyond the field. [Read more 🡒]