Just two weeks before USC is set to welcome Ohio State to the Coliseum on Halloween weekend, the Trojans’ showdown with the Buckeyes has taken on a different look. Ohio State will likely be without starting quarterback Julian Sayin after he was injured late in Saturday’s top-five matchup against No. 5 Indiana.
Sayin went down on a fourth-quarter sack and did not return. Indiana’s Mario Landino brought him down in the decisive period, and Sayin was taken back to the Buckeyes’ locker room by the training staff with his right throwing arm dangling at his side. He later came back to the sideline wearing an arm sling on his right shoulder.
Freshman Luke Fahey took over from there and finished the game, but he only attempted two passes and both were incomplete.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day later said Sayin will miss multiple weeks because of the injury to his right throwing shoulder, which puts Fahey in line to make his first career start against USC.
Fahey, a former four-star recruit from Mission Viejo, Calif., has already seen limited action in mop-up duty this season. Against Ball State and Kent State, he completed a little over 80 percent of his passes and threw two touchdowns and two interceptions. With those Golden State ties, it’s likely that a number of his friends and family will be in the building when he faces the Trojans.
Ohio State gets a bye week after its 19-15 win over Indiana, and that extra time should give Day a chance to get Fahey ready before the trip to Los Angeles. It will be the Buckeyes’ first game in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 2008.
USC still has to clear one hurdle first, though. The Trojans head to Wisconsin next week before coming home for Ohio State, and a road win in Madison would only sharpen the momentum they carry into Halloween.
The quarterback change also gives USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson a new wrinkle to attack. If the Trojans can get pressure on Fahey, that could also help keep Ohio State star receiver Jeremiah Smith from taking over the game. And if Day leans on the Buckeyes’ strong running game, USC will need to hold up there too.
That all sets up a major test for the Trojans, who have the toughest opponent left on their schedule. Sayin’s injury changes the conversation, but the question remains: can USC upset an AP Top five team at home? The Trojans have never done that under Riley, and Halloween offers them a chance to change it.
A win over Ohio State could also reshape the bigger picture for USC and push the Trojans into the College Football Playoff conversation.
In Other News...
Ohio State Now Faces A Huge Offensive Reset After Indiana
Ohio State left Bloomington with a 19-15 win that snapped Indianas 22-game home unbeaten streak, but the bigger takeaway for the Buckeyes was what happened to Julian Sayin. The quarterback left with an injury and is expected to miss several weeks, which immediately shifts the focus from a gritty road result to how Ohio State manages the offense moving forward.
Luke Fahey is set to start in Sayins place, giving the Buckeyes a fresh look at the games most important position at a critical point in the season. Even with the offense now in flux, Ohio State can point to its defense and special teams as stabilizing forces after the trip to Indiana, but the real question is how quickly the next quarterback can settle in and keep the whole operation on track. [Read more 🡒]
Carnell Tate Is Finally Giving Ohio State Fans A Reason To Watch
Carnell Tate is starting to give Ohio State fans a fresh reason to keep one eye on the NFL scoreboard. The former Buckeyes receiver put together a notable showing for the Tennessee Titans in their first win against the Indianapolis Colts, finishing with six catches for 70 yards and his first NFL touchdown. It was the kind of performance that reminded everyone why he was such an intriguing pro prospect in the first place.
Tate has already shown the range of what his rookie season could look like, following a strong outing against the Baltimore Ravens with a quieter game against the Houston Texans. Even so, he remains near the top of the early award conversation, with Kalshi listing him second in the odds for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. For Ohio State, it is the kind of development worth tracking closely, even if the full answer to just how high his ceiling really is still has time to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States New Quarterback Just Took An Unexpected Path Here
Luke Fahey arrived in Columbus with the profile of a developmental quarterback, a three-star freshman from California who was expected to work his way in behind the veterans. Instead, the Mission Viejo product has moved himself into the conversation far sooner than anyone likely planned, turning a quiet August into a meaningful opportunity for a player who piled up more than 7,000 passing yards in high school and committed to Ohio State in 2025.
What has stood out inside the program is how quickly Fahey climbed during preseason camp, enough to earn the trust of teammates and coaches and force his way up the depth chart. For Ohio State, the bigger picture now is less about where he started and more about how ready he looks in the moment, with a freshman who was once viewed as a depth piece suddenly carrying real weight in the quarterback room. [Read more 🡒]