USC gets a second straight chance to steady itself after last weekend’s collapse, and the assignment is as tough as it gets: No. 2 Ohio State comes to town Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on NBC.
The Trojans are 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten, but their loss to unranked Wisconsin did more than just ding the record. It knocked USC out of the AP Top 25 and stirred fresh doubts about whether Lincoln Riley is the right coach for the job. Now the Trojans need a response that looks less like a one-off stumble and more like a team capable of repairing its reputation quickly.
Ohio State arrives at 6-1 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten play, one of only two unbeaten teams left in the conference along with No. 7 UCLA. The Buckeyes are trying to keep that zero intact and move closer to an automatic CFP berth.
The injury list shapes plenty of the conversation on both sidelines. USC is without WR Terrell Anderson, WR Corey Simms, S Kendarius Reddick, LB Taylor “Taybo” Johnson, LB Roman Marchetti, OL Kilian O’Connor and OL Hayden Treter. The Trojans also have four players questionable: DT Jahkeem Stewart, TE Mark Bowman, RB Shahn Alston and DT Jamaal Jarrett.
Ohio State is dealing with its own long list of absences, including S Leroy Roker III, QB Julian Sayin, WR Brock Boyd, S Brenten “Inky” Jones, RB Ja’Kobi Jackson, S Deshawn Stewart, WR Amari Valerio-Hudson, LB Eli Lee, OL Jaxon Powell and TE Maxence LeBlanc. WR Brandon Inniss and CB Jay Timmons are questionable.
On paper, the edge goes to Ohio State. The Buckeyes’ only loss came against No.
4 Texas, and otherwise they’ve been bludgeoning opponents by nearly 26 points per game. USC has talent, but the Trojans’ core is still young compared with what Ohio State brings to the matchup.
One of the biggest tests will come through the air, where USC’s secondary has to deal with Buckeyes star receiver Jeremiah Smith. The Trojans have been vulnerable in pass coverage, allowing 8.1 yards per completion, and this is the kind of spotlight game that can expose that weakness quickly. Safety Prophet Brown is expected to help over the top and join in double coverage on Smith.
If USC is going to pull the upset, the first fix has to be at the line of scrimmage. The Trojans need to clean up what went wrong against Wisconsin and take away the run.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day still hasn’t announced his starting quarterback with Julian Sayin out, and whether it’s freshman Luke Fahey from Mission Viejo High or sophomore Tavien St. Clair, it would be his first college start.
That points toward a Buckeyes game plan built around the ground game to make life easier for the inexperienced quarterback.
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