USC didn’t just beat No. 2 Ohio State. The Trojans grabbed the Big Ten spotlight and shook up the College Football Playoff picture with a 30-18 win that will be remembered for one wild run in the rain at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
That run belonged to freshman tight end Mark Bowman, who turned the game into a highlight reel in one breathless sequence. He hurdled Ohio State safety Jaylen McClain, powered through tackle attempts from defensive backs Earl Little Jr. and Dominick Kelly, then surged into open space before stepping out at the 3-yard line.
He even finished the play by throwing a shoulder into linebacker Riley Pettijohn. The names of the defenders may fade, but the moment won’t.
USC’s victory pushed the Trojans to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten, putting them right back into the CFP conversation. It also gave Lincoln Riley his first win against a top-10 team at USC. Ohio State fell to 6-2 and 4-1 in conference play, and the Buckeyes did it with freshman quarterback Luke Fahey making his first start in place of Julian Sayin.
The Trojans wasted no time setting the tone after their ugly 24-7 loss at Wisconsin on Oct. 24.
On just their second play, freshman receiver Trent Mosley turned a screen into a 69-yard touchdown. Then Waymond Jordan added a 9-yard scoring run with 2:25 left in the first quarter, and USC was up 14-3.
Mosley kept rolling in the first half, finishing with five catches for 105 yards and a touchdown before intermission. USC took a 20-9 lead into halftime and kept the pressure on a Buckeyes team trying to adjust to life with a new quarterback.
Fahey, a true freshman from Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School, opened well enough.
He completed five of his first six passes, including four to Jeremiah Smith, whose biggest gain was 27 yards. But Ohio State kept settling for field goals from Connor Hawkins, and the offense never fully found its rhythm.
There was a chance for a different kind of turning point late in the first half. Fahey had a short touchdown run wiped out by review with 2:27 left before halftime, and USC answered with a goal-line stand. The Buckeyes could run the ball - Bo Jackson carried 21 times for 121 yards, and Isaiah West added 13 carries for 65 - but 204 rushing yards still wasn’t enough to carry the night.
The real swing came at the 7:47 mark of the third quarter. Fahey checked down to West, Desman Stephens II delivered the hit, and the ball popped loose into the arms of Floyd Boucard. Bowman’s hurdle came right after that, and the sequence set up King Miller’s 1-yard touchdown run that made it 27-9 heading into the fourth.
Ohio State finally found the end zone on a late drive, with Fahey hitting Smith for a 1-yard touchdown with 2:12 left. But USC answered by recovering an onside kick and adding a 32-yard field goal from Caden Chittenden.
Fahey finished 21 of 38 for 268 yards, but most of the production came when the Buckeyes were already chasing the game. Smith caught 10 passes for 83 yards, an average of 8.3 yards per catch. Without Sayin, this offense looked very different.
USC’s own passing game had enough help from the ground to open things up. Jayden Maiava completed 15 of 22 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown, while Miller ran 13 times for 78 yards and Jordan added 12 carries for 48. Bowman finished with three catches for 79 yards, and he and Mosley combined to average 22.5 yards per catch.
The schedule now gives USC a clear path to 10 wins. The Trojans have a bye before a cross-country trip to No.
4 Indiana. The Hoosiers edged Minnesota 23-16 in overtime and also have a bye week while sorting through an uncertain quarterback situation with Josh Hoover.
After that, USC returns home to play Maryland before finishing the regular season at No. 7 UCLA on Nov.
- A clean sweep would put the Trojans in the playoff.
Ohio State’s road gets tricky too. The Buckeyes face Oregon in Week 10, and the Ducks responded with a 34-26 win against Northwestern on Saturday.
Ohio State still has Northwestern on Nov. 14, Nebraska on Nov. 21 and Michigan on Nov. 28, with the trip to Lincoln, Neb., on the road.
The Buckeyes are still sitting with one conference loss, behind only UCLA in the Big Ten standings. But another defeat would drop them into the three-loss group, and that 24-23 loss to No.
11 Texas on Sept. 12 could become a major talking point. The Longhorns already know how that debate ends after losing 14-7 to Ohio State last year.
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For USC, the uncertainty does not stop there. Running back Shahn Alston and guard Hayden Treter are also among the players whose availability could affect how the Trojans piece together both sides of the ball, adding another layer of intrigue to a matchup that already carries plenty of weight as these programs meet for the first time as Big Ten opponents. [Read more 🡒]
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Arizona Has A Huge Week 9 Chance In The Big 12 Race
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For USC, the broader picture matters too, because the Trojans are part of a weekend packed with games that could alter the national conversation. Ohio States trip to USC is one of the marquee matchups on the board, and it lands in the same week as several other high-stakes contests that could change how the playoff field looks by Sunday. With injuries and recent form already shaping the stakes across the country, Week 9 has the feel of a checkpoint for contenders and a launch point for teams trying to climb. [Read more 🡒]