USC Trojans upset No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 in rain-soaked Los Angeles
A 69-yard touchdown run by freshman Trent Mosley sparked a rally that snapped the Buckeyes' recent dominance over the Trojans.
By Marta Gray ·
Southern California defeated No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
The result marked the largest margin of victory in head coach Lincoln Riley's tenure at the university. It also ended a streak where Ohio State had not lost two games this early in a season since 2011. The Trojans improved to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes fell to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play.
The game began with a high-impact play for the home team. On the second snap of the contest, freshman Trent Mosley caught a screen pass and ran 69 yards for a touchdown. That run broke a defensive record for Ohio State, which had not allowed a play longer than 36 yards all season. Mosley finished the night with five receptions for 101 yards. Jayden Maiava completed 222 yards of passing and threw a touchdown pass for USC. King Miller and Waymond Jordan both rushed for scores.
Ohio State entered the game as the top-ranked team in the country after winning its previous 31 games against defenses that allowed fewer points than the Buckeyes. However, the USC defense limited the visitors to 18 points in the first 57 minutes. Freshman quarterback Luke Fahey started in place of the injured Julian Sayin. Fahey passed for 260 yards but completed only 21 of 38 passes. Jeremiah Smith caught a 1-yard touchdown pass with 2 minutes and 12 seconds remaining, but Ohio State failed on a two-point conversion attempt. USC recovered the onside kick and kicked a field goal with 1 minute and 46 seconds left to seal the win.
The Buckeyes accumulated 464 total yards of offense but converted their first five drives into only three field goals. Coach Ryan Day cited 11 penalties for 75 yards as a major factor in the loss. Day noted that his team did not play well enough to support a young quarterback in his first career start on the road. Bo Jackson rushed for 121 yards, and Smith recorded 10 receptions for 83 yards. Smith's touchdown catch was his 40th of the season, breaking the Big Ten career record previously held by Braylon Edwards.
In the third quarter, USC extended its lead to 27-9. Freshman tight end Mark Bowman caught a 70-yard pass and hurdled a defender before breaking multiple tackles to reach the end zone. Both Riley and Bowman stated that Riley taught Bowman how to perform the hurdle maneuver. Ohio State coach Ryan Day called the play ridiculous and said the defense intended to stop the receiver near the 40-yard line.
USC will have a bye week before traveling to Indiana on November 14. Ohio State will host Oregon on Saturday. The Trojans are expected to return to the Associated Press Top 25 poll following the victory.
The game featured light, steady rain throughout the evening. The final score of 30-18 represented the first time USC has beaten a top-five opponent at the Coliseum since 2015. It was the first time the Trojans defeated a top-12 team during Riley's five years as head coach.
