Ohio State’s national championship aspirations took a major hit, but the bigger story is what the 30-18 road loss to USC did to Jeremiah Smith’s Heisman campaign. Smith, who came into the week as the solid favorite, has now plummeted to third in the odds at +340 at FanDuel Sportsbook, trailing Miami’s duo Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney.
Fahey’s Debut Couldn’t Get It Done
The Buckeyes went into L.A. with a new signal-caller, Luke Fahey, making his debut after Julian Sayin’s potential season-ending injury, and things didn’t go as planned. Fahey went 21-of-38 for 260 yards and one touchdown, but his accuracy down the field was seriously lacking, and their red zone efforts were just as bad. Much of his work came in the short-to-intermediate game, asking skill players to bail him out. You can point to the rainy conditions in L.A. possibly making downfield throws harder, but it still means Ohio State struggled to create big plays against a Trojans defense that’s been among the Big Ten’s worst at limiting explosives all season. This was a “friendly” defense, yet the Buckeyes couldn’t get it rolling.
Smith’s Stat Line Doesn’t Hide The Problem
Jeremiah Smith still managed a productive game on paper with 10 catches on 12 targets for 83 yards and one touchdown. The target share suggests he still has a shot, but much of that production came late, when Ohio State was already down by three scores. This was a massive missed opportunity for Smith to shine, especially against a USC defense that has given up 11 passes of 30 yards or more this season, ranking them 83rd in the country. Smith’s longest catch on the night was just 27 yards. His average of 8.3 yards per reception against USC is a huge drop from his season average of just under 19 yards per catch. Fahey even missed what should have been a long Smith touchdown when he underthrew a ball, despite Smith having two steps on his defender. That kind of slip-up is a Heisman killer.
With Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Michigan still left on the schedule, Smith needs a serious flourish to even sniff that Heisman Trophy ceremony in early December. Can Luke Fahey give Smith a real chance at those big plays? Ohio State has got to figure out its offense, and fast, if they want to save Smith’s Heisman chances and their own national championship dreams.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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