No. 2 Ohio State got absolutely rocked on Saturday, falling 30-18 to Southern California at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Trojans wasted zero time, with Trent Mosley taking a short screen from Jayden Maiava a mere 39 seconds into the game for a ridiculous 69-yard touchdown. Talk about setting the tone!
Mosley Sets the Pace as USC Dominates Early
That opening touchdown was just the beginning of Trent Mosley’s monster day. The dude racked up 145 all-purpose yards, carving up the Buckeyes’ defense from the jump. He followed up his initial score with a massive 44-yard punt return late in the first quarter, giving USC prime field position at the Ohio State 46-yard line after a personal foul from the Buckeyes. Two plays later, after pulling in a 14-yard pass himself, Mosley watched Waymond Jordan scamper into the end zone from 9 yards out to push the Trojans’ lead to 14-3. USC kept their foot on the gas, with Ryon Sayeri nailing a career-long-tying 54-yard field goal, extending their advantage to 17-6. Ohio State, meanwhile, kept getting bogged down in the red zone, settling for three field goals from Connor Hawkins (39, 34, and 23 yards), even after stalling out with a first-and-goal at the USC 1-yard line. At halftime, the Trojans were up 20-9, and Maiava was efficient, finishing the first half 15-of-22 passing. Mosley himself caught five passes for 101 yards.
Trojans Break it Open, Buckeyes Fight Back Late
USC blew the game wide open in the third quarter. Ohio State’s West fumbled, and Floyd Boucard scooped it up at the Buckeyes’ 32-yard line. Right after that, Maiava dropped a dime to Mark Bowman on a massive 70-yard catch-and-run, setting up King Miller’s 1-yard touchdown plunge that stretched the lead to 27-9. Buckeyes true freshman quarterback Luke Fahey, who started in place of the injured Julian Sayin, tried to rally his squad. He completed 21 of 38 passes for 260 yards and tossed a touchdown to Jeremiah Smith with 2:12 left, a 1-yard grab that marked Smith’s 40th career Big Ten receiving touchdown, tying ex-Michigan’s Braylon Edwards for the conference record. But the subsequent two-point conversion failed, keeping it 27-18. Any thoughts of an onside kick comeback were immediately snuffed out when USC’s Tanook Hines recovered the kick and returned it 24 yards to the Ohio State 21. Caden Chittenden then sealed the deal with a 32-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining.
This is a massive statement win for Southern California, moving their record to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten. For No. 2 Ohio State, now sitting at 6-2 and 4-1, this upset is a gut punch. You know this loss is going to shake up the polls big time. The Buckeyes have to regroup, and fast. The Big Ten schedule isn’t getting any easier, and they cannot afford another slip-up like this one if they want to stay in the hunt.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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