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USC quarterback Jayden Maiava, pictured at Big Ten Media Days in July 2026. Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
COLLEGE FOOTBALL · BIG TEN · WEEK 9
KEY STATS 📊
Final: USC 30, No. 2 Ohio State 18, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Jayden Maiava: 15 of 22, 222 yards, 1 TD
Luke Fahey (first start): 21 of 38, 260 yards, 1 TD
Jeremiah Smith: 10 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD, and the Big Ten career record with 40 touchdown catches
Ohio State penalties: 11 for 71 yards
Records: USC 7-2 (4-2 Big Ten), Ohio State 6-2 (4-1)
THE STORY 🗞️
It took USC 39 seconds to set the tone. Trent Mosley went 69 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the game, and the Trojans never trailed again on their way to a 30-18 win over No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday night.
USC led 14-3 after one quarter and 20-9 at half. Ohio State fumbled to open the third quarter and USC punched it in from a yard out to make it 27-9. Freshman tight end Mark Bowman also broke off a 70-yard catch-and-run.
Maiava was efficient rather than spectacular, going 15 of 22 for 222 yards. He did not need to do more. USC's defense held Ohio State to nine points after half and kept forcing field goals; Connor Hawkins kicked four of them for the Buckeyes, a career high.
This was Luke Fahey's first career start, in place of the injured Julian Sayin. The numbers were respectable: 21 of 38 for 260 yards. The problem was what happened near the goal line. Eleven Warriors had Ohio State 2 for 10 in the red zone, and the Buckeyes finished with 464 yards and only 18 points to show for it.
The one bright spot was history. Jeremiah Smith caught a 1-yard touchdown from Fahey with 2:12 left, his 40th career touchdown catch, breaking Braylon Edwards' Big Ten record of 39. USC recovered the onside kick that followed and added a field goal to close it out.
"We ran the ball well, 200 yards rushing, but there's just too many mistakes overall. You can't afford to do that, and that's, to me, the tale of today."
Ryan Day, via Ohio State Athletics
Per NCAA.com, it was Lincoln Riley's first win over a top-five team at USC. It was one of seven losses by ranked teams on Saturday.
OUR TAKE 🐶
Ohio State outgained USC and still lost by 12. Eleven penalties, a lost fumble and settling for field goals is how a road loss happens with a freshman quarterback, and Day said as much. The Buckeyes are still 4-1 in the Big Ten, but there is no room left to lose another one.
For USC, this is the kind of win that changes how a season is remembered. The committee will see it on Tuesday.
THE BETTING ANGLE 🎯
Ohio State's red-zone trouble and the Sayin injury are the two things the market will price into next week. How long Sayin is out matters more than anything else on that line. For our analysts' takes, follow DawgHousePicks.
UP NEXT: Ohio State hosts Oregon on Saturday, 7 November. The first College Football Playoff rankings come out on Tuesday night.
HOW TO WATCH 📺: Oregon at Ohio State kicks off at 3:30 PM ET (8:30 PM UK) on CBS and Paramount+. The first College Football Playoff rankings are revealed on Tuesday, 3 November, at 7:00 PM ET (midnight UK) on ESPN.
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Is Ohio State still a playoff team after this? Let us know below.
Sources
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