USC 30, Ohio State 18: Trojans hit big plays while the Buckeyes kicked field goals

USC beat No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Buckeyes had the ball for 39:28, outgained USC 464 to 338 and won first downs 25 to 15. They still trailed from the first minute to the last, because their drives ended in field goals and USC's ended in touchdowns.

Caleb Hawkins kicked four field goals for Ohio State. Its only touchdown came with 2:12 left, down 15. USC needed 15 first downs to score 30.

How it was won

USC scored 39 seconds in. Jayden Maiava found Trent Mosley for a 69-yard touchdown, and the Trojans never gave the lead back.

Hawkins answered with a 39-yarder, and Waymond Jordan ran in from 9 yards late in the first quarter for a 14-3 lead. The second quarter went field goal for field goal: Hawkins from 34, R. Sayeri from 54 for USC, Hawkins from 23. C. Chittenden added a 36-yarder with one second left in the half, and USC went in up 20-9.

King Miller's 1-yard run at 6:11 of the third quarter made it 27-9. Hawkins hit from 47 on the first play of the fourth. Luke Fahey threw a 1-yard touchdown to Jeremiah Smith with 2:12 left, but the two-point try failed, leaving it 27-18. Chittenden's 32-yard field goal at 1:46 closed it.

Ohio State ran the ball well. Bo Jackson had 121 yards on 21 carries and Isaiah West 65 on 13, for 204 rushing yards as a team. Fahey went 21 of 38 for 260 yards and a touchdown. Smith caught 10 passes for 83 yards, and Chris Henry Jr. had 50 yards on two catches. The Buckeyes converted 7 of 16 third downs.

USC did more with less. Maiava completed 15 of 22 for 222 yards, an average above 10 yards per attempt. Mosley finished with 101 yards on five catches, and Mark Bowman had 79 on three. Miller ran 13 times for 78 yards and a score, and Jordan added 48 yards and a score on 12 carries. Each team turned it over once.

Ohio State falls to 6-2. Its other loss was 24-23 at Texas. USC improves to 7-2 a week after losing 24-7 at Wisconsin.

Against the number

Ohio State closed as a 6.5-point favorite. USC won outright by 12, so it covered by 18.5 points. Full closing numbers are on the game page.

The moneyline closed at Ohio State -245 and USC +200. A 100 bet on the Trojans returned 200 in profit.

The total closed at 50.5, and 48 points went under it. It stayed close to the end. Fahey's touchdown made it 45, and Chittenden's late field goal made it 48. A successful two-point try would have put it at 47 before that kick, still short of the number. The under was set up in the first half, when five field goals went up in place of touchdowns.

What's next

Neither team's next game was listed in the material we had at publication. We will update the odds board as soon as each schedule posts.

For Ohio State, the result ends a five-game winning streak that included road wins at No. 14 Iowa and No. 5 Indiana. For USC, it is the second road-tested win over a Big Ten heavyweight this month, after 31-23 at Penn State, and the best result of its season.