USC beats No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 as Mosley and Maiava break it open early

USC beat No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 on a wet Halloween night at the Coliseum. It was the biggest win of Lincoln Riley's time in Los Angeles and the Buckeyes' second loss of the season. According to the Associated Press recap carried by ESPN, the Trojans had not beaten a top-12 opponent under Riley until Saturday. They had also not beaten a top-five team at home since 2015, and students rushed the field at the end.

The result turns both seasons around. A week ago USC scored seven points at Wisconsin, the lowest total any Riley offense has produced. Against Ohio State it scored more than the Buckeyes' defense had given up to anyone since 2024. Ohio State is now 6-2 and 4-1 in the Big Ten. As NBC Sports noted, the program had not lost twice this early in a season since 2011. The loss is also only the second for Ryan Day against an unranked opponent, which leaves him 58-2 in those games.

USC hit its big plays early. On the Trojans' second snap, freshman Trent Mosley took a pass behind the line and ran 69 yards for a touchdown. Ohio State had not allowed a play longer than 36 yards all season. Mosley later set up Waymond Jordan's 9-yard touchdown run with a 44-yard punt return and an 18-yard catch, and he finished with five receptions for 101 yards. Jayden Maiava threw for 222 yards, and USC led 20-9 at halftime. In the second half, Isaiah West fumbled for Ohio State. Freshman tight end Mark Bowman followed with a 70-yard catch-and-run, and King Miller scored to make it 27-9.

Ohio State gained 464 yards but scored only three field goals on its first five drives. One of those came after the Buckeyes reached the USC 1 just before halftime. Luke Fahey, a freshman from Orange County, made his first career start in place of Julian Sayin, who hurt his arm at Indiana two weeks ago. Fahey threw for 260 yards but completed only 21 of 38 passes. Bo Jackson ran for 121 yards, and Jeremiah Smith caught 10 passes for 83 yards. Smith's 1-yard touchdown with 2:12 left was the Buckeyes' only one. The two-point try failed, USC recovered the onside kick, and a third field goal closed it out.

What it means next

Ohio State has little time to recover. Oregon visits Columbus on November 7 on CBS. The Ducks are 5-3 and 3-2 in the conference, and one of those wins was a 41-27 result at USC. The Buckeyes' next step depends heavily on Sayin's arm. Fahey has now started once, and that start produced their lowest scoring total of the season. Their other loss was 24-23 at Texas, so both defeats have come away from home. Ohio State still has a road win over Indiana, and the AP recap says its playoff hopes are still alive.

USC gets a bye week before playing at No. 4 Indiana on November 14. The Trojans are 7-2 and 4-2 in the league. Their two losses came against Oregon and at Wisconsin, and they have also won at Penn State and Rutgers. The Hoosiers are 8-1, and their only loss was the 19-15 game against Ohio State. The AP expects USC to return to the Top 25. A win in Bloomington would make Saturday's upset look like more than a one-off.