USC shocks No. 2 Ohio state to keep CFP hopes alive

LOS ANGELES – After the product that showed up on the field last weekend against Wisconsin, Halloween night at the Coliseum seemed like it might get scary for Lincoln Riley and USC. Yet, with the outside criticism at its loudest in quite some time, the program had an answer. The Trojans pulled off a stunning 30-18 upset over the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday night, giving their slim College Football Playoff hopes a glimpse of light.

"Great atmosphere in the Coliseum," head coach Lincoln Riley said. "Super proud of the team. The players, the staff, everybody stayed together through the week…that's why [it's] a pretty happy locker room right now."

Riley faced a plethora of questions regarding his job security from the media and fans after his team’s seven points in Madison represented their lowest single-game point total throughout his tenure with the team thus far. Despite the heat, he remained firm in his belief that USC is where he’s meant to be, and being the head coach of the Trojans is the right job for him.

No matter how much reassurance he wished to provide, Saturday’s victory against the Buckeyes will go much further than any words ever could have. It was wire-to-wire, confident football from the Trojans as they never trailed for a single moment.

"Every week's a battle," Riley said. "What you did last week doesn't matter, and what you do next week doesn't matter. Every game is its own season."

That’s largely due to the part of Trent Mosley, who provided the type of tone-setter that USC desperately needed in front of its home crowd. On the second play from scrimmage, he took a screen pass from Jayden Maiava and ran it 69 yards to the house to send the Coliseum into a frenzy. Maiava finished the day with 222 yards passing, completing 15 of 22 passes.

Mosley continued to be a powerful force throughout the remainder of the evening, finishing with five catches for 101 yards to lead all receivers. Just how effective was the freshman? He outdueled Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, who caught 10 overall passes for 83 yards. 

He was the only wide receiver on the team to finish with more than one reception. Fortunately for the Trojans, it didn’t matter. Running backs King Miller and Waymond Jordan worked well to establish a promising run game, with Jordan running into the end zone from nine yards out to score the second touchdown of the half at the 2:31 mark of the first quarter. By that point, it was already 14-3.

"We just focused on all three sides of the ball," Jordan said of USC's preparation earlier in the week. "Offense flew around, defense flew around and everybody locked in on special teams. I think we just came together as a team and put a whole game together."

The Trojans took a 20-9 lead into the locker room at halftime. The start was promising, but more needed to be done if the squad was going to fend off the number two team in the country. That “more” came emphatically in the form of Mark Bowman.

The freshman tight end, playing in his first game since the Sept. 26 defeat against Oregon, reestablished his presence in the third quarter with the potential play of the season for USC. After making a leaping grab on a pass from Maiava, he continued to rumble, hurdling Ohio State safety Jaylen McClain before breaking two more tackles and getting all the way down to the three-yard line. 

Just two plays later, Miller scored from a yard out, and the Trojans extended their lead to 27-9. It became clear at that point that this was not a game Maiava and co. were interested in coughing away. They recognized the moment, and understood the importance of running across the tape.

That certainly wouldn’t have been possible without the all-out, relentless effort on display from the USC defense. The unit did their best to suffocate Ohio State’s freshman quarterback Luke Fahey from the jump as he made his first start in place of the injured Julian Sayin.

Darwin Walker – The Sporting Tribune

Luke Fahey #13 of the Ohio State Buckeyes tries to evade Kameryn Crawford #1 of the USC Trojans during an NCAA football game against the on Saturday, October 31, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

Safety Christian Pierce nearly intercepted him on the first drive of the evening for the Buckeyes, but after review, it was deemed that he did not keep his foot in bounds. 

It didn’t discourage the unit, as they continued to make key stop after key stop. Three field goals were all that Ohio State could muster in the first half as they struggled to adjust to life with Fahey under center. He finished the evening with 21 completions for 260 yards, throwing a touchdown in the process.

The Trojan defense still managed to force a big second-half turnover, putting a stop to a critical Buckeye drive in the third quarter as they looked to chip away at what was a 20-9 deficit. Fahey completed a pass to running back Isaiah West, who coughed up the football as Desman Stephens II forced it loose. Floyd Boucard was there to recover and get the ball back for the offense.

Fahey and the Buckeyes finally managed their first touchdown of the evening late in the fourth, trailing 27-12 before Smith found his way into the end zone on a one-yard grab. The two-point try was unsuccessful as Fahey's pass sailed untouched through the back of the end zone.

On the following drive, Tanook Hines fielded the onside kick attempt for USC and provided a nice return to set up an eventual 32-yard field goal for Caden Chittenden as the game's final score. Chittenden made both of his kicks on the night, while fellow kicker Ryon Sayeri drilled his only attempt earlier in the game from 54 yards out.

While Saturday will go down as a statement win that proves the Trojans can play with the best, they still have a tough schedule ahead with no margin for error. Following their second bye week, a trip to Bloomington and the No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers awaits. 

Riley closed his press conference with a statement that summed up his emotions moving forward.

"This program's built on internal joy, not external applause…I'm going to continue to fight on because that's what being a Trojan is all about."