USC Tops Ohio State 30-18

Freshman Trent Mosley scored a 69-yard touchdown on the second play of the game to give USC a lead it would never relinquish. The Trojans defeated No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 on Saturday night in Los Angeles, capping a rain-soaked evening with their largest victory under head coach Lincoln Riley.

Mosley finished with five receptions for 101 yards in the win. Jayden Maiava completed passes for 222 yards and a score. King Miller and Waymond Jordan also added rushing touchdowns for the Trojans, who improved to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten. The victory came one week after USC suffered a heavy loss at Wisconsin.

The Trojans' defense limited Ohio State to just one touchdown in the first 57 minutes. Luke Fahey, making his first career start, threw for 260 yards for the Buckeyes. Jeremiah Smith caught a 1-yard touchdown pass with 2:12 remaining, but Ohio State failed on a two-point conversion. USC recovered the onside kick and kicked a field goal with 1:46 left to seal the result.

Coach Lincoln Riley credited the team's execution in key moments. “That's two of the best teams in the country on the field right there,” Riley said. “It's going to come down to who plays the situations best, and we did it tonight.” The Trojans scored more points than the Ohio State defense had allowed in its previous 31 games.

Ohio State accumulated 464 total yards but committed 11 penalties that cost them 75 yards. Bo Jackson rushed for 121 yards, and Smith had 10 receptions for 83 yards. Smith's touchdown was his 40th career catch, breaking Braylon Edwards' Big Ten record. The Buckeyes fell to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day noted that his team did not play well enough to support the young quarterback. “At the end of the day, as a team, we weren’t able to play well enough to support a young freshman quarterback who has his first start on the road like this,” Day said. The Buckeyes have not lost two games this early in a season since 2011.

USC will sit this week before traveling to Indiana on November 14. Ohio State hosts Oregon on Saturday. The Trojans are expected to re-enter the AP Top 25 following the win.