USC Stuns No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 Behind Maiava and Mosley's Big Plays
USC upset No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 at the Coliseum on Saturday, behind quarterback Jayden Maiava's 222 passing yards and Trent Mosley's 69-yard touchdown, handing the Buckeyes their second straight loss.
Newsnibs Staff
- 2026-11-01
- Updated 4:00 PM UTC
(Los Angeles, United States)
USC beat No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 at the Coliseum on Saturday, the biggest win of Lincoln Riley's tenure and his first over a top-12 opponent in Los Angeles. USC improved to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten. Ohio State fell to 6-2 and 4-1, its second straight loss, the earliest two-game losing streak the Buckeyes have had since 2011.
The Trojans scored on their second play. Freshman receiver Trent Mosley caught a 69-yard touchdown from quarterback Jayden Maiava and finished with five catches for 101 yards. Maiava passed for 222 yards and a touchdown. Running back Waymond Jordan added a 9-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and King Miller scored from the 1-yard line. Tight end Mark Bowman, back from the loss to Oregon on September 26, broke a 70-yard catch-and-run and also ran to the 3-yard line to set up Miller's score.
Ohio State had not allowed a play longer than 36 yards all season, and USC hit it for gains of 70, 69, 44, 21 and 20 yards. The Buckeyes also gave away field position with 11 penalties for 75 yards, which coach Ryan Day cited afterward.
Ohio State started freshman Luke Fahey at quarterback in place of the injured Julian Sayin, who has a shoulder injury. It was Fahey's first career start. He completed 21 of 38 passes for 260 yards, and the Buckeyes gained 464 yards in all, with Bo Jackson rushing for 121. But USC kept them out of the end zone until the final minutes. Receiver Jeremiah Smith caught a 1-yard touchdown pass with 2:12 left, the 40th touchdown of his career, which broke the Big Ten record held by Braylon Edwards. Ohio State's 2-point conversion failed. USC recovered the onside kick and kicked a field goal with 1:46 remaining to finish the scoring.
The loss is only the second for Ohio State against an unranked opponent in Day's tenure. The Buckeyes are 58-2 in those games.
Students and fans stormed the field, the first field storm at the Coliseum since 2015, when USC beat a top-five opponent. The win followed outside questions about Riley's job security after a 7-point loss to Wisconsin, a game that dropped USC out of the AP Top 25. The Trojans are expected to return to the poll. After the game Riley read a prepared statement saying the program is built on internal joy rather than external applause, and that he is the right person for the job.
USC has a bye week before playing at Indiana on November 14. Ohio State hosts Oregon next.
Photo by Gene Gallin on Unsplash
