Los Angeles, CA – USC shocked the college football world with a stunning 30-18 upset win over No. 2 Ohio State on a rainy Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The USC defense didn’t allow a touchdown in the first three quarters while King Miller and Waymond Jordan ran for a pair of touchdowns to help USC beat a top-five opponent at the Coliseum for the first time since 2015.
“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 set the tone on the second play of the game when freshman star wide receiver Trent Mosley took a screen pass and out ran the Ohio State defense for a 69-yard touchdown. Mosley finished with five receptions for 101 yards
“I think we learned how good we are,” Mosley said. “When we trust each other and play together as a team, that’s what we can do.”
After the Buckeyes added a field goal, USC came right with Jordan’s 9-yard touchdown run to give the Trojans a 14-3 lead in the first quarter.
The second quarter was a field goal fest as both teams knocked down a pair of field goals. USC took a 20-9 lead into halftime.
Freshman tight end Mark Bowman made a spectacular 70-yard catch and run that set up Miller’s touchdown run from a yard out to give USC a 27-9 lead. Bowman hurdled a defender and broke multiple tackles.
“That was ridiculous,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “We’re going for the punch-out there. We’ve just got to get him on the ground around the 40-yard line and live to see another snap.”
Ohio State was playing with backup quarterback Luke Fahay, who started for injured Julian Sayin. He passed for 260 yards while running back Bo Jackson rushed for 121 yards.
Jeremiah Smith scored with little over two minutes left in the game but the 2-pt conversion failed and USC recovered the onside kick. The Trojans added a late field goal to extend the lead and seal the win.
Up next for the Trojans is a bye week before they head to Indiana.
