Ohio State comes up short in Los Angeles as the USC Trojans capitalize on a slew of miscues by the Buckeyes.

Ohio State won the toss and elected to defer. USC didn’t take long to seize momentum: on the second play of the game, Trent Mosley took a 69-yard screen pass for a touchdown. The Buckeyes would have to start from behind with a true freshman at quarterback.

OSU set the tone running on four of the first six plays on the drive. A Key 23-yard third-down connection between Luke Fahey and Phillip Bell would then put the Buckeyes on the edge of the red zone. After two short runs from Bo Jackson, they found themselves in a key third down yet again.

Fahey rolled out to his left and sailed a pass down the sideline that was tipped and nearly an interception at the USC 9-yard line. After the interception was overturned, Connor Hawkins kicked a 39-yard field goal to cut USC to 7-3 at the 8:27 mark.

OSU bowed up on defense and turned a Christian Alliegro tackle for loss and a near pick by Jermaine Mathews into a three-and-out. Luke Fahey and the offense found a rhythm as Jeremiah Smith was targeted twice for 26 yards on the drive. The run game stalled the drive again, and after an untimely false-start penalty, Ohio State was forced to punt from midfield.

After OSU special teams allowed a 41-yard punt return, Beau Atkinson was charged with an unnecessary roughness penalty for a late hit out of bounds. USC took over at the OSU 31. Jayden Maiava would quickly strike with an 18-yard pass to Trent Mosley. The Trojans scored two plays later on a 9-yard outside run, taking a 14-3 lead with 2:25 to go in the first quarter.

Isaiah West took matters into his own hands early in the drive, ripping off 17- and 18-yard runs on consecutive plays. After drawing their defense offside on the next play, Luke Fahey found Mason Williams for 18 yards to bring OSU to the USC 22-yard line and end the first quarter. However, after a costly illegal substitution penalty on a third-and-short, OSU couldn’t convert and had to settle for a 34-yard field goal. OSU trailed 14-6 with 13:22 remaining in the half and committed three penalties for 25 yards to this point.

Ohio State’s defense struggled to stop the run on the ensuing drive, even allowing a conversion on 3rd and 18 on a halfback draw. The Silver Bullets would bow up, though, and force USC to attempt a 54-yard field goal. Trojan kicker Ryan Sayeri would then drill the kick to put his team up 17-6 with 10:21 remaining in the first half.

The Buckeyes took over at USC but couldn’t get anything going on offense after a swing pass to Jeremiah Smith was blown up for a five-yard loss, followed by a key holding penalty by Carson Hinzman. After an Ohio State punt, the Trojans took over at OSU’s 35-yard line with just under 8 minutes to go in the half.

USC got going on the ground, but on a fourth consecutive run, Early Little Jr. made a huge play, forcing and recovering a fumble at the OSU 42. The Buckeyes then put together a 13-yard drive that ended in a goal-line stand aided by an untimely false start. Ohio State cut the USC lead to 17-9 after a 23-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining in the half.

The Trojans marched 56 yards down the field on 10 plays and hit a 36-yard field goal as the second half came to a close. The Trojans went to the locker room up 20-9 as Ohio State had issues to address, starting with 6 penalties for 49 yards.

Ohio State started the second half with a three-and-out after three consecutive runs. USC also went three-and-out, but on the next drive, Isaiah West got the ball punched out, and USC took over again. Jayden Maiava then found true freshman and No. 2 tight end in the class of 2026, Mark Bowman, who hurdled and stiff-armed his way 70 yards to the OSU 3-yard line. USC would punch it in to take a 27-9 lead.

Ohio State moved the ball well into Trojan territory, but a sack on 3rd and 7 forced a field goal attempt. Connor Hawkins hit his fourth field goal of the night, bringing the score to 27-12 with just under 15 minutes to go. The two teams traded three straight punts and ran a total of 11 plays in the process.

Ohio State took over with 7:47 to go, in desperation mode and down 15. After 13 plays, 80 yards, and 5:45 off the clock, the Buckeyes broke into the end zone on a 1-yard Jeremiah Smith touchdown reception. With 2:12 left, Ryan Day elected to go for two while trailing by nine points. The conversion failed, and after Ohio State failed to recover an onside kick, the game was over.

In a game where Ohio State comfortably outgained USC and doubled the Trojans in time of possession, they would fall 30-18 for the second loss of the season. Whether it was penalties, missed opportunities, or clock management, the Buckeyes were beating themselves on Halloween night in Los Angeles.

Next week, the Oregon Ducks come to Columbus fresh off a comeback victory over No. 20 Northwestern. As a team, Ohio State will have to tighten up if they want a chance at a playoff berth.