After a puzzling 30-18 loss to the Trojans in LA, Ohio State is ranked outside the top ten for the first time in over five years.

Coming off a bye week, the Buckeyes came out noticeably flat and undisciplined against USC. The Trojans struck on the second play with a screen pass to Trent Mosley that went 69 yards for a touchdown. Right away, the defense was not gap-sound, and a missed tackle led to an easy touchdown.

Then, the penalties began pouring in. The Buckeyes committed 6 penalties for 49 yards by halftime and 11 for 75 yards at the final whistle. Ohio State is now 96th in the country in penalties per game (7.3), and it has proven costly, as it has only gotten worse throughout the year. Particularly in the red zone, where OSU consistently came up short.

Red Zone Woes Continue

Ohio State ran 18 snaps in the red zone (8 runs and 10 passes) but managed only one touchdown. OSU settled for field goals four times, although to Connor Hawkins’ credit, he made all four. Untimely penalties, dropped passes, and overthrows plagued OSU inside scoring range.

Too many opportunities were missed, highlighted by a key drop from Bo Jackson on a wheel route into the end zone and the failure to punch it in from inside the one twice before an untimely false start. Leaving so many points on the board put the Buckeyes and their inexperienced QB in a tough spot from start to finish. The ineffectiveness in the red zone will remain a major concern for OSU moving forward.

Luke Fahey himself wasn’t the issue overall. He missed some throws he shouldn’t have and took a couple sacks that he could’ve avoided, but for a true freshman making his first-ever collegiate start, that is to be expected. Fahey was smart with the ball and didn’t commit turnovers. He also moved through progressions, found open receivers, and extended plays. For now, Luke Fahey has shown enough to believe he can be successful with more experience.

Clock Mismanagement

What is most glaring is that the Buckeyes outgained USC by 126 yards and doubled the time of possession, yet Ohio State still ended up with a double-digit loss in which they scored only 18 points. Clock management was also critical. Ohio State received the ball down 15 points and 7:47 to go.

The offense scored a touchdown but took 5:45 off the clock in the process. The offense routinely huddles, and the pace lacked any real urgency. With just over 2 minutes to go down 27-18, Ryan Day then elected to go for two even though between two timeouts and the 2-minute warning, OSU had three clock stoppages in their back pocket.

Analytics or not, this was at least a questionable decision to make. But if the Buckeyes had shown more urgency in the fourth quarter, they likely wouldn’t have had to make this kind of decision. Ryan Day claimed they turned up the urgency when they needed to, but the numbers and the tape say otherwise, given how the end of the game unfolded.

What’s Next?

Top to bottom, Ohio State appeared to come into this matchup lacking preparation after a bye week. Losing Julian Sayin makes preparation unique, but instead of the team continuing to elevate its play, it took a noticeable step backward at a key position. The Buckeyes now have zero room for error for the remainder of the regular season if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The silver lining for Ohio State is that they still control their own destiny if they can shore things up over the next four weeks. Oregon is coming to town fresh off a comeback victory over Northwestern after trailing by 14 in the second half. Even though the Ducks have had a season to forget for numerous reasons, they still possess the talent to give the Buckeyes a third loss if OSU isn’t ready.