USC secured one of the biggest wins of its season Saturday, stunning No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 at The Coliseum. The Trojans came out firing, with freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley scoring on a 69-yard reception just two plays into the game. Jayden Maiava finished 15 of 22 for 222 yards and one touchdown, while USC's defense held Ohio State without a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, with the game already out of reach.
The win was especially important for head coach Lincoln Riley, who's been swarmed by buyout rumors in recent weeks. With Saturday's result, USC has now improved to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play, keeping its conference championship and College Football Playoff hopes alive. It also marked Riley's first win over a top-10 opponent since taking over at USC.
After the win, Riley addressed the criticism he's received and the speculation surrounding his future at USC, making it clear he still believes he's the right man for the job. "This program is built on internal joy, not external applause," Riley said. "This win's for all the staff members, the players, the leaders, admin, all the people within the walls.
I said before this game that I'm the right person for this job. And as long as all those people know that, that's all I care about. I appreciate being part of this university, and all it does.
I appreciate our kids and our staff, and I'm going to continue to fight on because that's what being a Trojan is all about." More news: Nick Saban Picks Former Team as Surprise Championship Sleeper Riley entered Saturday under arguably more pressure than any other coach in college football. USC had just lost 24-7 at Wisconsin, and suffered a bad 41-27 loss at home against Oregon earlier in the year. With two losses already on their season, some wondered whether another defeat Saturday against Ohio State could be the end for Riley, who still hasn't led USC to the CFP or a conference championship five years into taking the job.
Knocking off the No. 2 ranked team in the country is a good way to send a message, even if it was against a backup quarterback. The Trojans entered the year with expectations of at least making the playoffs after securing the nation's top-ranked recruiting class, and Saturday's win over the Buckeyes was absolutely massive for this program to get into the postseason. More news: Pete Thamel Reveals Surprise New QB1 for 2027 NFL Draft as Arch Manning Slides More news: Texas’ Steve Sarkisian Turns Heads With Harsh Criticism of the SEC USC next has a bye week before visiting No. 4 Indiana on Nov. 14, hosting Maryland on Nov. 21, and facing No. 7 UCLA on the road on Nov. 28 to close out the regular season.
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