USC kept its College Football Playoff ambitions intact Saturday night by beating No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 at a rain-soaked Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Fans from the sold-out crowd poured onto the field after a victory that gave coach Lincoln Riley a significant response to mounting scrutiny of his leadership.
The Trojans improved to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten, recovering from a 24-7 defeat at Wisconsin a week earlier. That loss, which followed a bye, had produced the worst offensive performance of Riley's coaching career. Three weeks after celebrating a road victory over Penn State, USC delivered another major win with contributions across its offense, defense and special teams.
USC built a 20-9 halftime advantage and kept Ohio State out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes, playing without starting quarterback Julian Sayin, fell to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play. Ohio State was also flagged for 11 penalties, with USC emerging as the more disciplined team.
Freshmen supplied some of the Trojans' biggest plays. Wide receiver Trent Mosley finished with 145 all-purpose yards, while tight end Mark Bowman turned a reception into a 71-yard gain that featured a hurdle and multiple broken tackles. Kicker Ryon Sayeri contributed a 54-yard field goal in the first half, giving USC a valuable contribution from a special teams unit that had often caused problems.
The Trojans won despite finishing 126 yards behind Ohio State in total offense and trailing by nearly 20 minutes in possession time. Their efficiency helped overcome those disadvantages. USC forced an important first-half turnover, scored on four of its opening six possessions and successfully defended four of Ohio State's five red zone visits.
Riley credited his players with moving beyond the Wisconsin defeat and approaching this game with greater patience. He said his confidence in the program's development had not wavered and that he had expected the team to respond well. Asked whether the result kept USC's season goals within reach, he made clear that it did and emphasized the victory's significance for both the immediate and longer-term outlook.
The result also came after questions about Riley's future intensified during the preceding week. Speaking Tuesday, he had reaffirmed his desire to remain at USC beyond the season, saying he had previously had opportunities to leave but believed the university was the right place for him and that he remained the right coach for the job.
After answering questions Saturday, Riley took out a handwritten note and read a prepared statement whose intended recipient was unclear. He dedicated the victory to the players, staff, administrators and others inside the program, again expressing confidence in his role. “This program is built on internal joy, not external applause,” Riley said.
