USC stuns No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 in Halloween-night upset at the Coliseum
Southern California stunned No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 on Saturday night, 31 October, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (pictured during an earlier USC home game), in the biggest win of head coach Lincoln Riley’s time at USC. The unranked Trojans led 20-9 at half-time and never let the Buckeyes back in, as light rain fell on Halloween night.
Freshman Trent Mosley set the tone on USC’s second play, sprinting 69 yards for a touchdown after a pass behind the line. He finished with five catches for 101 yards. Jayden Maiava passed for 222 yards and a touchdown, and King Miller and Waymond Jordan each ran for a score. Mark Bowman’s 70-yard catch-and-run, hurdling a defender, set up Miller’s touchdown for 27-9.
Ohio State played without quarterback Julian Sayin, injured two weeks ago at Indiana. Freshman Luke Fahey, making his first career start, passed for 260 yards, but the Buckeyes scored only once — a one-yard catch by Jeremiah Smith with 2:12 left — and USC’s defence held them without a touchdown for the first 57 minutes. Ohio State had 464 total yards but settled for field goals; after Smith’s score the two-point try failed, USC recovered the onside kick and kicked a final field goal with 1:46 left.
The win lifts USC to 7-2 overall (4-2 in the Big Ten) and drops Ohio State to 6-2 (4-1). It was Riley’s first win over a top-five team at USC, and fans stormed the field — the Trojans’ first top-five win at the Coliseum since 2015. It came a week after a 24-7 loss at Wisconsin, the fewest points ever from a Riley-led offence.
Why it matters
The result shakes up the race for the College Football Playoff and the Big Ten title — the fourth straight week a top-two team in the AP Poll lost to an unranked opponent. Ohio State will probably need to win out in November to reach the playoff and the Big Ten championship game, while the upset keeps USC’s playoff hopes alive and gives Riley the signature win his programme had lacked.
What happens next
Ohio State hosts Oregon on Saturday; USC has a bye, then travels to Indiana on 14 November. USC is almost certain to return to the AP Top 25.
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
Sources
- https://www.nbcsports.com/college-football/news/usc-stuns-no-2-ohio-state-30-18-with-big-plays-from-jayden-maiava-freshman-trent-mosley (NBC Sports, Associated Press, 1 Nov 2026)
- https://www.thescore.com/ncaaf/news/3640867/usc-stifles-sayin-less-ohio-state-for-upset-win (theScore, 1 Nov 2026)
