Seven days after Southern California was embarrassed in a 27-7 loss to Wisconsin, Trojans fans are celebrating on the field at LA Memorial Coliseum.
USC upset No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 on Saturday, Oct. 31, marking coach Lincoln Riley's first win against a top-five ranked team since 2017, which incidentally also came against Ohio State, when he was with Oklahoma.
Riley, facing pressure in his fifth season after USC's latest loss, led the Trojans to their biggest win of his tenure. USC could even potentially be back in College Football Playoff contention, improving to 7-2 on the season.
The Buckeyes were playing without starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who's out indefinitely
after suffering an injury to his throwing arm during Ohio State's win against Indiana on Oct. 17. True freshman Luke Fahey finished 21-of-38 passing for 260 yards with a touchdown in the loss.
Whatever the circumstances of USC's win, that didn't stop Trojans faithful from storming the field at the Coliseum.
The scene at the Coliseum pic.twitter.com/rsz3UQhz9t
— jordan mendoza (@jordan_mendoza5) November 1, 2026
USC deployed a balanced attack in the win, with quarterback Jayden Maiava completing 15 of 22 passes for 222 yards with one interception while the Trojans rushed 27 times for 116 yards and two scores collectively.
Riley and USC's win was certainly a cause for celebration among fans, whose frustrations with the program have been growing in recent weeks. Maybe a win over Ohio State is a step in the right direction for USC, which has struggled against higher-end teams during Riley's tenure.
USC still has remaining games against No. 4 Indiana, Maryland and No. 7 UCLA, and could potentially even reach the CFP with a 2-1 record in those games.
For now, though, it's time to celebrate in Los Angeles, even if Sayin was unavailable for Ohio State.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USC fans storm field after shocking upset win vs No. 2 Ohio State
