No. 25 USC is on upset alert with a 27-9 lead over No. 2 Ohio State midway through the third quarter of their Week 9 matchup at the Coliseum, and the Trojans just extended their lead thanks to a huge play by one of their most impactful freshmen.
Tight end Mark Bowman announced his arrival in a big way after missing the previous three games when quarterback Jayden Maiava found him wide open just outside the right hashmark. The Mater Dei High School product ran into traffic as three Buckeyes closed in on him, but Bowman miraculously escaped with an unreal hurdle over Ohio State safety Jaylen McClain and trucked his way through two more defenders into the open field. Bowman ran it down to the 3-yard line before being pushed out of bounds for a 70-yard
gain.
Running back King Miller punched it in two plays later to give USC an 18-point lead.
OH MY MARK BOWMAN!
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2026
He hurdles a man and then almost takes it to the house for @uscfb
(Via NBC) pic.twitter.com/xf0xphVpBZ
Bowman has been one of several true freshmen who have made an immediate impact upon their arrival on this young Trojans roster. In five games this season, the 6-foot-5 vertical threat has 204 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 21 receptions. He has 79 yards on three catches on Saturday entering what might be the biggest fourth quarter of Lincoln Riley's tenure at USC.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USC's Mark Bowman gets vertical for unreal hurdle against No. 2 Ohio State
