LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ohio State is in Southern California this weekend with the No. 2 ranking, a sturdy defense and the nation's best receiver to face an opponent on the verge of disarray.
Seems like the only thing the Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) don't have is a starting quarterback.
Coach Ryan Day isn't saying whether Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair will be behind center against desperate USC (6-2, 3-2) in a sold-out Coliseum on Halloween night. The Buckeyes
are in this jam because Julian Sayin injured his throwing arm two weeks ago in a gritty 19-15 victory over national champion Indiana.
After a fortuitous bye week to coach up Sayin's replacements, Day is optimistic the Buckeyes can overcome this central uncertainty in their first trip to the Trojans' historic stadium since 2008.
“I think guys on the team have confidence that if both were put into the game that they could do their job,” Day said. "So we’ll keep preparing, and then we’ll see how Saturday goes.”
Just about everything else in this matchup seems to favor the Buckeyes over the Trojans, who are coming off a one-sided loss at unranked Wisconsin. USC's dreams of its first College Football Playoff berth are nearly dead — but an upset win over vaunted Ohio State would be arguably the most significant achievement of coach Lincoln Riley's five underwhelming years in charge.
“They're a great team, a great opponent, so we've got to put good on good,” USC running back King Miller said. “We've got a great game plan, and we're going to have a great game.”
Riley faced more media questions about his future at USC than he did about the Buckeyes this week, but he recognizes the impact a victory over Ohio State would have on his reputation and on the Trojans’ season.
The Buckeyes’ uncertainty at quarterback doesn’t change their clear superiority on defense, however. Ohio State is sixth nationally after allowing only 264.3 yards per game this season, and no defense has held its opponents to fewer than the Buckeyes’ 5.2 yards per pass attempt.
USC’s offense is at its lowest ebb of the season after Jayden Maiava and his talented teammates only managed seven points against the Badgers. That’s the lowest output ever from a team coached by Riley, the offensive guru with multiple Heisman Trophy winners and finalists in his history at Oklahoma and USC.
“That wasn’t a great representation last week against Wisconsin,” Ohio State receiver Devin McCuin said. "We know what they have, and we know they’re desperate to win in big games, and we’ve got to go out there and match their intensity.”
Despite the singular talent of Jeremiah Smith atop a deep receiver group, these Buckeyes weren't dominant offensively even with a healthy Sayin, a native of Carlsbad in north San Diego County. Ohio State couldn't top 25 points in either of its two biggest games against Texas and Indiana.
The Buckeyes will replace one Southern California product with another if Day chooses to stick with Fahey, an Orange County native who led Mission Viejo High School to a state title as a sophomore nearly three years ago.
Many Buckeyes fans are eager to get a long look St. Clair, the 6-foot-4 sophomore with tantalizing arm strength, but the 5-foot-11 Fahey beat out St. Clair for the backup job in training camp.
Ohio State and USC are meeting for the first time since the Trojans joined the Big Ten in 2024, but this matchup has happened regularly since the 1930s. The blue-blood programs are facing each other for the 25th time and the first since the Buckeyes' 24-7 win in the Cotton Bowl in 2017.
Ohio State is the Trojans’ highest-ranked visiting opponent since 2012, when Notre Dame arrived at No. 1. USC hasn’t beaten a top-five opponent at home since 2015, losing four straight.
The Buckeyes are 58-1 against unranked opponents in Day's tenure, with only their infamous home loss to Michigan in 2024.
Maiava and the Ohio State quarterbacks appear to be the key to this game because neither team has been able to run the ball well this season, with Ohio State averaging only 4.0 yards per carry and USC just 3.9. Even though both offensive lines have a wealth of returning experience, it hasn't translated into sustained ground success.
Maiava historically has been significantly more effective at home, where he has completed nearly 70% of his passes this season for 13 touchdowns despite throwing an interception in each of USC's last three games.
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AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy in Columbus contributed to this report.
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