USC 30, Ohio State 18: touchdowns beat the Buckeyes’ long possessions

The score that outweighed the yardage

USC needed only two plays to establish the problem Ohio State never solved. Jayden Maiava found Trent Mosley for a 69-yard touchdown with 14:21 left in the first quarter, and the Trojans went on to beat the second-ranked Buckeyes 30-18 Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC improved to 7-2; Ohio State fell to 6-2.

Ohio State finished with 464 yards to USC’s 338, ran 81 plays to the Trojans’ 50 and held the ball for 39:28. Those advantages produced one touchdown. USC scored three, including Waymond Jordan’s nine-yard run in the first quarter and King Miller’s one-yard run in the third. The difference was what happened at the end of possessions.

The Trojans led 14-3 after one quarter and 20-9 at halftime. Ryon Sayeri made a 54-yard field goal, and Caden Chittenden added a 36-yarder with one second left in the half. Miller’s touchdown and the extra point extended the lead to 27-9 with 6:11 remaining in the third quarter.

Four field goals left Ohio State chasing

Connor Hawkins supplied Ohio State’s first 12 points with field goals of 39, 34, 23 and 47 yards. Two came after the Buckeyes reached the USC 16 and USC 5. The kicks kept Ohio State scoring, but the Trojans’ touchdowns forced the Buckeyes to keep finding another possession.

Luke Fahey finally connected with Jeremiah Smith for a one-yard touchdown with 2:12 remaining, cutting the score to 27-18. Chittenden answered with a 32-yard field goal with 1:46 left. Ohio State’s final drive reached the USC 12 before an incomplete fourth-down pass ended it with 36 seconds remaining.

Maiava completed 15 of 23 passes for 222 yards, with Mosley accounting for 101 receiving yards. Miller ran for 78. Fahey finished 21-for-38 for 260 yards, Bo Jackson rushed for 121 and Smith had 83 receiving yards. Neither quarterback threw an interception.

USC averaged 6.76 yards per play to Ohio State’s 5.73. The early touchdown gave the Trojans room to absorb long Buckeyes drives, and the defense repeatedly made Ohio State take three points. Winning without the possession or total-yardage advantage required both explosive offense and those stops near the end zone.