USC head football coach Lincoln Riley had a Saturday to remember.
Not only did his embattled Trojans (7-2) stun the second-ranked Buckeyes, 30-18, but the 43-year-old offensive guru punctuated the upset with two memorable outbursts, the first of which came moments after the final gun.
With fans storming the rain-soaked LA Coliseum field, players and staff from both schools were seen rushing into the tunnel, only to get caught in the inevitable human traffic jam.
‘Are you kidding me? F*** you!’ Riley was seen saying in video recorded by WBNS’ Nicole Shearin. ‘That’s bulls***.’
There appeared to be some further conversation between Riley and the OSU (6-2) coaches as they entered the tunnel, but the recording couldn’t quite pick up what was said.
Besides, Riley was just getting started. After facing calls to be fired during last year’s 9-4 season and after losses to Oregon and Wisconsin, the Trojans coach delivered a prepared statement for the media and fans.
USC head coach curses as a group of Ohio State players and staff beat him into the tunnel
Ohio State QB Luke Fahey, left, is tackled in the rain by Southern California safety Alex Graham
With fans storming the rain-soaked LA Coliseum field, players and staff from both schools were seen rushing into the tunnel, only to get caught in the inevitable human traffic jam
‘This program is built on internal joy, not external applause,’ Riley said, after initially misspeaking and correcting himself. ‘This win’s for all the staff members, the players, the leaders, the admin, all the people within the walls. I said before this game that I’m the right person for this job and as long as all those people know that, that’s all I care about.
‘I appreciate being a part of this university and all it does and I appreciate our kids and our staff and I’m going to continue to Fight On because that’s what being a Trojan is all about.’
It was a surprisingly defiant statement for someone coming off such an impressive victory.
When Trent Mosley took a screen pass straight through the heart of Ohio State’s defense for an exhilarating touchdown on the second snap, USC realized something special might be brewing on Halloween night.
By the time thousands of students and fans stormed onto the rain-soaked Coliseum field at the final whistle, the Trojans had their season and their program back on track with a landmark victory.
Jayden Maiava passed for 222 yards and a touchdown, King Miller and Waymond Jordan rushed for scores, and USC shocked the No. 2 Buckeyes 30-18 on Saturday night for the biggest win of Riley’s tenure.
‘That’s two of the best teams in the country on the field right there,’ Riley said. ‘It’s going to come down to who plays the situations best, and we did it tonight.’
Romero Ison #18 of the USC Trojans celebrates with fans after Saturday’s upset victory
A Trojans fan cheers during a game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the USC Trojans
Freshman sensation Mosley finished with five receptions for 101 yards after his tone-setting, 69-yard TD scamper for the Trojans (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten), who rebounded from a faith-shaking loss at Wisconsin last week by scoring more points than Ohio State’s vaunted defense had allowed in its previous 31 games.
‘I think we learned how good we are,’ Mosley said. ‘When we trust each other and play together as a team, that’s what we can do.’
The USC defense didn’t allow a touchdown in the first 57 minutes by an Ohio State offense led by freshman quarterback Luke Fahey, who passed for 260 yards in his first career start in place of injured Julian Sayin for the Buckeyes (6-2, 4-1).
Jeremiah Smith finally made a 1-yard TD catch with 2:12 remaining, but the Buckeyes’ 2-point conversion attempt failed, and USC recovered the onside kick before making its third field goal with 1:46 left.
‘At the end of the day, as a team, we weren’t able to play well enough to support a young freshman quarterback who has his first start on the road like this,’ said coach Ryan Day, lamenting the Buckeyes’ 11 penalties for 75 yards.
USC cheerleaders react on the sideline during the second half of Saturday’s upset in LA
With a light, steady rain falling throughout the holiday evening, USC beat a top-12 team for the first time in Riley’s half-decade in charge. The postgame party was wet, but not dampened after the Trojans beat a top-five opponent at the Coliseum for the first time since 2015.
Bo Jackson rushed for 121 yards and Smith had 10 receptions for 83 yards for the Buckeyes, who couldn’t make it close despite racking up 464 total yards. Smith’s TD catch was his 40th, breaking Braylon Edwards’ Big Ten career record.
Ohio State hadn’t lost two games this early in a season since 2011, the year before Urban Meyer arrived in Columbus. The Buckeyes fell to 58-2 against unranked teams under Day, with this defeat joining their infamous home loss to Michigan in 2024.
One week after the Trojans produced the fewest points ever from a Riley-led offense, they shockingly surged to a 20-9 halftime lead following Mosley’s run through a defense that hadn’t allowed a play longer than 36 yards all season. Mosley then broke a 44-yard punt return and made an 18-yard reception to set up Jordan’s 9-yard TD run.
Ohio State produced 192 yards, but only three field goals from its first five drives – even when the Buckeyes reached the USC 1 shortly before halftime.
‘When we play like that, we’re unstoppable,’ USC defensive end Braylan Shelby said.
