USC Upsets No. 2 Ohio State 30-18, Biggest Win of Lincoln Riley's Tenure

USC beat No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 on Saturday night, Halloween, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, giving coach Lincoln Riley the biggest win of his USC tenure. Jayden Maiava passed for 222 yards and a touchdown, and King Miller and Waymond Jordan each rushed for a score. Freshman receiver Trent Mosley scored on a 69-yard screen pass less than a minute into the game. Ohio State, 6-1 entering the night, played without starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who hurt his elbow against Indiana two weeks earlier. The Buckeyes gained 484 yards but struggled in the red zone, and their line had trouble protecting quarterback Luke Fahey. USC had lost to Wisconsin a week earlier, rushing for minus-17 yards. It was only the sixth win over a ranked opponent in Riley's 21 tries at USC. The Trojans return to the College Football Playoff discussion, with Indiana and unbeaten UCLA still ahead.

The New York Times, the left-leaning outlet, frames the game around Ohio State: its headline puts the Buckeyes in rare territory on the Playoff bubble, and it notes Sayin's absence while saying their problems went beyond the quarterback. Right-leaning outlets split. The New York Post centers Riley, moving from hot seat to Halloween hero, and stresses the Wisconsin collapse and Mosley's early touchdown. Fox News centers Ohio State, calling its title hopes fading, and focuses on the Sayin injury, Fahey, and the offensive line. Both sides agree on the score and the missing quarterback, but differ on whether the story is USC's rebound or Ohio State's weakness. ESPN and CBS lean toward the Riley angle, with CBS adding his comments on his job security.