3 & Out: Ohio State seeks first win at USC since 1946

First Down

Players to watch for USC

1) Jayden Maiava

Saturday night’s game will be a battle of youth versus experience at quarterback.

This marks Jayden Maiava’s second season as USC’s starting quarterback, and third overall after starting for UNLV as a freshman. Maiava has thrown for 10,299 yards and 71 touchdowns in his college career.

Despite having a receiving corps that is made up of mostly underclassmen, Maiava is still leading the Big Ten in touchdown passes and passing yards per game this season. Even though he doesn’t run a lot, the quarterback can also make plays with his legs if needed.

With how much he has played in college, there isn’t much Maiava hasn’t seen. While Matt Patricia is one of the most brilliant defensive minds in the business, Maiava has the football IQ to diagnose what Patricia may scheme to try and throw him off his game.

2) Trent Mosley

One of the most talented young receivers in college football is Trent Mosley. Entering this week’s game, Mosley is second on the team with 27 catches for 411 yards, as well as a team-high five receiving touchdowns.

After missing a couple games earlier in the season, Mosley returned to the field earlier this month against Penn State, hauling in nine passes for 111 yards and a score.

In the five games he has found the end zone in four of those contests and recorded at least 100 yards receiving in three games.

3) Kennedy Urlacher

The most dynamic player on the USC defensive is the son of an NFL legend. Kennedy Urlacher is the son of former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.

After staring his college career at Notre Dame, where he was part of the 2024 team that lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Urlacher transferred to USC after his freshman season.

After recording 26 tackles in 2025, Urlacher has nearly matched that number this year with 23 tackles. Five of those stops were behind the line of scrimmage and three were sacks. Urlacher has also forced a fumble.

Urlacher doesn’t quite have the size of his father but there’s no doubt some of the tricks of the trade when it comes to play defense have been passed down to him. Urlacher lines up at safety for the Trojans in a secondary that will be tested by Jeremiah Smith and Chris Henry Jr.

Second Down

Keys for Ohio State

1) Stick to the basics

When Julian Sayin made his first start last year against Texas he wasn’t asked to do much. Against a tough Texas defense, the goal for Sayin was to make some safe throws and not make any critical mistakes that might cost the Buckeyes the game.

The confidence he gained in his first start led to him being a Heisman Trophy finalist a few months later.

No matter if it’s Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair taking the snaps on Saturday, expect a similar mindset from Ryan Day and Arthur Smith. Comfort will be key against the Trojans. Since Sayin won’t be returning this season, Saturday night will be the first step in building confidence for the quarterback on a team with serious national title hopes.

Not only will Fahey or St. Clair have Jeremiah Smith to throw to, they’ll have 1,000-yard rusher Bo Jackson in the backfield with them. With how much talent there is on offense, the new quarterback can rely heavily on those around them to take some of the pressure off in their first start.

2) Hit hard, hit often

One thing that is quite obvious about USC under Lincoln Riley is they are a soft team. Wisconsin showed last week it’s not hard to throw the Trojans off their game by being more physical than them. Luke Fickell gave his alma mater a perfect script on how to beat USC.

Ohio State is coming off an incredibly physical battle with Indiana but the Buckeyes should be fresh after their bye week. Jay Timmons changed the game with how he was flying around the field in the second half against the Hoosiers.

If Timmons and his defensive teammates can channel their play against Induana into this week’s game then it’s likely the Trojans fold early on.

3) Don’t get rattled early

Once Julian Sayin went down against Indiana, Luke Fahey looked panicked and unprepared for the moment. It’s understandable when he was unexpectedly called into action on the road against the defending national champs. Luckily the Buckeyes were able to survive after Nick Marsh lost track of where the sideline was.

Even though the atmosphere won’t be as wild in Los Angeles on Saturday night, it’s never easy to win in the road in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes are still going across the country to play one of the most prestigious programs in college football history with a brand new starting quarterback.

What Ohio State can’t afford to do is get flustered early. While the Buckeyes are the better team, USC is still talented and could capitalize on any self-inflicted wounds Ohio State makes. Ryan Day’s team needs to play with confidence early and not beat themselves. If they do that then the Buckeyes should be able to head back home with a victory.

Third Down

Notable Ohio State/USC connections

1) Pete Carroll

The architect of the USC dynasty in the aughts actually spent a year in Columbus as Ohio state’s secondary coach in 1979. Carroll was actually member of Earle Brice’s staff at Iowa State before following Bruce to Ohio State.

After his one year with the Buckeyes, Carroll went on to become the defensive coordinator at NC State.

During nine years at USC, Carroll went 97-19 and won two national titles with the Trojans. Under Carroll, USC reclaimed their spot as one of the most dominant programs in college football.

After his time with the Trojans, Carroll returned to the NFL and would lead the Seattle Seahawks to their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history. Most recently Carroll spent the 2025 season coaching the LAs Vegas Raiders, where former Ohio State offensive coordinator would accept the same position on Carroll’s staff.

2) Rob Ryan

The current assistant head coach for defense/ linebackers for the Trojans was a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 1988 for head coach John Cooper. Ryan is the son of legendary NFL head coach Buddy Ryan, as well as the brother of former NFL head coach Rex Ryan.

Ryan was part of the New England Patriots coaching staff under Bill Belichick, winning two Super Bowls during his time with the team. After three decades as an NFL assistant, last year Ryan returned to the college level for the first time since 1993.

3) Kayden Dixon-Wyatt

USC’s freshman wide receiver was originally an Ohio State commit before flipping to USC. It’s understandable why Dixon-Wyatt decided to play for the Trojans since he was a product of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California.

Entering Saturday’s game, Dixon-Wyatt leads USC with 32 catches and 443 receiving yards, as well as being tied for second on the team with four receiving touchdowns. Coming out of high school, Dixon-Wyatt was rated as a four-star recruit.

& Out

Prediction: 31-17, Ohio State