The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes are on the road and gearing up to take on the USC Trojans on Saturday night.
However, the Buckeyes will be without star quarterback Julian Sayin, who’s expected to miss the rest of the season with an elbow injury.
That paves the way for expected second-string quarterback Luke Fahey, a true freshman from the California area, to become the Buckeyes’ new starter and make his first career start against the Trojans.
Kirk Herbstreit Makes Strong Statement on Fahey
Ahead of the matchup at 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit spoke about Fahey on “College GameDay” and what he’ll need to do against the Trojans’ defense.
“The big thing that Luke Fahey has to understand, a Southern California guy is not to feel like has to make plays,” Herbstreit said. “Think about the talent he has around him. A punt is ok, every drive ending in a kick whether it’s a punt, a field goal, or an extra point. Just not feeling like he has to do it.
“13 attempts he’s been picked off twice so on the road for the first time being the starter, I think Arthur Smith, the experience he has of teams loading the line of scrimmage, I think he’s used to that. Just don’t lose the game. And the reason he’s in there over St. Clair, he understands the offense. The game make sense to him so just play smart and Ohio State should be fine offensively.”
Here’s what Luke Fahey needs to do for the Buckeyes tonight against USC https://t.co/jsx8zCHHBh
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) October 31, 2026
Looking at Fahey
Although he’s a true freshman with limited collegiate experience, Fahey has backed up Sayin all season and entered several games when the Buckeyes held big leads.
He also entered the game against Indiana two weeks ago after Sayin suffered an injury in the fourth quarter.
Across four games, Fahey has attempted 13 passes and completed 69.4% of them for 203 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s averaging 15.6 yards per completion.
Ultimately, he’ll need to rely on a strong run game centered around Bo Jackson and get the ball to his playmakers on the outside, including Jeremiah Smith and freshman Chris Henry Jr.
Kirk Herbstreit Makes Strong Statement on New Starting Ohio State QB Luke Fahey