The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes’ season is officially on life support after losing 30-18 to the USC Trojans on Saturday night.
It was clear that things were going to be challenging for the Buckeyes in several ways, as true freshman quarterback Luke Fahey was making his first career start with starter Julian Sayin injured.
However, the Buckeyes knew going into the game that they would have to rely on their defense and special teams to step up and lead the charge. And that ultimately didn’t happen.
Fahey’s Performance Against USC
While Fahey’s command of the offense wasn’t perfect and the Buckeyes struggled mightily in the red zone, having to settle for four field goals in the game, the freshman actually held his own and battled all night long.
He completed 21 of 28 passes with a handful of drops by the wide receivers mixed in. He threw for 260 yards and a touchdown while committing zero turnovers.
The Buckeyes rushed for 204 yards on the ground as a team, with running back Bo Jackson carrying it 21 times for 121 yards.
Yet, they simply couldn’t convert their drives into touchdowns, and the defense struggled in just about every facet. That put even more pressure on Fahey to be the hero, which simply wasn’t a realistic way to win the game.
Ryan Day on how the game went tonight against USC:
“There’s just way too many mistakes…”
#GoBucks https://t.co/RhhK4DuJHG
— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) November 1, 2026
Ryan Day Drops Honest Quote on Fahey
Speaking to the media after the game, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day fully defended Fahey, citing that they did not do a good enough job as a team to put him in a position to be successful.
“At the end of the day, as a team, we weren’t able – to me – to play well enough to support a young freshman quarterback who was making his first start on the road,” Day said after the loss.
“I think for Luke, he competed. It wasn’t perfect,” Day added before noting the wide receiver drops as another issue that wasn’t beneficial to the young QB.
Ohio State tight end Mason Williams on Luke Fahey: “I don‘t think we could have expected anything better from Luke today. He went out there, and he battled his butt off.”
Ryan Day: “At the end of the day, as a team, we weren’t able – to me – to play well enough to support a young freshman quarterback who was making his first start on the road.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 1, 2026
Looking at Ohio State
The Buckeyes are now a two-loss team, and their backs are firmly against the wall moving forward.
They have four games remaining and will likely have to win all of them to get into the College Football Playoff, starting with a home matchup against Oregon next week. After that, they’ll face Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan.
Ohio State’s Ryan Day Drops Honest Quote on QB Luke Fahey After USC Loss