Jayden Maiava threw for 222 yards and a score as the unranked Trojans handed the Buckeyes their upset loss and gave Lincoln Riley the biggest win of his USC tenure.
USC beat No. 2 Ohio State 30-18 on Saturday night, a result that instantly becomes the signature win of Lincoln Riley's time in Los Angeles. Jayden Maiava passed for 222 yards and a touchdown, while King Miller and Waymond Jordan each added a rushing score to seal the upset.
The win is a jolt for a Trojans program that entered the week unranked at 6-2 and facing growing questions about Riley's job security. Ohio State, ranked second in the country, had been treated as the toughest remaining test on USC's schedule, and the Trojans passed it at home in convincing fashion.
Riley, who had been notably measured and restrained with reporters afterward given the magnitude of the win, could not resist addressing a question about whether a path to the College Football Playoff still exists for USC. The win keeps that possibility alive, though Indiana and UCLA still remain on the schedule before any postseason conversation becomes real.
For now, the victory buys Riley time and quiets, at least temporarily, the chatter about his future at USC.