No. 2 Ohio State’s offense isn’t any less potent just because star quarterback Julian Sayin is injured and out indefinitely this season.
Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is the leading contender to win the Heisman Trophy and is widely projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft, and USC will be faced with one of its biggest challenges yet when it tries to limit him in Saturday’s game at a sold-out Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
If the unranked Trojans (6-2 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) can keep the game close against such high-level talent, they can start to redeem themselves after last weekend’s blunder in Wisconsin.
USC head coach Lincoln Riley has only been around one other player that he can compare to Smith.
“The most dominant player that I’ve ever been around or coached was Michael Crabtree,” Riley said. “There’s been a lot of great receivers in college football over the last 20, 30 years.
“Crabtree is the best one that I’ve ever seen in person. In terms of being dominant at the college level, Jeremiah may be the closest thing to that I’ve seen in a while.”
Crabtree was a two-time All-American at Texas Tech before becoming the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft and playing 11 years in the league.
Having Smith can give the Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0), who are coming off a bye week, a sense of security now that it’s quarterback situation is up in the air. Head coach Ryan Day has not announced who Saturday’s starter will be, and his two options are largely inexperienced.
Freshman Luke Fahey, a Mission Viejo High product, has completed 9 of 13 passes for 203 yards and two interceptions in four games and could keep plays alive with his legs. Sophomore Tavien St. Clair has the bigger arm and is 5 of 7 for 52 yards and one interception in two games.
“There’s a relative element to that part of it that almost feels like a first game of the season,” Riley said. “They’re going to have a new guy back there. We’ve got to make life really tough on them. Our ability to adjust to anything that they try to do differently with these new quarterbacks will be the way we’ll be tested.”
Whoever starts under center will be looking for Smith, who has an elite ability to find open spaces and make contested catches. The 2024 Freshman All-American and 2025 All-American leads the Big Ten in yards (984) and touchdowns (12) and boasts 140.6 receiving yards a game and 7.4 yards per catch.
USC’s defense is allowing 8.1 yards per reception and 216.4 receiving yards a game, but an upset isn’t entirely out of reach if last week’s games are any indication.
Five unranked teams pulled off upsets against Top-25 opponents while playing at their home stadium.
“It’s us versus us at the end of the day,” Trojans safety Prophet Brown said. “There ain’t no underdog, overdog. We gotta play better than what we are now. We’re not trying to look to the focus as, ‘Oh, we gotta play this big team now.’ We gotta handle our side of things.”
When Ohio State has the ball
With the quarterback situation in flux, the Buckeyes might turn to their run game to give their new signal caller some time to settle in.
Bo Jackson (107 carries, 542 yards) and Ja’Kobi Jackson (59 carries, 356 yards) are their leading rushers, but Ja’Kobi Jackson will be unavailable after undergoing surgery for a Lisfranc injury. Isaiah West, with 133 yards on 28 rushes, will likely step into his role.
While USC’s secondary will have to double up on Smith, the defensive front will need to adjust quickly to what could be an unpredictable offense.
“The new guy’s a little bit difficult because you don’t have a lot of film on them from college,” USC defensive tackle Jide Abasiri said. “We’re just kind of making an estimate based on the things we have seen, and dealing with the O-line as well. That’s gonna be the main thing.”
USC’s rushing defense has performed better than its passing defense and Abasiri, an NFL Draft prospect, will be a key disrupter either on the interior or playing 3-technique. Freshman Luke Wafle, who has had three sacks in the last three games, will set the edge and could also get after the young quarterbacks.
When USC has the ball
USC’s passing offense is second in the conference behind Ohio State and has an offensive line that – aside from the Wisconsin game – has given quarterback Jayden Maiava plenty of time to go through his progressions and whip passes to leading receivers Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Trent Mosley.
Maiava’s timing will be critical against a Buckeyes pass defense that is directed by former NFL coach Matt Patricia and allows 171.4 passing yards a game. They may force Maiava to choose short passes to get the ball out quickly and avoid being pressured into a bad decision.
King Miller leads a Trojans run game that has struggled to break off explosive plays this season, and could be without second-leading running back Waymond Jordan this weekend.
Jordan has not been on the availability report but did not play against Wisconsin, and Riley said the senior is still getting back up to speed after recovering from an ankle injury.
No. 2 Ohio State (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) at USC (6-2, 3-2)
When: 4:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
TV/Radio: NBC (Ch. 4)/710 AM