Lincoln Riley was left for dead at USC. Then he stunned Ohio State - USA Today

LOS ANGELES – If you were one of the thousands of people calling for an ambulance to come pick up Lincoln Riley’s USC career, by all means, call again.

Needing a win to save his season and perhaps his job, Riley finally delivered the signature victory he has spent five years desperately searching for at No. 25 Southern California. USC stunned No. 2 Ohio State 30-18, emphatically announcing that these Trojans, and their coach, aren’t dead yet.

That’s remarkable considering just how miserable the vibes around Los Angeles had become.

While preparing for the biggest game of his season, Riley spent the week defending his job status after an ugly loss to Wisconsin, recycling many of the same answers that have accompanied USC’s annual disappointments.

All of Troy was tired of hearing them.

They wanted results, not excuses, especially against ranked teams.

And on Halloween night, there were no tricks.

USC punched Ohio State in the mouth on the second play of the game, with Trent Mosley taking a quick bubble pass 69 yards untouched for a touchdown. Much like the rain falling in Los Angeles, the Trojans didn’t let up all night.

For once, the offense looked exactly like a Riley-coached unit should. USC shredded one of the nation’s best defenses, an Ohio State group that entered allowing just 13.4 points per game, fourth-best in the country.

Matt Patricia couldn’t solve Jayden Maiava. Freshmen Mosley and Mark Bowman played like grown men. And a running game that somehow finished with minus-17 yards against Wisconsin suddenly found holes against Ohio State’s defensive front.

The Buckeyes surrendered their most points since their 2024 loss to Oregon.

Normally, when Ohio State’s defense has an off night, that’s when Jeremiah Smith and the Buckeyes’ Rolodex of playmakers come to the rescue.

The Heisman Trophy favorite apparently left his Superman costume back in Columbus.

Smith had four catches for 40 yards in the first quarter, then largely disappeared until the fourth, when USC had already built its cushion and could afford to play conservatively. The rest of Ohio State’s offense offered little help, struggling to hold onto the ball or generate anything consistently.

Some of that falls on freshman Luke Fahey, who was making his first career start. The jitters and mistakes were obvious, even on a roster as talented as Ohio State’s. His performance will leave Ryan Day facing plenty of questions about what the quarterback position should look like during the final month of the season.

Still, explanations only go so far.

This was a USC defense that had been dragged around by virtually every Power conference opponent it faced this season. Moving the ball against the Trojans wasn’t supposed to be this difficult.

Ohio State made it look nearly impossible.

Make whatever excuse for the Buckeyes you’d like. Riley earned this win like a kid walking miles through the neighborhood on Halloween night to fill a pillowcase with candy.

His reputation had hit rock bottom entering a game against the caliber of opponent he has so often failed to beat at USC. The Trojans seemed to be inching closer to showing him the door.

He beat top-5 team for the first since his first season at Oklahoma (2017, also against Ohio State), and suddenly USC is back in the College Football Playoff conversation.

That 7-2 record looks a whole lot different now.

And if USC can put Ohio State away like this, why can’t it do it again in two weeks against Indiana? Win that one, and there’s no denying the Trojans are charging toward the elusive first playoff appearance that seemed nearly impossible just one week ago.

So, if you already counted Riley out, alerted the morgue that his USC tenure was on the way and started wondering where he might coach next, you might want to hold that thought.

On Halloween night, both came roaring back to life.