Week 7 of the college football season featured several thrilling finishes and shocking top-five upsets. One of those thrilling games was the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes defeating the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers 19-15 in Bloomington, ending the defending national champions' 22-game winning streak.
The game also revealed what the No. 19 USC Trojans will be up against when they face the Buckeyes and the Hoosiers later in the season, two games that will determine USC’s College Football Playoff destiny. Here are three takeaways from the Buckeyes' win over the Hoosiers relating to the Trojans.
Julian Sayin Injury Could Give USC Trojans Advantage vs. Buckeyes
When the Trojans welcome the Buckeyes to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the first time since 2008, the Buckeyes will likely be without their star quarterback, Julian Sayin, who suffered a right shoulder injury in the win over the Hoosiers.
After the Buckeyes' redemption win over the Hoosiers, Ohio State coach Ryan Day announced that Sayin would miss several weeks. With this devastating injury news, the Buckeyes will likely start former three-star recruit quarterback Luke Fahey.
The true freshman quarterback from Mission Viejo, California, will be tasked with leading the Buckeyes offense against the Trojans on Oct. 31. Even with Sayin out, Buckeyes wide receiver and one of the top favorites to win the Heisman Trophy, Jeremiah Smith remains a threat for the Trojans' secondary, which has struggled throughout the year in its first season under defensive coordinator Gary Patterson.
Smith collected four receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown in the win over the Hoosiers, passing former Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Braylon Edwards for the most touchdowns by a Big Ten wideout.
USC Trojans Rush Defense vs. Ohio State Run Game Is Key Matchup
The Trojans' strength in their first year under Patterson has been their run defense. The defensive line group of Jahkeem Stewart, Luke Wafle, and Jide Abasiri has improved this year in creating pressure on the quarterback and stopping the run.
How the unit performs against the Buckeyes' running back duo of Bo Jackson and Isaiah West will be a deciding factor in whether coach Lincoln Riley earns his most signature win at USC by knocking off Ohio State.
Jackson leads the Buckeyes in rushing this season with 107 carries for 516 yards and four touchdowns. The sophomore running back, a Cleveland native, is averaging over 15 carries per game, so expect the Buckeyes to feed Jackson a good amount against the Trojans.
Josh Hoover’s Performance
In the Hoosiers' loss to the Buckeyes on Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana, starting quarterback Josh Hoover, who transferred from the TCU Horned Frogs to replace Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza, threw for 296 yards and one touchdown on 20-of-40 passing.
The bigger story, however, is how he overthrew Hoosiers wide receiver Nick Marsh, who was wide open for a touchdown on a game-winning drive. Marsh caught the ball in the end zone, but Hoover’s throw forced him to catch it out of bounds, allowing the Buckeyes to escape with the win.
The Nov. 14 clash between the Hoosiers and Trojans in Bloomington could decide the Trojans' CFP aspirations, and like all their matchups this season, USC’s defense must step up. If Hoover is on target with his receivers, the Hoosiers' wide receiver duo of Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker will be dangerous for the Trojans' defense.
Becker led the Hoosiers in receiving in the loss to the Buckeyes, recording nine receptions for 165 yards. Marsh added three receptions for 57 yards.
USC Trojans Pivotal Road Matchup vs. Wisconsin Badgers
Before their two most important games of the season against the Buckeyes and Hoosiers, the Trojans will first face a road test on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Camp Randall Stadium against the Wisconsin Badgers.
The Trojans and Badgers will kick off at Camp Randall Stadium at 4:30 p.m. PT. It’ll be another primetime matchup on NBC for the Trojans. The Badgers fell to 4-2 after suffering their first loss in Big Ten play to the No. 12 UCLA Bruins, losing 17-7 at the Rose Bowl.
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