Bogging down in the red zone, settling for field goals. Numerous penalties. Defensive collapses. Special teams miscues. And a visibly and understandably frustrated Jeremiah Smith.
Ohio State outgained USC by 126 yards, held the ball for nearly 40 minutes, and lost by 12. That should bother everyone in Columbus, because it points to fixable problems, and Oregon is next.
The Buckeyes (6-2) host the Ducks on Saturday, November 7 at 3:30 p.m. ET; CBS will be broadcasting the game. Oregon (5-3) has been inconsistent but dangerous, and it already beat USC 41-27 on September 26. That’s 23 more points than Ohio State managed against the same Trojans. Here is what has to change.
The Red Zone
This is the biggest problem. Ohio State ran 18 red-zone plays against USC (8 rushes, 10 pass targets) and scored one touchdown, a 1-yard pass with 2:18 left, long after the game was decided. The rest of the trips ended in four field goals (23, 34, 39 and 47 yards). The offense produced 464 total yards and 25 first downs, and it still scored only 18 points.
I was reminded of the line Sean Connery said in the movie “The Untouchables”, bringing a knife to a gun fight. Settling for field goals leaves points on the board, and it also keeps a trailing team from ever getting ahead of a good opponent. Oregon scored on USC when it mattered. Ohio State needs to find a short-yardage identity, whether that’s a reliable runner (Isaiah West?), a quarterback keeper by Luke Fahey, or a play-action shot, so drives stop dying at the 10.
Explosive Plays On Defense
Regardless, you can boil the game down to a play where a TE hurdles the defense en route to a 70 yard gain. Can’t win when your defense is doing stuff like that.
— Joshua Perry (@mrjoshuaperry) November 1, 2026
USC averaged 6.8 yards per play on just 50 snaps. The game’s first play from scrimmage that mattered was a 69-yard touchdown pass to Trent Mosley. USC completed 15 of 23 passes for 222 yards and averaged 14.8 yards per catch.
Ohio State’s defense didn’t give up long drives, since USC held the ball for only 20:32. It gave up chunk plays and short fields. Oregon’s offense has been streaky, scoring 84 against Portland State and 41 against USC but just 10 against Illinois and 15 against UCLA. The way to keep the Ducks in the low-scoring version of themselves is to make them earn every yard, which means no busted coverages and no missed tackles on the back end.
A Slow Start
Ohio State trailed 14-3 after the first quarter and 20-9 at halftime. Early deficits take away the run game, force the quarterback to throw into pressure, and make the red zone failures more costly. The Buckeyes finished 21 of 38 for 260 yards (6.5 yards per attempt) and were sacked twice. The first two drives against Oregon need a script that gets points on the board and keeps the crowd involved.
Penalties And Discipline
Ohio State committed 11 penalties for 71 yards, nearly double USC’s 6 for 42. Those flags cost field position and stalled drives; the false start after Ohio State had a first and goal eventually forced Ohio State to settle for a field goal. Turnovers were even (one each), so the penalty gap is a bigger deal than it looks. In a game against a team that can score quickly, free yards matter.
The Bottom Line
The USC game was a loss of execution rather than talent. If the Buckeyes finish drives with touchdowns instead of field goals, start faster, tighten the secondary, and clean up the penalties, Saturday against Oregon becomes a game they should control. By most preseason accounts, Oregon was going to be a challenging opponent, so the game on Saturday will be an opportunity for Ryan Day and his team to show that the Buckeyes are still very much a worthwhile participant in The College Football Playoff.
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