The Two Numbers That Explain Ohio State’s Disastrous Loss to USC

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The Buckeyes loss to the Trojans now brings in a lot of questions from the media and fans on what they are going to do going forward.

There are so many different times and places in that game that fans could blame this loss on, but there are two numbers specifically that jump off the page as why the Buckeyes had such a disastrous loss.

1. 80 Years

Ryan Day and Lincoln Riley

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day talks to USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley prior to the NCAA football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Oct. 31, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It has been 80 years since the Buckeyes have won a regular season road game against USC and that streak continues. That last win for Ohio State: Oct. 5 1946, they beat the Trojans 21-0 in that contest.

Already it felt like there was a curse on the Buckeyes in the regular season and to make it worse they played them on Halloween. It felt like this was always going to be such a tough task for a true freshman like Luke Fahey to have his first start as a Buckeyes and try to break the streak.

Now that the Trojans are in the Big Ten there will be a multitude of chances to try and break this huge streak, but for now that streak continues and feels like it was a big reason for the Buckeyes big loss against the Trojans.

2. 11

Ohio State Offensive Line

Oct 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Helmets at the line of scrimmage as Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Gabe Vansickle (58) snaps the ball against the Southern California Trojans in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

11. That is how many penalties the Buckeyes had against the Trojans.

They were setting themselves up behind the chains and giving the Trojans free yards all throughout the game. It forced them to be playing on their heels instead of taking charge and trying to win the battle up front.

They had five more penalties than the Trojans did for 29 more yards. All of the offensive penalties setup your freshman quarterback to fail more often than not.

A lot of that also comes down to the coaching. Ryan Day has had his struggles in big games and it felt like there was quite a few mental mistakes that ultimately led to the big downfall for the Buckeyes.

Ryan Day, Ohio State

Oct 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day reacts after the game against the Southern California Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even with Oregon being unranked now, that does not mean they can be taken lightly. There are a lot of things that need to be cleaned up going into a home matchup against the Ducks.

Penalties hurt the Buckeyes badly against the Trojans which is something that can very easily be cleaned up heading into this weekend. The 80 years since the last road win will have to wait a little longer until the next opportunity to try and break the streak.

It now becomes a must win on Saturday for the Buckeyes after a huge loss to the Trojans on Halloween.

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