No. 2 Ohio State\u2019s offense isn\u2019t any less potent just because star quarterback Julian Sayin is injured and out indefinitely this season.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s game at a sold-out Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s blunder in Wisconsin<\/a>.<\/p>\n USC head coach Lincoln Riley has only been around one other player that he can compare to Smith.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most dominant player that I\u2019ve ever been around or coached was Michael Crabtree,\u201d Riley said. \u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of great receivers in college football over the last 20, 30 years.<\/p>\n \u201cCrabtree is the best one that I\u2019ve ever seen in person. In terms of being dominant at the college level, Jeremiah may be the closest thing to that I\u2019ve seen in a while.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Having Smith can give the Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0), who are coming off a bye week, a sense of security now that it\u2019s quarterback situation is up in the air. Head coach Ryan Day has not announced who Saturday\u2019s starter will be, and his two options are largely inexperienced.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a relative element to that part of it that almost feels like a first game of the season,\u201d Riley said. \u201cThey\u2019re going to have a new guy back there. We\u2019ve 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\u2019ll be tested.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n USC\u2019s defense is allowing 8.1 yards per reception and 216.4 receiving yards a game, but an upset isn\u2019t entirely out of reach if last week\u2019s games are any indication.<\/p>\n Five unranked teams pulled off upsets against Top-25 opponents while playing at their home stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s us versus us at the end of the day,\u201d Trojans safety Prophet Brown said. \u201cThere ain\u2019t no underdog, overdog. We gotta play better than what we are now. We\u2019re not trying to look to the focus as, \u2018Oh, we gotta play this big team now.\u2019 We gotta handle our side of things.\u201d<\/p>\n When Ohio State has the ball<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Bo Jackson (107 carries, 542 yards) and Ja\u2019Kobi Jackson (59 carries, 356 yards) are their leading rushers, but Ja\u2019Kobi 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.<\/p>\n While USC\u2019s secondary will have to double up on Smith, the defensive front will need to adjust quickly to what could be an unpredictable offense.<\/p>\n \u201cThe new guy\u2019s a little bit difficult because you don\u2019t have a lot of film on them from college,\u201d USC defensive tackle Jide Abasiri said. \u201cWe\u2019re just kind of making an estimate based on the things we have seen, and dealing with the O-line as well. That\u2019s gonna be the main thing.\u201d<\/p>\n