Ohio State Thoroughly Beaten By USC, Putting the Season Officially on the Brink

The Ohio State Buckeyes were down their starting quarterback, Julian Sayin, and by the looks of it, they were down their entire defense. 

From the first drive to the last, the Buckeyes were beaten handily by the USC Trojans, and now they are firmly on the brink of College Football Playoff elimination. The sad truth of the matter is that a lot of tonight had nothing to do with the backup quarterback. 

Had Julian Sayin played, not too much would have changed, at least on the defensive side of the ball. The things that Buckeye fans feared all came to fruition on Saturday night. The Buckeyes, as they were down Jay Timmons, couldn't stop anything through the air, and when USC ran the ball, they found some success. 

USC averaged close to 5 yards per carry on the ground, threw for over 200 yards, and when they needed a big play, they got it. 

Truthfully, the box score does not tell the story of this football game. Ohio State dominated time of possession, ran the heck out of the football, and the game was tied in the turnover battle.

The major difference in this game was the goal-line stand that the Trojans had right before half. 

Right before half, the Buckeyes drove the length of the football field and got the ball down inside the one-yard line. Quite literally, they had the ball first and goal from about the one-foot line. 

As they lined up for second down, they false started, and then it was on. A run that went nowhere, followed by two incompletions, turned a touchdown opportunity into a field goal, and all of the momentum fell on the side of the Trojans heading into halftime. 

The second half was a story that was told by the weather. On a rare night in Southern California, rain became a major factor, and it was a battle of field position. The Buckeyes, on the back of Luke Fahey, just couldn't get anything going on the offensive side of the ball, and then they simply couldn't get out of their own way. 

The result is Ohio State heading back to the East Coast with a 6-2 record and a loss to an unranked team. I'm unsure where they will land, but you would have to guess that the Buckeyes will be between 10 and 15. 

Regardless of where they land, their backs are completely against the wall now. They have four games left without their starting quarterback, and they simply cannot afford to lose another game. If they do, their postseason hopes are completely gone. 

For now, thank God that Nick Marsh didn't feel the sideline last week because if he did, Ohio State's season would be over. For now, the Buckeyes' heart is still beating, but the urgency is as high as it has ever been to keep their season alive.