​Ohio State struggled across the board in a 30-18 loss at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Oct. 31.In their first game this season without Julian Sayin as the starting quarterback, the Buckeyes lost to an unranked opponent for just the second time in the Ryan Day era. Freshman Luke Fahey found star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith 10 times while passing for 260 yards and a touchdown, but he struggled with accuracy and completed just 55.3% of his throws.The Buckeyes bigger issue was they were flagged for 11 penalties, costing them 75 yards.See how the Buckeyes graded out below. Grades are given on a scale of one to five Buckeye leaves.Offense grade: 2 leavesFahey showed impressive in-game awareness considering he was making his first start, but he lacked precision when throwing to the end zone and he has yet to build chemistry with some of his receivers. Whatever his weaknesses, Ohio State’s offense had bigger problems. Once again, the red zone operation staggered. The Buckeyes got to the goal line on a quarterback sneak for a chance to get within a field goal of the Trojans in the second quarter. OSU then went backwards five yards on the next four plays after a run for no gain by Bo Jackson, a false start penalty by Nate Roberts and two incomplete passes.The running game was consistent. Jackson finished with 124 yards on 24 rushes, while Isaiah West had 13 carries for 69 yards. West’s fumble in the third quarter, however, killed momentum and led to another USC touchdown.Most of OSU’s offensive numbers were inflated due to the Trojans playing conservatively while up 15 points in the fourth quarter. Outside of Smith, no pass catcher had more than three receptions, but five players had two.Offensive penalties killed Ohio State, which is why the Buckeyes scavenged just one touchdown on the night.You can read the Dispatch’s grade for Fahey in his starting debut here.Defense grade: 1 leafThe defense had two major blunders.The Trojans scored on a 69-yard play-action screen pass to Trent Mosley, who sprinted untouched to the end zone on the second play of the game. It wasn’t the only time Ohio State demonstrated a lack of awareness in the middle of the field, but it was certainly the costliest. Without injured freshman Jay Timmons, Phillip Caldwell played at nickel corner, and he was blocked away from the play.The Trojans landed the finishing blow in the third quarter. Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava found freshman tight end Mark Bowman over the middle of the field, and Bowman proceeded to embarrass the secondary. He hurdled over safety Jaylen McClain, broke attempted tackles by linebacker Christian Alliegro and safety Earl Little Jr. and sprinted to the 3-yard line for a 70-yard completion. The Trojans scored a touchdown two plays later for a 17-point lead.OH MY MARK BOWMAN!He hurdles a man and then almost takes it to the house for @uscfb(Via NBC) pic.twitter.com/xf0xphVpBZ— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 1, 2026Ohio State was one of two FBS