Lincoln Riley Doesn't Hold Back on Mark Bowman, Trent Mosley After Ohio State Win

The No. 18 USC Trojans are back in the AP Top 25 Poll after upsetting the then-ranked No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and as it's been the case throughout this season for USC, the Trojans leaned on multiple freshmen in route to the victory.

USC Coach Lincoln Riley on Trent Mosley, Mark Bowman

USC freshman receiver Trent Mosley started things off with a bang, catching a 69-yard touchdown from quarterback Jayden Maiava to give the Trojans the lead on the second play of the game. After Mosley's early touchdown, Ohio State never took the lead over USC.

usc trojans lincoln riley freshmen trent mosley mark bowman big ten ohio state buckeyes upset win kannon smith — Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (2) tackles USC Trojans wide receiver Trent Mosley (4) during the NCAA football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Oct. 31, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“You grab momentum right away. The crown went nuts. I just think you get those opportunities to go take it right away, and we did. He’s an electric player. Guys blocked it up awesome and that was huge. Just to set the tone, like you said, for the entire day," USC coach Lincoln Riley said when asked about Mosley after the win.

Meanwhile, Trojans freshman tight end Mark Bowman turned heads in his return from injury. His highlight of the night was arguably the biggest one from the entire game, a 70 yard reception that saw Bowman hurdle a defender and break multiple tackles before being forced out of bounds just shy of the goal line.

Mosley finished his night with five receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown while Bowman logged three receptions for 79 yards.

Riley also provided an update on Bowman, who has been a game time decision on every one of the Trojans' availability reports since the Oregon game.

"He’s been getting closer. This was the first week that he was actually able to fully practice. By the end of the week, we thought, okay, there’s a chance, but still have to see how he feels on game day. But warm up went well tonight. He was on pretty low pitch count. We knew we weren’t going to be able to play many reps, but obviously he’s an explosive player, and he is coming back. It’s like anything when you get your best players back, it makes a big difference. And he made a big difference tonight.”

Lincoln Riley on Kannon Smith

Another freshman that impressed against Ohio State, though potentially under the radar, was offensive lineman Kannon Smith.

Smith started against the Buckeyes, and USC had one of its better running games in Big Ten play, averaging 4.3 yards per carry and picking up two touchdowns on the ground while facing the No. 2 team in the nation.

"He battled his ass off. That’s not an easy front to go make your first start against," said Riley. "So he’s a tough sucker. He is going to be a really good player, like a lot of those young linemen that we have on both sides of the ball, but that was key, and he’s been showing it in practice. We weren’t surprised that he could go in there and do pretty well, and he did a hell of a job."

The Ohio State defense logged seven tackles for loss on the night, but USC's offensive line only allowed one sack all evening. Can the Trojans carry the momentum for the rest of the schedule?

Riley and company will enjoy their second bye week of the season before traveling to face No. 6 Indiana. The Trojans close out the season with the Hoosiers, Maryland, and No. 5 UCLA.

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