The Ohio State football program had a chance to show everyone that they were still a national title contender. The coaching staff had two weeks to prepare for USC. Matt Patricia was supposed to help the defense be the unit that could be leaned on. Instead, it was a disaster.
USC scored seven points against a Wisconsin team that got blown out against Iowa. Yet, they had no issues scoring against Ohio State's defense. The Buckeyes allowed 20 first-half points. USC ended up winning this game 30-18 in a game that was appalling to watch,
Matt Patricia should be ashamed with the defensive effort
Ohio State has a defensive issue. Patricia had a horrible game plan for this game. Ohio State's defense had no chance to stop a bad USC offense. It was like Patricia spent the last two weeks doing nothing, because that's what the defense looked like they were doing.
For a team that ran for -17 yards against the Badgers, Ohio State looked like the worst possible defense. The Trojans ran for 117 yards. They ended up running for 4.5 yards per carry. It was a horrendous effort from the entire defense, and they tackled as poorly as USC normally does.
Ryan Day made it clear all week that he was expecting to lean on the defense and the running game in this contest. That was clearly the wrong move. Patricia may not have had this defense ready to stop a high school offense based on how they performed. Even in the rain, they let USC do whatever they wanted.
The defense was the biggest issue, but it was far from the only issue in this game. The special teams were bad yet again, as they allowed several huge returns in this game. Offensively, it was a massive drop-off from what Julian Sayin was able to provide. A title is very far away.
Luke Fahey doesn't look like the answer to Ohio State's QB issues
Fahey didn't play terribly, but he was no threat to push the ball down the field. He missed Devin McCuin multiple times for a wide-open touchdown. For all of the Sayin haters, he clearly would have hit those passes. He also would have been better at pushing the ball down the field.
It wasn't all his fault. Fahey had several drops from his receivers, which was not what a true freshman needed in the first start of his career. Still, he didn't push the ball down the field until the game was already over when the Buckeyes were down two touchdowns.
It wouldn't be shocking if Day decided to play Tavien St. Clair next week against Oregon. At this point, Ohio State is fighting for its season. They need someone who can actually push the ball down the field from the start of the game. However, Fahey is far from the biggest issue Ohio State faces.
If this is how the defense is going to play for the rest of the year, Ohio State's season is done. They have no shot to make the College Football Playoff, let alone a national title.
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