The Ohio State Buckeyes had a bye week to prepare for USC following the season-ending injury to quarterback Julian Sayin against Indiana, and it didn’t matter. Ohio State lost on the road 30-18 to USC in Week 9, and the Buckeyes are now a 6-2 team that can’t afford another loss if they want to be in the College Football Playoff.

Ohio State has its back against the wall following the loss to the Trojans, and it was a game the Buckeyes couldn’t drop. There’s plenty to sort through coming out of Los Angeles. Below is a look at the winners and losers for Ohio State coming out of the loss. 

Winner: K Connor Hawkins

The only true bright spot for the Buckeyes in Week 9 was the kicker. Kicker Connor Hawkins went 4-of-4 on his kicks, including a 47-yard field goal. Hawkins was the one consistent piece for Ohio State all night. It was a good day for him and a tough day everywhere else.

Loser: Ryan Day

Head coach Ryan Day talked going into this game about how important it was for the team to come together around freshman quarterback Luke Fahey. That’s the exact opposite of what happened. Ohio State looked unprepared for this USC team, and now the Buckeyes are in a tough spot.

Ohio State committed 11 penalties for 71 yards, and that’s how you lose football games on the road in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes had a couple of weeks to get their freshman quarterback ready to go out and get the job done. It didn’t look like Fahey was put in a great position to do so.

Several coaching miscues showed up in this game. Perhaps the biggest was Ohio State’s inability to go up-tempo late when it needed points. The Buckeyes were still milking the clock, and it was a questionable decision across the board. This is a loss Day is going to have to wear.

Loser: DC Matt Patricia

Ohio State needed everyone to step up around the quarterback, and that included a defense that had been good all season. Instead, the unit allowed 27 points to a USC team that managed just seven points against Wisconsin last week.

USC put together 339 total yards of offense. The Trojans did that while holding the ball for only 19 minutes, partly because of the short fields they were working with. Still, it was the kind of performance the defense couldn’t afford to have.

USC did a lot of damage through the air, and missed tackles were a problem for Ohio State. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia didn’t have his unit ready to play.

Loser: DE Kenyatta Jackson Jr.

Ohio State needed a pass rush to show up in a game where USC was doing damage through the air, and it didn’t happen. The Buckeyes didn’t get a single sack all night.

In a game like this, you need your defensive end leader to make his presence felt. Defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. finished with just one tackle. Outside of that, he was a non-factor for Ohio State’s defense.

Loser: WR Devin McCuin

Wide receiver Devin McCuin had a chance to reel in a deep touchdown pass with under two minutes to go and dropped it. A catch there would have made it a one-possession game late.

It was the second missed opportunity for McCuin. He also had a ball overthrown in the first half that could have gone for a touchdown. McCuin finished with one catch for 17 yards. The Buckeyes needed more from a player who is supposed to be their second wide receiver, especially with Brandon Inniss out.

Ohio State now has to win out to keep its playoff hopes alive. That is a tall order with a freshman quarterback and a coaching staff that has plenty to clean up.