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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Ohio State heads into Saturday's contest against USC at The Coliseum at 6-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play. The Buckeyes are one of just two remaining teams in the Big Ten that are undefeated against conference opponents, and they just took out the defending champion Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington two weeks ago before going into their bye week.
All signs point to another strong finish this season under Ryan Day, but they'll need to handle the Trojans Saturday without starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who is out indefinitely with an injury to his throwing arm and shoulder. True freshman Luke Fahey is now set to start in his place against USC and potentially for the rest of the season.
Leading up to the game, college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit said all eyes right now are on Ohio State to see what this Buckeyes team looks like without their star quarterback.
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"I think a lot of people want to see who Ohio State is," Herbstreit said on "College GameDay." "Who is Ohio State without their starting quarterback? I think all eyes are going to be on The Coliseum to find out: are they going ultra-conservative? Can they win with just defense? And be careful on offense? Or is Ryan Day and Arthur Smith saying, 'What the heck, let's trust the kid and let's take some chances.' There are a lot of eyes, and the committee wants to really evaluate this team."
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Fahey was a three-star recruit and the No. 35 quarterback prospect in the 2026 class by 247Sports, committing to Ohio State over other top programs like Indiana, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Stanford, among others. At just 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, he's an undersized quarterback and has less college experience than sophomore Tavien St. Clair, a former five-star prospect now in his second season with the Buckeyes. But Day clearly believes in the freshman enough to put him in against a competitive USC team, in a tough road environment.
Fahey has yet to start a game for Ohio State, but he's looked good when given the opportunity. He's appeared in three games this season, completing 9 of 13 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. St. Clair, by comparison, has completed 5 of 7 passes for 52 yards and one touchdown with one interception in two appearances.
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Ohio State has built much of its identity under Ryan Day around its defense, and the same is true this year, with the Buckeyes allowing just 13.4 points and 264.3 total yards per game, both of which rank among the best in college football. But they also have one of the most high-powered offenses in the sport behind Sayin, All-American wideout Jeremiah Smith, and All-Big Ten running back Bo Jackson.
Now, it's time to see if Fahey can keep the offense rolling or if Day and his staff will have to switch up their game plan to adjust for life without Sayin.
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