How Kenyatta Jackson, Jaylen McClain and the rest of Ohio State’s defense graded vs USC

Ohio StateSouthern California running back King Miller (8) fumbles the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Ohio State, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Los Angeles.AP Photo/Ryan SunBy Stephen Means, cleveland.comLOS ANGELES -- Ohio State’s defense just put together its worst game in two seasons in what led to a 30-18 loss to USC.It’s the first time since a 2024 regular season loss to Oregon that the Buckeyes have given up 30-plus points. One of the few positives for this group was John Walker, who turned two tackles while playing in the middle of the defense into a Pro Football Focus grade of 81.9.Here’s how the rest of the defense graded out:(PFF grades every player on every play and uses a scale of 0-100, with higher grades indicating better play. PFF has explained its grades this way: 100-90 elite; 89-85 Pro Bowler; 84-70 starter; 69-60 backup; 59-0 replaceable. In other words, it’s similar to how we would match up percentages with traditional letter grades in school.)NOTE: Snap counts in parentheses.DEFENSIVE ENDKenyatta Jackson: 61.8 (47)Zion Grady: 58.8 (8)Qua Russaw: 53.2 (33)Beau Atkinson: 52.1 (5)DEFENSIVE TACKLEJohn Walker: 81.9 (36)Eddrick Houston: 72.4 (39)Jason Moore: 62.8 (26)Will Smith Jr.: 56.4 (7)LINEBACKERPayton Pierce: 66.9 (39)Christian Alliegro: 64.8 (42)TJ Alford: 63.0 (11)Riley Pettijohn: 61.9 (18)CORNERBACKJermaine Mathews: 74.7 (51)Devin Sanchez: 72.5 (51)Dominick Kelly: 56.9 (16)SAFETYEarl Little: 62.8 (47)Simeon Caldwell: 51.9 (34)Jaylen McClain: 41.8 (51)Stephen Means covers Ohio State football for Cleveland.com while also serving as the host of the Buckeye Talk podcast. Prior to covering the Buckeyes, he got experience working at the Akron Beacon Journal...