COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two games into his college football career, 19-year-old quarterback Matt Barkley already has a place in USC lore.

Three seasons into his USC career, Joe McKnight can now claim a spot with the great runners at Tailback U.

The freshman phenom and the shifty tailback made big play after big play, and Stafon Johnson capped one of the great drives in USC's storied history with a 2-yard touchdown run with 1:05 left to give the third-ranked Trojans an 18-15 victory over No. 8 Ohio State last night.

"We're Trojans. That's what we do," Barkley said. "This is what we dreamed of, coming back like this.

"Doesn't matter where we are in the score. We found a way. I love this."

For the Buckeyes (1-1), it was another big-game disappointment, maybe the toughest one yet. Ohio State has now lost six straight against top-five teams, including two national title games and last season's 35-3 loss to USC in Los Angeles.

For the Trojans (2-0), it was their 10th straight victory against the Big Ten.

"I think it's a beautiful statement for our whole team," said USC coach Pete Carroll. "It was really a great job by a lot of guys."

Barkley and McKnight hooked up one more time, appropriately, for a 2-point conversion that meant an Ohio State field goal would only force overtime.

"When we punched it in there it was good to hear the silence," Barkley said.

But with no timeouts left, Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes' offense went nowhere with their last chance.