Eric Boggs
Ohio Stadium lit up Saturday night as Ohio State delivered a commanding 48-10 win over UCLA, a game that showcased the Buckeyes’ depth, explosiveness and defensive suffocation from the opening kick. Even without their top two receivers for most of the night, the Buckeyes jumped out to a 34-0 lead and never looked back on their way to a perfect 10-0 record.
The tone was set early when Jeremiah Smith, listed as questionable before the game, opened with an acrobatic one-handed catch for 18 yards on Ohio State’s first series. That grab set up a touchdown run from Bo Jackson, and while Smith exited after three drives with what Ryan Day called a “nagging issue,” the head coach made it clear the star freshman could have returned if needed.
With Carnell Tate out for the second straight week, the passing game shifted, but it didn’t slow. Julian Sayin, who briefly visited the medical tent to have his ankle wrapped, stayed in the game and engineered several scoring drives. On a gutsy third possession, Sayin converted two fourth-and-five attempts, the second culminating in his lone touchdown pass of the night—an 11-yard strike to Bryson Rodgers for the first score of Rodgers’ Ohio State career.
The fireworks didn’t end there. James Peoples delivered the play of the game and perhaps one of the plays of the season with a jaw-dropping hurdle over UCLA safety Cole Martin on a 19-yard touchdown run. Peoples added a second score in the fourth quarter, marking the first multi-touchdown performance of his young career.
Special teams stole the spotlight as well. After Caden Curry blocked a UCLA punt late in the second quarter, Jayden Fielding pushed the halftime lead to 27-0 with a 33-yard field goal. But the moment that sent Ohio Stadium into a frenzy came in the third quarter, when Lorenzo Styles Jr. took a kickoff 100 yards to the house—the Buckeyes’ first kickoff return touchdown since Jordan Hall’s in 2010.
Ohio State’s defense, meanwhile, was relentless. The Buckeyes held UCLA scoreless on its first seven possessions, overwhelming redshirt sophomore Luke Duncan, who was thrust into his first career start after Nico Iamaleava was ruled out late Friday with a concussion. Despite Duncan’s inexperience, UCLA’s interim head coach Tim Skipper praised his team’s fight, noting the Bruins’ 10 second-half points as a positive in an otherwise lopsided loss.
Ohio State’s injury management proved cautious and effective. Right tackle Phillip Daniels and defensive tackle Tywone Malone Jr. returned to the starting lineup, Caleb Downs sat the second half as a precaution, and Sayin finished the game feeling “good now,” as he told reporters. Brandon Inniss also stepped up with a career-high six receptions as the Buckeyes continued to spread the ball around.
The night carried historical significance as well. With the win, Ohio State claimed the 1,000th victory in program history, even though the record books don’t officially count the 12 vacated wins from 2010. Before a loud crowd of 104,168, the Buckeyes improved to 5-4-1 all-time against UCLA and set the stage for their final home matchup next Saturday against Rutgers.
Under the lights, under pressure, and under the weight of mounting expectations, Ohio State delivered a performance that showed why they remain one of the most complete teams in college football.
