If you showed up to Ohio Stadium on Saturday hoping for drama, suspense, or anything resembling a competitive football game, Ohio State politely declined. Instead, the Buckeyes spent four quarters reminding UCLA what life looks like when a rebuilding team wanders into the No. 1 team’s house at night — spoiler: it gets dark fast.
Behind a throwback, Big Ten-bully run game and a third-quarter kick return that turned The Shoe into a collective scream, Ohio State hammered UCLA 48–10 to move to 10-0 and keep the nation's top ranking looking very comfortable. It was dominant. It was methodical. At times, it looked unfair. And for a team that’s spent the year juggling freshmen like a recruiting-class flex, it was another night where the five-stars played like five-stars.
From the first drive, Ohio State came out acting like a team allergic to suspense. UCLA’s offense opened with a three-and-out that didn’t even last long enough for fans to finish their nachos, and the Buckeyes responded with an eight-play tutorial titled: Here’s How You Score on Every Possession, Please Take Notes. By the time Bo Jackson punched in a 1-yard touchdown, the tone was set: UCLA was here to participate; Ohio State was here to dominate.
Then came Jeremiah Smith, casually pulling down another absurd one-handed catch like he’s farming highlight clips for the offseason. It didn’t even lead to the touchdown — but it led the crowd to collectively shrug like, “Yeah, he does that.”
From there? Avalanche. Truly.
Ohio State opened the night like a group project where only one person came prepared. UCLA punted. The Buckeyes marched 71 yards like it was a casual jog through campus. Jackson scored. Field goal. Boom — 10–0.
UCLA had 50 total yards in the first half. Fifty. Ohio State had 294. The Buckeyes at halftime basically had UCLA in a headlock whispering “just tap out.”
This is where the game left competitive territory.
Another long drive ended with Julian Sayin juking right and hitting Bryson Rodgers on fourth-and-5 for a back-breaking 11-yard touchdown. It was a “Ryan Day wants this done early” decision, and Rodgers handled it like a vet. 17–0.
Then Isaiah West said: “Hey, let me show you my entire career in one run.” He ripped off a 38-yard burst that gashed UCLA’s front, and James Peoples followed it by hurdling a defender like he was auditioning for the track team on a 19-yard touchdown run. That made it 24–0 and effectively ended the night for the Bruins.
But UCLA wasn’t done giving Ohio State gifts. On the next possession, the Bruins suffered their third three-and-out of the half, and the punt was swallowed whole by Caden Curry, who blocked it straight into Field Goal Range™. Jayden Fielding cashed in. Ohio State jogged into halftime up 27–0, fans already thinking about Rutgers.
Things slowed down early in the third. Both offenses sputtered as if they forgot to plug themselves in at halftime.
Then the Buckeyes locked in again, grinding through a 13-play drive capped by a West 1-yard plunge to make it 34–0.
UCLA finally got something — anything — going on a quick 75-yard drive capped by an 18-yard touchdown pass from Luke Duncan, the redshirt sophomore making his first start in The Shoe. It was a nice moment. The Bruins cut the lead to 34–7.
The optimism lasted roughly the length of one Taylor Swift bridge.
Because on the ensuing kickoff, Lorenzo Styles Jr. turned into a blur, ripped through UCLA’s coverage unit like a cheat-code character, and housed a 100-yard return. The place detonated. It was the first kickoff return touchdown for Ohio State since 2010 — and the fact that it came from a Styles brother? Chef’s kiss.
41–7. Ballgame. TikTok edit incoming.
The fourth quarter was essentially a cooldown period. UCLA added a field goal. Ohio State closed the book with an 8-yard James Peoples touchdown, his second of the night. 48–10. Curtain.
The Buckeyes didn’t just run the ball — they installed a ground-and-pound exhibit.
When your third running back scores twice and jumps over a defender, your run game is thriving.
23-of-31
184 yards
1 TD
Nothing over the top. Nothing chaotic. Just smart, clean quarterbacking. And distributing to nine different receivers? That’s point guard behavior.
No, he didn’t score tonight. But the one-handed snag on the sideline? That was a “future WR1 in the league” kind of moment.
Brandon Inniss led the group with a career-high six catches. The future isn’t bright — it’s blinding.
Sonny Styles led the defense with seven tackles. Lorenzo Styles Jr. had the highlight of the entire weekend. Their mom probably hasn’t stopped smiling yet.
The moment UCLA realized the night wasn’t going to be cute? When Day went for it on fourth-and-5 and Sayin dropped a dime to Rodgers. That was the “this game is ours” declaration.
The 19-yard Peoples hurdle-TD was the exclamation point. The blocked punt was the encore.
From 10-0 to 27-0 in a blink.
These aren’t empty stats. They tell the story: Ohio State is physical, deep, and has freshmen playing like upperclassmen with swagger.
At 10-0, the Buckeyes aren’t just unbeaten — they’re evolving. They have a freshman QB who looks unbothered, a run game growing real teeth, and a defense treating opposing offenses like practice dummies.
Next week is Senior Day vs. Rutgers. Then the rivalry game looms. But this team isn’t blinking.
UCLA? They leave Columbus with a quarterback who gained valuable reps and a reminder that the Big Ten’s top floor is extremely, extremely high.
Ohio State didn’t just win — it curated a showcase. Ground dominance. Freshman stardom. A long-awaited special teams explosion. It was everything a No. 1 team is supposed to look like in November.
If there was ever any doubt about who the bully of the Big Ten is this season, Saturday night at The Shoe cleared all that up.
And if you’re Rutgers?
Good luck.
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