Ohio State’s passing offense wasn’t as precise as it usually is. Injuries to Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate were noticed, particularly in the second half. The good news is that other players stepped up, especially in the running game.
Bo Jackson had his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season and of his young career. Jackson, James Peoples, and Isaiah West all ran for touchdowns. Bryson Rodgers made his first touchdown catch of his career. The Buckeyes had their best special teams game in I don’t know when. It all still added up for a 48-10 victory.
Ryan Day, Brian Hartline, and Keenan Bailey’s offense came into the game averaging 36.3 points per game, which ranked 18th in the nation. They cleared that and then some with 48 against UCLA. OSU also averaged 441.5 yards per game, 25th-best in college football.
With 440 yards gained, they were ridiculously on that average. Ohio State did get those yards a little bit differently. They averaged 283.6 yards per game passing the football. This was the 18th-best, and the Bucks were a bit below that with 218.
Their rushing average of 155.1 was a modest 69th in college football. With Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate out, the rushing attack stepped up, gaining 222 yards on the ground.
I heard the sound effect Mario makes when he jumps in the old Nintendo game when Peoples hurdled that guy! WOW! https://t.co/zCIK228YDe
— Phillip Riggs (@phillipriggs85) November 16, 2025
Ohio State had one of the best third-down conversion rates in college football. Their 56.2% conversion rate is second in college football. They were right around that, converting 6 of 11, 54.5%. The Bucks were averaging 23.2 first downs per game. That was 33rd in the nation. They had 25 against UCLA.
The Bucks' offense also limited negative plays. They had allowed only 28 tackles for loss this season, 4th-best in the country, and allowed 4 today. They had only allowed five sacks all year, also the fourth-best in college football.
They gave up one sack against UCLA, only their sixth all year. Maybe most importantly, Ohio State had only turned the ball over six times this season. Being turnover-free against UCLA will keep them at the minimum at their number three ranking.
It’s difficult not to be concerned with how the offense struggled without Smith and Tate. I think losing Smith midway through the game was more difficult for Sayin and the receivers than if Smith had been out the whole game. Give them a full week of practice and planning to be without Smith, and they’d have a better showing than losing him mid-game and having to reshuffle everybody.
So how did the Bucks do in the victory? How good is Ohio State? The Buckeyes have so much potential that they won by 38 points, and it still felt like a slightly below-average game for them. But here is the all-important perspective. Ohio State was one of five top-ten teams playing an opponent with a 3-6 or worse record.
Ohio State was the only one that never struggled with theirs. Texas A&M had to come back from being down 27, Ole Miss was down at halftime, Indiana had only a three-point lead at halftime, and Georgia Tech needed a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback to beat a 1-10 team 36-34.
While there’s always room to improve, Ohio State won by 38 points! The Buckeye offense is on the right track.