Ohio State football did not break a sweat earning its 10th win of the 2025 season, routing UCLA 48-10 on Nov. 15 with a high-octane performance from all three Buckeye units.

Though wide receivers Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith were both listed on the pregame injury report, quarterback Julian Sayin had a savvy first half against the Bruins, completing 18 of 21 passes for 147 passing yards and a touchdown.

Though Smith was held out of the second half and was seen limping on the sidelines, the Buckeyes rushed for 222 yards and had four rushing touchdowns in the balanced offense effort.

The Buckeyes additionally delivered on special teams when Lorenzo Styles picked up a 100-yard kick return touchdown in the third quarter to put the game way out of reach for the Bruins, who were scoreless in the first half.

How did the Buckeyes grade out in the win?

Ohio State offense (4 leaves)

Five offensive drives, five scores and three touchdowns in the first half. But unlike previous strong offensive performances, the Buckeyes played near-flawless football in both the rushing and passing game to get a 27-0 lead at the break with a symmetrical 147 rushing and passing yards.

Though Sayin, Smith and Tate are the typical crown jewels of a good day on offense, the run game outshone the trio with its best Big Ten performance. Led by a 112-yard game from Bo Jackson, Ohio State running backs took advantage of a subpar Bruins rush defense and averaged 7.4 yards per carry for 215 rushing yards. This included two Buckeyes runs of 30 yards or greater and four rushing touchdowns, highlighted by James Peoples’ leaping touchdown in the second quarter.

Offensive line play wasn’t exactly championship caliber against Purdue in Week 11, but there were clear improvements against the Bruins, particularly with pass blocking. Sayin had plenty of time to locate receivers. Perhaps the inclusion of right guard Gabe VanSickle into the mix will help protect Sayin and the running back core.

Things cooled off in the second half when Smith sat, forcing Sayin to connect with a different-looking core of receivers, which led to rare inaccuracy issues (he finished with a 74% completion percentage).

Ohio State defense (4 leaves)

With UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava out and backup Luke Duncan in, Ohio State’s defense feasted on the redshirt sophomore quarterback’s first start, forcing five straight punts and 50 net yards of offense in the first half. The defensive line was ruthless and commanded the line of scrimmage, allowing only 2.7 yards per rush the entire contest to Bruins’ rushers.

But perfect scores are reserved only for perfect performances. Ohio State allowed UCLA’s longest pass play of the season when Duncan found Rico Flores Jr. for a 51-yard play and allowed 10 points in the second half. The best defense in college football is held to high standards. All in all, a first-half shutout was all the Buckeyes needed to stay comfortable.

Ohio State special teams (5 leaves)

The special teams unit was cruising in the first half, highlighted by a botched UCLA punt that hit defensive end Caden Curry’s chest and two field goals by Jayden Fielding.

Then came an exclamation point.

After UCLA’s first touchdown, Styles Jr. sprinted from end zone to end zone for the Buckeyes’ first kick return touchdown in 15 years, and first 100-yard kick-return touchdown since Tedd Ginn in 2005.

Considering there were no mistakes by the special teams unit, the feat by Styles Jr. alone gives the special teams unit a perfect score.

Ohio State coaching (3 leaves)

Choosing to play Smith despite a lingering injury against a 3-6 UCLA team with no starting quarterback was a questionable choice, especially when the talented wide receiver had a clear and concerning limp to end the half.

Regardless, the coaching staff clearly wanted to expose the Bruins’ run defense, and the running backs performed exceptionally well. The 27-0 lead allowed Ryan Day to rest some starters, including Sayin, by the fourth quarter.

Day said he is not concerned about long-term injuries for Smith and Tate.

Fun Factor (3 leaves)

The fun factor score was doomed from the start. First, the announcement of Iamaleava’s concussion, holding him out of play. Then, Tate and Smith’s appearance on the injury report. But before Smith left the game after the first half, he provided some freak athlete moments.

The first half provided a plethora of highlights.

Oh, and one totally normal civilian and Ohio State football fan praised Jackson online.

UCLA Bruins (2 leaves)

This was a hard watch in the first half with no Iamaleava and lackluster performances for all three units. Duncan completed 7 of 10 passes in the first half for just 21 yards. The Bruins put up a donut in the first half, and though comebacks of that magnitude have happened, this one was not in the cards.

Duncan found his footing in the second half; he completed a 51-yard pass and found Kwasi Gilmer for an 18-yard touchdown, Duncan’s first of his career. The redshirt sophomore looked like a competent college quarterback. Kudos to interim head coach Tim Skipper for steering the sinking ship

Officials (3 leaves)

To kick off the game in a weird way, the officials let UCLA’s first timeout stand to avoid a delay of game penalty, despite the head official calling the penalty prematurely. Day was understandably livid. The Bruins also got a replay on third down when an “inadvertent football” found the field.

While most of the seven penalties called on UCLA were deserved, Davison Igbinosun got away with an unsportsmanlike penalty when he taunted Kwasi Gilmer enough to make the receiver pull him to the ground by his facemask. The officials had questionable early calls, but did not insert themselves into the blowout excessively.