UCLA Football Preview: Ohio State's Offense Isn't Just Sayin
The Buckeye quarterback has a talented supporting cast around him.
Aside from Texas in Week One, the smallest margin of victory for Ohio State this season has been 18 points twice. Both of those games were road wins for the Buckeyes The first time came against Washington, when Ohio State won 24-6, and the second came against Illinois, when the final score was 34-16. Meanwhile, the closest home win against a team other than Texas came two weeks ago when Penn State lost 38-14.
Needless to say, tomorrow’s game is going to be another tough one.
Overall, Ohio State runs the ball 54% of the time and throws it just 46%. To be sure, opening up a big lead makes it relatively safe and easy for the Buckeyes to keep the ball on the ground. Given the wide margins they have won by, it isn’t really a surprise to say that they really haven’t been tested since that Week One matchup against the Longhorns.
Let’s look at the Buckeyes’ offensive personnel.
Quarterback
Buckeye quarterback Julian Sayin is one of the best in the country. In fact, when it comes to passing efficiency, he is the best in the nation. His passer efficiency rating is 192.61. The second-best quarterback in the country has a passer efficiency rating of 178.55. Unsurprisingly, the second-best QB is Fernando Mendoza, who led Indiana’s dismantling of the Bruins a few weeks ago. As good as Mendoza is, it looks like Sayin is even better.
Sayin has completed an astonishing 80.88% of his passes this season. He’s 203 for 251 on pass attempts and he’s thrown for 2491 yards. He’s thrown 24 touchdown passes to just four interceptions. Those stats are just off the charts. What’s more impressive is the fact that Sayin is only a sophomore who transferred from Alabama in 2024 soon after classes started. So, this is just his first season of eligibility.
If there’s a weakness in Sayin’s game, it probably centers around his inability to gain yards on the ground. He’s rushed just 25 times this year for 21 net yards. That’s an average of just 0.80 yards per carry. So, don’t expect to see Sayin take off running the ball the way UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava can. In fact, Sayin’s longest run of the year was just 12 yards and he hasn’t scored a touchdown running the ball.
So, if the Bruin defense can get to Sayin before he throws the ball, it could be a good thing for UCLA.
Running Game
Chip Kelly might be gone, but he may have influenced how new/old offensive coordinator Brian Hartline calls a game and rotates his back.
To be sure, there is no questioning the fact that freshman Bo Jackson (yes, that’s really his name and he’s no relation to the legendary running back of the same name) is the Buckeyes’ top running back. Ironically, this Bo Jackson was a standout baseball player and regional qualifier in track in high school.
Jackson has run the ball 95 times this season and gained 613 net yards. His season-long was a 65-yard run and he’s scored two touchdowns.
Senior back CJ Donaldson transferred to Ohio State this year after playing three seasons at West Virginia. While he was initially the RB1 for the Buckeyes, the emergence of Jackson has cut into Donaldson’s playing time. He’s carried 72 times for 278 yards, but he seems to be at his best in the red zone. He’s scored nine touchdowns on the ground this year.
The third running back in the rotation is sophomore James Peoples. While Peoples did start against both Grambling and Ohio, the fact that he’s only carried 52 times for 247 net yards seems to indicate that he’s fallen to third on the Ohio State depth chart, even though he’s averaging almost a full yard per carry more than Donaldson.
The final Buckeye running back with more than 26 net yards is freshman Isaiah West. West has carried just 34 times this season in the six games he has played. From those carries, he’s gained 177 net yards and scored a touchdown.
Passing Game
While Julian Sayin has great numbers this year, those numbers don’t magically appear with some very talented receivers, and Ohio State has plenty of guys who can catch the ball. The first of which is sophomore Jeremiah Smith. Smith has made 65 receptions for 862 yards. His ten touchdown catches make him the Buckeyes’ top scoring threat. His season-long reception of 87 yards is the longest of all the Ohio State receivers.
Normally, the number two Buckeye receiver is junior Carnell Tate. I say “normally” because Tate missed last week’s game at Purdue and he remains a question mark for tomorrow’s game. Tate’s numbers may actually be more impressive than Smith’s. Tate has made 39 receptions for 711 yards with seven touchdowns. Tate’s 18.23 yards per catch average is almost a full five yards per catch better than Smith’s 13.26 ypc average.
If Tate doesn’t play, look for #3 receiver Brandon Inniss to step up in his place. Including last week’s start in place of Tate, Inniss has started five games this season. His production is a big fall-off from Tate’s. Inniss has only caught 21 passes for only 180 yards with one touchdown. So, his average is just 8.67 ypc. That’s a really big drop-off from Tate’s average. At the same time, four of Inniss’ starts came as Ohio State’s WR3 with Tate at WR2. So, Inniss could still start even if Tate is able to go.
Junior tight end Max Klare has been another favorite target for Sayin. Klare has made 26 receptions for 269 yards with a touchdown. The final Buckeye with more than ten receptions is Jackson. So, Bo knows catches too. He’s caught 12 passes out of the backfield for 124 yards with one receiving touchdown.
Analysis
Ohio State has not been held under 34 points since they played at Washington to end September. The Buckeyes are ranked 18th in the country in both passing offense and scoring offense as well as 25th in the nation in total offense.
While they may not be quite the offense juggernaut that Indiana is, that doesn’t mean the UCLA defense will have an easy time stopping the Ohio State offense.
The Bruins are going to have their hands full on defense, and if they cannot get off the field, it will be another long game.
Go Bruins!!!
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