The Scarlet and Gray

[Captain Canada]

Sheesh, what a prospect writeup, really breathed life

[toysoldier00]

Praise be! Kelly is gone!

I hadn't realized how little in the way you've got skill position guys on the offensive side of the ball in that '26 class.

yep, the roster had some freshman receivers and running backs, but was pretty weak on the offensive line

Sheesh, what a prospect writeup, really breathed life

it's my pet philosophy that it becomes more fun and enjoyable when you really feel like the players are fleshed out

[toysoldier00]

Game Preview: Ohio State’s Defense Meets Nico Iamaleava’s Tempo Test
By Zachary Anderson on November 14, 2025





Ohio State has spent most of 2025 turning Saturdays into quiet math problems: the defense hands the offense a short field, the offense cashes it in, and by the time the opponent realizes the game has shifted, the scoreboard is already unforgiving.

That’s the backdrop for Saturday’s matchup with UCLA, a noon kick in Ohio Stadium with the Buckeyes (9-0) favored by 27.5 and trying to keep their undefeated march intact. On paper, it’s a mismatch. In reality, there’s at least one variable worth circling: tempo.

UCLA’s season has been strange enough to make a clean narrative impossible. The Bruins opened 0-4, spiraled, then suddenly looked alive with three straight wins — including a 28-21 victory over Penn State, and even pushed No. 2 Indiana to the final possession in a 36-33 loss in Bloomington. That stretch is why Ohio State isn’t treating UCLA’s 3-6 record like a punchline.

“They’re better than their record,” Ryan Day said this week. “They’ve had injuries, they’ve had changes, but you watch the tape and you see a quarterback who can create, and you see an offense that can stress you with pace. We have to play fast and physical, and we have to be disciplined.”

The Bruins’ stress point is sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a familiar name in this building. Last season, he walked into Ohio Stadium wearing Tennessee orange in the playoff and left in a 42-17 loss. Now he returns as UCLA’s centerpiece, and the numbers only tell part of the story: 1,252 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, one interception in seven games, plus 412 rushing yards and five rushing scores. UCLA hasn’t been consistently efficient, but when it works, it’s usually because Nico is turning broken plays into first downs and pushing the pace until defenses are stuck in the wrong personnel.

“It’s a different challenge,” Iamaleava said. “Their defense is elite, everybody knows that. But tempo is what we do. We want to make them communicate, make them line up, make them play every snap. You can’t be perfect against a defense like that, but you can be aggressive.”

Aggressive is also the word for what Ohio State’s defense has been: best in the country in both yards allowed (262.1 per game) and points allowed (11.1 per game), with a run defense that borders on unfair (37.1 rushing yards per game). Edge rusher Caden Curry already has 9.5 sacks, linebacker Arvell Reese keeps showing up in the biggest moments, and safety Caleb Downs has been the eraser that turns “open” into “not anymore.”

If UCLA is going to hang around, it probably starts with Nico’s legs. The Buckeyes are built to suffocate traditional rushing attacks; the harder question is how they handle a quarterback who can extend plays and steal yards when coverage wins initially.

On the other side, Ohio State’s offense is still finding its cleanest version. Julian Sayin’s season line, 2,253 yards, 24 touchdowns, four interceptions, reflects a quarterback who’s steadily matured within an offense that can score in chunks. Jeremiah Smith remains the headliner (61 catches, 776 yards, 10 TDs), and the return of Carnell Tate (41-475-0) should widen the field again after he missed last week’s 41-7 dismantling of Purdue. Day said Tate practiced and is expected to play, potentially with a pitch count. Rotational edge rusher Joshua Mickens is also expected back.

UCLA will be shorthanded up front and in the middle of the field without tight end Jake Renda (foot) and right guard Noah Pulealii (broken fibula), which matters against an Ohio State front that lives in the backfield. And if UCLA’s defense has a problem, it’s that it hasn’t stopped much of anyone: 406.7 yards and 30.5 points allowed per game.

The quiet concern for Ohio State is the one that’s been there even in blowouts: red-zone efficiency. The Buckeyes have 29 touchdowns and eight field goals on 55 red-zone trips, productive, but not always ruthless. Against a team that wants to steal possessions with tempo, leaving points on the table can become the only way an underdog stays attached.

Still, the path is clear. If Ohio State matches UCLA’s pace with discipline, avoids self-inflicted stalls, and forces the Bruins to play from behind, the game should tilt quickly, the way most Ohio State games have this season. But if Nico gets comfortable, if the hurry-up turns into free yards, and if the Buckeyes’ red-zone frustrations linger, Saturday could be more annoying than the line suggests.

Either way, it’s a new kind of Big Ten game now: UCLA in the Horseshoe, conference stakes attached, and the Buckeyes chasing perfection with everyone else waiting for a slip.

Date	Opponent	Stadium	TV	Result
Aug. 30	Texas Longhorns	Ohio Stadium		W, 31-13
Sept. 6	Grambling State Tigers	Ohio Stadium		W, 46-6
Sept. 13	Ohio Bobcats	Ohio Stadium		W, 40-10
Sept. 20	BYE
Sept. 27	Washington Huskies	Husky Stadium		W, 37-16
Oct. 4	Minnesota Golden Gophers	Ohio Stadium		W, 53-22
Oct. 11	Illinois Fighting Illini	Memorial Stadium		W, 38-6
Oct. 18	Wisconsin Badgers	Camp Randall		W, 38-7
Oct. 25	BYE
Nov. 1	Penn State Nittany Lions	Ohio Stadium		W, 31-13
Nov. 8	Purdue Boilermakers	Ross-Ade Stadium		W, 41-7
Nov. 15	UCLA Bruins	Ohio Stadium		12:00 PM
Nov. 22	Rutgers Scarlet Knights	Ohio Stadium
Nov. 29	Michigan Wolverines	Michigan Stadium

[Soapy]

starting to pick up the pace, let's get it

playoffs soon