Theatrics in the ‘Shoe: Buckeyes dazzle in win over UCLA

Liv Rinaldi
Sun, 16 Nov 2025 05:06:11 +0000
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Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) extends a hand to grab a pass over a Bruin defender. Smith sat out the 2nd half of Saturdays game, while the Buckeyes beat UCLA 48-10. Credit: Liam Ahern | Sports Photo Editor

Ohio State games are often entertaining.

But maybe not this entertaining.

A one-handed catch.

Hurdling a defender.

A blocked punt inside UCLA’s 20-yard line

A 100-yard kickoff return.

En route to a 48-10 win over the Bruins under the lights in the Horseshoe Saturday night, the Buckeyes put on quite the show for fans.

“We bring it every day,” head coach Ryan Day said. “And you have that look in our eye. And I thought we did that again tonight.”

The show started with 11:00 left in the first quarter, when Jeremiah Smith hauled in an 18-yard pass on the left sideline with one hand, a defender draped on his back, and both feet dragging just inside the boundary.?

With 1:25 left in the second quarter, James Peoples took a handoff, burst through a crease and brought the stadium to its collective feet by hurdling a UCLA defender on his way to a 19-yard touchdown.?

The Horseshoe erupted into a deafening roar as Peoples put Ohio State up 24-0.

“It was kind of like instinct,” Peoples said. “After I did it it was kind of like a movie. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what did I do?’”

Peoples capped off his night with 42 yards on six carries and added another score with 1:54 left in the game.

For all the offensive theatrics the offense was putting on, the defense wanted to have a little fun of its own.

With just 10 seconds left in the half, Caden Curry knifed through a wall of Bruins and blocked a punt at UCLA’s 22-yard line, setting up Jayden Fielding’s field goal to push Ohio State’s lead to 27-0.

“I’m going to claim it for me as the intimidation factor,” Curry said with a laugh.?

But the night’s exclamation point came later when special teams got in on the fun.

With 17 seconds left in the third quarter, Lorenzo Styles Jr., settled under a UCLA kickoff at the goal line, hesitated for a beat, and then exploded up the middle of the field.?

Styles found his opening, weaved through a couple of Bruins and sprinted untouched for a 100-yard touchdown return.?

“With special teams, you never know what’s going to hit,” Styles said. “Sometimes they kick it in the back of the end zone, but really getting the ball back is the biggest thing. That was just icing on the cake there.”

Four quarters. Four outrageous plays.

And one statement win for Ohio State.