How can Ohio State football beat UCLA? 3 keys for primetime game against the Bruins

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Here are three keys for No. 1 Ohio State against UCLA on Nov. 15:

Start fast

UCLA’s turnaround under interim coach Tim Skipper has hit a snag, as the Bruins have suffered consecutive losses for the first time since its 0-4 start. It’ll need another improbable three-game winning streak to even finish .500. As UCLA’s season teeters on missing a bowl game, there is opportunity ripe for Ohio State to squash any flickering hope with a fast start that sets them back on their heels. Before punting on their first drive at Purdue last week, the Buckeyes had opened with a touchdown or field goal in each of the previous three games, and another early strike would be an important lift.

Shore up pass protection

While Julian Sayin has been one of the more well-protected quarterbacks in the Football Bowl Subdivision, he’s been under more duress in recent weeks. Over the Buckeyes’ last three games, he’s been sacked three times and pressured on 31.1% of his dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. It’s an increase over the first six games in which he was sacked only twice and saw pressure on 19.8% of his dropbacks. UCLA’s pass rush is almost nonexistent. Its six sacks are the fewest among the 136 FBS teams. None of the Bruins have multiple sacks. But the Buckeyes nonetheless need to fix a few leaks, starting at right guard.

Contain Nico Iamaleava

Iamaleava’s legs spurred an upset of Penn State last month when he ran for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Iamaleava, who transferred to UCLA from Tennessee in the aftermath of an NIL dispute last spring, has rushed for 474 yards and. According to PFF, 457 of those yards have come when Iamaleava was scrambling, the most in the FBS. The Buckeyes have fared well against other dual-threat quarterbacks this season between Ohio’s Parker Navarro and Washington’s Demond Williams Jr., holding them to a combined minus-25 yards in wins in September, and will need to keep Iamaleava contained in the pocket as well.

Key matchup

Ohio State rushing offense vs. UCLA rushing defense

After a dip in late October, the Buckeyes’ running game has shown signs of improvement, totaling 170 rushing yards last week at Purdue for their most in a conference game this season. They’ll have chances to move the ball on the ground against UCLA, which is limited at the line of scrimmage. It ranks 124th in the FBS in rushing defense, allowing 191 rushing yards per game. Among Big Ten teams, only Rutgers surrenders more on average than the Bruins. If Ohio State continues its trajectory, it will have chances to control the tempo of the game and keep UCLA’s defense honest, a formula that allows it to take downfield shots as well.

Key stat

26: Years since UCLA, a member of the Pac-12 before joining the Big Ten, made a visit to Ohio Stadium.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football’s keys to victory against UCLA

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos