Life in Simulation: Ohio State vs. UCLA

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Life in Simulation: Ohio State vs. UCLA

College football has once again returned to the virtual world in EA Sports College Football 26, allowing fans of all 134 FBS schools to take control of their favorite team. For Buckeye Nation, that means getting to dominate with one of the best rosters in the game.

The game also allows us to get a glimpse at what the season could look like, at least if the computers had their say. Each week, Land-Grant Holy Land will simulate Ohio State’s real-life matchup to see what our AI overlords think will happen.

Here are the results of our Week 12 sim:

Ohio State 41 – UCLA 16

It was all Ohio State early in this one, as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. Julian Sayin opened up the scoring in this one with a 36-yard strike to Jeremiah Smith for a touchdown on the team’s opening possession, and they followed it up with an 8-yard touchdown from Sayin to Tate on the ensuing possession. Jayden Fielding added a 34-yard field goal for good measure before time expired in the period.

The Buckeyes continue to tack on to their lead in the second quarter, with Bo Jackson breaking off a 27-yard touchdown run to put Ohio State up 24-0. UCLA finally got on the board with a 46-yard field goal midway through the quarter, and finally found the end zone a short while later on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Nico Iamaleava to Mikey Matthews. Fielding tacked on a 42-yard field goal before half as the Buckeyes took a 27-10 lead into the break.

The third quarter was rather quiet, but Julian Sayin kept the good vibes rolling with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Smith with about five minutes left. UCLA added another field goal, and we headed to the fourth quarter with the home team up 34-13.

For whatever reason the Bruins were content with kicking field goals despite trailing by three scores, and so a 34-yarder by Mateen Bhaghani inched them ever so slightly closer, but Ohio State further extended its lead with Sayin’s fourth touchdown pass of the day — this one to CJ Donaldson from 11 yards out — as the Buckeyes put a bow on an easy 41-16 victory.

Ohio State out-gained UCLA 445-235, holding the Bruins to just 30 yards rushing on 36 carries as a team. UCLA was awful on third down, converting only four times on 18 tries, while the Buckeyes were an efficient 10-for-15. Ohio State also won the turnover battle 2-0, picking off Iamaleava and also recovering a fumble.

The one negative area for the Buckeyes was in the penalty department, where Ryan Day’s team was flagged nine times for 70 yards. The virtual head coach is likely not going to be too pleased about that!

Key Contributors

Ohio State (Offense)
  • Julian Sayin: 34-of-40 passing for 338 yards, 4 TD
  • Bo Jackson: 8 carries for 41 yards, 1 TD
  • CJ Donaldson: 7 catches for 40 yards (3 catches for 30 yards, 1 TD)
  • Jeremiah Smith: 8 catches for 140 yards, 2 TD
  • Carnell Tate: 8 catches for 107 yards, 1 TD
Ohio State (Defense)
  • Arvell Reese: 6 tackles, 2 TFL, 1.5 sacks
  • Eddrick Houston: 3 tackles, 1 sack
  • Kenyatta Jackson: 3 tackles, 1 sack
  • Caleb Downs: 6 tackles, 1 INT
  • Davison Igbinosun: 6 tackles, 2 PBU
UCLA (Offense)
  • Nico Iamaleava: 19-of-39 passing for 195 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (17 rushes for 14 yards)
  • Javian Thomas: 8 carries for 15 yards
  • Mikey Matthews: 8 catches for 114 yards, 1 TD
  • Titus Mokiao-Atimalala: 6 catches for 46 yards
UCLA (Defense)
  • Jalen Woods: 11 tackles, 2 TFL
  • Isaiah Chisom: 5 tackles, 1 sack
  • Nico Davillier: 5 tackles, 1 TFL
  • Andre Jordan Jr.: 4 tackles, 2 PBU

Check back to see how Ohio State actually performed on the field compared to the simulation, and see how they fare in our Week 13 simulation against Rutgers.

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