The Ohio State football team was without two of their receiving stars for most of the game against UCLA Saturday. Carnell Tate did not suit up and Jeremiah Smith was pulled from the action in the first half. The Buckeyes turned to their running game to beat the Bruins, 48-10.

It was an unusual November night game setting at Ohio Stadium. The temperatures were in the 60s and the skies unleashed a downpour … of rain … in the first half. UCLA faced an additional challenge, being without their starting quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, against the #1 team in the country.

Ohio State scored three touchdowns and two field goals in their first five possessions of the first half and led at the break 27-0. In the second half, the Buckeyes added three more touchdowns, one on a 102-yard kickoff return by Lorenzo Styles, Jr., a Pickerington Central alum.

Ohio State’s running game put more yards on the board Saturday than its vaunted passing attack. Quarterback Julian Sayin had another efficient day, going 23-31 for 184 yards and a score. Backup Lincoln Kienholz was 3-3 for 34 yards.

The running game posted 222 yards with Bo Jackson rushing for 112 yards on 15 carries. Jackson, Isaiah West, and James Peoples all averaged more than seven yards a carry on 29 attempts and scored four touchdowns.

The Buckeyes’ defense held UCLA to just 222 yards. Sonny Styles paced the effort with seven tackles, including one tackle for loss. Lorenzo Styles, Jr. and Caden Curry added five tackles each. Joe McGuire punted just once, but he sent it 51 yards with only a four-yard return.

Ohio State has one more home game before heading to Ann Arbor for its final regular season contest. Next Saturday, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights come to Columbus with the kickoff slated for noon. The Knights beat Maryland 35-20 Saturday in Piscataway, N.J.