This year at LGHL, the day before Ohio State games we are trying something a little different. “3 & Out” is going to inform you on the upcoming opponent for the Buckeyes. By the name, you probably could
tell we are going to handle things in threes.
Along with highlighting three key players from Ohio State’s opponents, we will shed some light on three things the Buckeyes have to be wary of, and close things out by having a little fun by mentioning three notable alumni or facts from the school that’ll be matching up with Ohio State.
First down
Players to watch for UCLA
1) Nico Iamaleava
The former Tennessee quarterback is essentially the whole offense for the Bruins. Iamaleava has not only passed for 1,659 yards and 12 touchdowns this year, the sophomore leads UCLA with 474 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
Earlier in the season in the upset of Penn State, Iamaleava recorded five touchdowns, with three of those scores coming on the ground. The three rushing touchdowns tied a UCLA single-game record for quarterbacks.
This will be Iamaleava’s second trip to Ohio Stadium in just under a year. The first journey to Columbus is one Iamaleava will want to forget, as he threw for just 104 yards and was sacked four times in Ohio State’s 42-17 win in the first round of the College Football Playoff in December.
At least for Iamaleava, this Saturday night won’t be nearly as frigid, so it won’t be likely his helmet will crack like it did last season on a hit by Cody Simon.
2) JonJon Vaughns
Last week the Buckeyes took on three of the top tacklers in the Big Ten. This week Ohio State will square off with UCLA linebacker JonJon Vaughns, who leads the Big Ten with 9.8 tackles per game. Last week against Nebraska, Vaughns finished with nine tackles, narrowly missing out on his sixth game this season with at least 10 tackles.
After opening up the season with a 15-tackle game against Utah, the senior reached double figures in stops in the first four games of UCLA’s season.
In his sixth season of college football, not much is going to rattle Vaughns. Despite the Bruins failing to make a bowl game last year, and looking like they won’t become bowl eligible this season, Vaughns is still playing hard.
With the final games of his college career upon him, Vaughns will want to finish off his time with the Bruins strong, as well as put something on tape for NFL scouts to think about.
3) Mateen Bhaghani
Featuring a kicker in UCLA’s players to watch section should tell you just how down bad the Bruins are this year. If we’re being honest, Buckeye Nation would love to have a kicker like Mateen Bhaghani after seeing some of the inconsistent kicking from Jayden Fielding over the past few years. Bhaghani is 14-18 this year, with a long of 54 yards.
The junior kicker who started his career at Cal before transferring to UCLA prior to the 2024 season has been solid at hitting kicks from 50 yards or longer over the last two seasons, going 5-9 from long range.
Even though field goals aren’t going to win Saturday night’s game for UCLA, Bhaghani could wind up putting a few more points on the scoreboard than expected if the Bruins can move the football into his range.
Second down
What Ohio State has to be wary of
1) Watch out for Iamaleava’s legs
The UCLA quarterback did everything he could to keep his team in the game last week against Nebraska. Nico Iamaleava used his legs to rush for first downs on seven different occasions against the Cornhuskers, with four of those conversions coming on third or fourth down.
If Ohio State isn’t careful, Iamaleava could keep the dangerous Buckeye offense off the field if he is able to continue to move the sticks.
As long as Matt Patricia’s defense can keep Iamaleava in the pocket, they should be in good shape since UCLA doesn’t have much to offer in the running game with Jaivan Thomas and Jalen Berger.
No disrespect to those two running backs, but neither has rushed for 300 yards this year. If Thomas and Berger haven’t been able to find room to run against UCLA’s other opponents, they likely won’t be able to put a dent into Ohio State’s defense.
2) Stick to the basics
Last week Ohio State threw a few new wrinkles into the offense. Despite putting more on tape for Michigan to worry about at the end of the month, the Buckeyes have to avoid trying to get too cute with what they are doing on offense. If Brian Hartline and Ryan Day want to try these things when Ohio State is up big, that’s fine. Just don’t do it when their opponent is still within shouting distance.
The Buckeyes tried to get the football to Nate Roberts a number of ways. It didn’t work at all. There’s no reason to try a dive with Roberts at the goal line. Ohio State has many other options to go to other than Roberts. Maybe the freshman will be able to handle these plays a couple years down the road. Now is not the time to do so.
Then there was switching quarterbacks on third down when the Buckeyes were on the verge of scoring. I’m sure Hartline and Day were trying to reward Lincoln Kienholz. If you are going to do that then maybe pull Julian Sayin a little earlier in the second half when the game is already decided. Had Kienholz turned the ball over it could have given Purdue a little momentum before half.
3) Don’t take this game for granted
It’s easy to go into the game with a little less focus when you’re more than four touchdown favorites. UCLA has already taken down Penn State. There isn’t anything to say the Bruins can’t do the same. Sure, UCLA is probably overmatched here but anything can happen in college football.
Nico Iamaleava is a quality quarterback who loves the big stage. Plus, he has revenge on his mind after his first trip to Columbus with Tennessee in December. The Bruins are going to play loose and acting play-caller Jerry Neuheisel could have some tricks up his sleeve. The Buckeyes can’t go into this game overconfident or UCLA could keep things tighter than expected.
Third down
Ohio State/UCLA connections
1) Martin Jarmond
The current UCLA athletic director served as the assistant athletic director at Ohio State from 2009-17 before taking the athletic director position at Boston College, becoming the youngest athletic director among the Power Five conferences at 37 years old. Following a few years at Chestnut Hill, Jarmond went on to take the same position at UCLA in 2020.
When Gene Smith announced he was retiring, Jarmond had to be in the mix to replace his former colleague. Now Jarmond can return to his old stomping grounds in Columbus to watch the Bruins trying and upset the top-ranked college football team in the country.
2) Chip Kelly
Before coming to Ohio State last season, Chip Kelly spent six seasons as UCLA’s head coach, posting a 35-34 record from 2018-23. Kelly decided to resign as head coach and would join Ryan Day’s staff as the offensive coordinator on last year’s national championship team.
Had Kelly spurned the offer from the Las Vegas Raiders to become their new offensive coordinator following last season, Saturday’s matchup would have had a little more spice to it. Instead, Kelly will have to watch from his new home as the Raiders prepare to host the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.
3) Morrow Evans
Even Buckeye Nation probably isn’t familiar with this named. Long snapper Morrow Evans joined Ohio State as a preferred walk-on last year. The Houston native didn’t see any action for the Buckeyes, but he can say he was part of the 2024 national championship squad.
So far this season, Evans has yet to see any time on the field, as he is the backup long snapper behind Salem Abdul-Wahab. No matter what, Evans will likely get a warm reception from Ryan Day and many other Buckeyes on Saturday night.
& Out
Prediction: 41-7, Ohio State
Go Bucks!
