How did Ohio State football stack up against Indiana?

Another shaky start had fans nervous again, but Ohio State proved to be the better team in Saturday’s top five, pulling away from the upstart Indiana Hoosiers for a convincing 38-15 victory at Ohio Stadium.

Now the Buckeyes are one win against Michigan away from securing a rematch with Oregon in the Big Ten Championship.

How did the Buckeyes rate on Saturday? Leave is granted on a zero to five basis.

Ohio State Offense (4 sheets)

Two failures in the red zone at the start of the game were glaring, but the Buckeyes controlled things until the end.

On the first stop, OSU went shotgun on fourth-and-inches at the 2 only to discover that slow-developing plays tend to explode in short yardage. On the second stop, quarterback Will Howard forced a throw to Jelani Thurman, and it was intercepted at the 11 with the score tied 7-7.

More: Does Ohio State have the best college sports tradition? Vote now!

Otherwise, Howard was solid and started the game completing 14 straight passes. He finished 22 of 26 for 201 yards and two touchdowns. The Buckeyes ran the ball for 4.5 yards per carry. In the passing game, Emeka Egbuka was smooth and excellent and the up-and-comer Carnell Tate made the difference early on, but Jeremiah Smith is still underutilized in the passing game. Smith had five targets Saturday, just three receptions for 34 yards, including a long of 13.

The latest version of the offensive line wasn’t great, but it held its own and didn’t give up a sack. The tandem pull of left tackle Donovan Jackson and left guard Austin Siereveld on TreVeyon Henderson’s 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was particularly good.

Ohio State Defense (4 sheets)

A dominant day for the defense except for two things: a strong opening series from the Hoosiers and continuous penalty flags thrown in Davison Igbinosun’s direction.

Coordinator Jim Knowles responded magnificently to the Hoosiers’ first series, in which quarterback Kurtis Rourke was far too comfortable in the pocket. Knowles increased the pressure and the Buckeyes finished with five sacks. As the game progressed, Rourke got so nervous from all the pressure that he started rushing and missing baseline throws.

Cody Simon was terrific, finishing with 10 tackles (four solo), 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Sonny Styles was next with eight tackles.

More: Is Ohio State the best college for sports fans? Vote now!

So, what to do with Igbinosun? He committed three pass interference penalties and was benched for a time in favor of Jermaine Mathews Jr., but was reinstated.

Simply put, Igbinosun appears to be a problem that Oregon and subsequent playoff teams will address.

Ohio State Special Teams (5 sheets)

No mistake, a botched punt and punt return for a touchdown from the dynamic Caleb Downs.

On Downs’ touchdown, Ohio State’s first punt return score since Jalin Marshall in 2014, a lot of credit should be given to Denzel Burke and Lorenzo Styles Jr. for not engaging with the guys coverage of Indiana’s kicks that had passed them. Touching them would have been some back blocking offense, and they held back.

Jayden Fielding was reliable once again, kicking a 45-yard field goal and not allowing a kickoff return.

More: Does Ohio State have the best college sports tradition? Vote now!

Ohio State Practice (4 Sheets)

Excellent adjustments from Knowles on defense. Also, solid coaching from a quickly overhauled offensive line.

There will be a lot of talk about OSU’s offense going shotgun on fourth-and-inches.

There could also be plenty of discussion about Ryan Day calling for a touchdown in the final minute rather than taking a knee. After the game, Day said Henderson “did the right thing” by stopping short of the end zone, and the coach then called two plays with touchdown intentions. The second seemed rude, since Indiana had clearly surrendered and wasn’t going to use his final timeouts. Why not go as a couple while you’re at it?

Fun Quotient (3 sheets)

The Horseshoe’s top five games are fun, and with ESPN and Fox pregame shows live on site, it looked like it was going to be a great day.

It would have been better if Indiana fought better.

Indiana Hoosiers (2 sheets)

The moment wasn’t too big for the surprising Hoosiers, and then it was.

IU stopped the Buckeyes’ first drive, then drove down the field to take a 7-0 lead. And that was pretty much the end of the Hoosiers’ “we belong” declaration day.

More: Is Ohio State the best college for sports fans? Vote now!

Once Indiana realized the officials were excited about the flag, the Hoosiers did a good job tackling the handy Igbinosun. Then they stopped, and their offensive imploded at the same time. Why not continue to attack him? They finally got going again, with 1:58 left, and got another pass interference call.

IU’s special teams were a failure, with a botched punt leading to an Ohio State score and then Downs working his way untouched through the punt coverage team.

Civil servants (4 sheets)

A good day for officials, although many people would like an explanation for the blocking calls against Ohio State linemen Carson Hinzman and Donovan Jackson. They occurred on identical screens and involved linemen shoving defenders who had very little chance of making the play on a misdirection.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football vs. Indiana: How OSU ranks after Big Ten matchup