Despite the win, Ohio State has room to improve. See grades vs Northwestern

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After two weeks of unsatisfactory play, Ohio State landed in the win column with a 28-19 victory over Northwestern on Nov. 17.

Ohio State had a turnover on its first offensive drive but bounced back and took the lead with a touchdown catch from running back Isaiah West in the second quarter. Ohio State never lost the lead and let wide receiver Jeremiah Smith take control. Smith had 117 yards and a touchdown despite the absence of quarterback Julian Sayin.

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In the fourth quarter, Northwestern muffed a punt and Ohio State recovered, ending the Wildcats' chances for a comeback.

See how the Buckeyes graded out below. Grades are given on a scale of one to five Buckeye leaves.

Offense grade: 3 leaves

The name of the game: Get the ball to Smith. After struggling to get a target in the second and third quarters against Oregon, Smith received the ball early and often and got Ohio State out of tricky scenarios. Smith converted three of Ohio State's six third-down conversions and ended with 17 targets.

Freshman quarterback Luke Fahey had some hiccups in his third start, starting with an interception from a ball that bounced off Chris Henry Jr.'s helmet. He also showed improvement by converting plays in timely situations. His best play was on a fourth-and-1 conversion in the red zone; Fahey threw on the move to his non-throwing arm side to wide receiver Devin McCuin for a key touchdown score in the third quarter.

After weeks of struggling in the red zone, the Buckeyes saw improvement and were successful on four of six trips. Near the end of the game, West fumbled the ball at the 8-yard line.

Besides the fumble, Ohio State's run game delivered. Bo Jackson rushed 20 times for 114 yards and a score, while West had 10 rushes for 45 yards and a receiving touchdown. If the Buckeyes can get rid of turnovers and convert some deep passes, they can get back on track offensively.

You can read more about Fahey's performance here.

Defense grade: 3 leaves

Ohio State allowed 71 points to USC and Indiana. Against Northwestern – and against a backup quarterback – the defense stepped up.

Improvements came from Ohio State's defensive line; the Buckeyes had a season-high five sacks, two of which came from Kenyatta Jackson Jr. Northwestern's run game also had a difficult time getting started.

Big plays still were a challenge to prevent in the passing game. Northwestern had four passes allowed of 20 yards or more. Those plays allowed Northwestern to get points on the board. In the second quarter while on its own 36-yard line, Northwestern converted on third-and-9 with a 22-yard pass that set up a field goal. In the third quarter, Nicco Macchol completed a 37-yard pass up the seam to tight end Alex Honig to get Northwestern in the red zone and eventually a touchdown.

The Buckeyes will still need to figure out answers in the secondary, but better pressure on the quarterback led to fewer points allowed.

Special teams grade: 3 leaves

Ohio State's first game this season without a designated special teams coordinator did not start great, but ended in triumph. The Buckeyes got unlucky when Northwestern punter Nikola Dugandzic punted a football directly at Devin Sanchez's back in the third quarter, causing a muffed punt and recovery by the Wildcats in Ohio State territory.

In the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes had poor tackling on a punt that resulted in a 30-yard return for Northwestern's Drew Wagner.

Despite a couple of mistakes, the Buckeyes took advantage of a Northwestern error in the fourth quarter when long snapper Dalton Riggs recovered a muffed punt. The play set up Ohio State's final touchdown drive and helped the Buckeyes seal the game.

Coaching grade: 4 leaves

Ohio State was the heavy favorite, but Ryan Day's staff delivered a competent game plan. The biggest improvement came on offense: the Buckeyes designed an offense around Smith and stuck to it, which freed up the run game and created balance in the play-calling.

Fahey has yet to figure out inaccuracy problems on deep throws, but Ohio State kept it simple and played to its strengths by getting the ball to playmakers.

Ohio State also dared to change things up in the red zone. The Buckeyes tried a wildcat formation with Jackson receiving the direct snap and easily converted a touchdown at the goal line. After the fourth quarter muffed punt by Northwestern, the Buckeyes had Smith line up in the slot – not out wide – for a quick slant that allowed him to get open quickly.

Officials: 2 leaves

The most glaring officiating issue was created by the replay officials. On third down, Smith attempted to catch the ball while running out of bounds. Reaching high above his head, Smith appeared to adjust control between his hands on the reception while keeping one toe inbounds.

After the play, the on-field officials conferred and ruled the pass incomplete. Afterward, the replay officials discussed the play and determined that Smith had control of the ball while inbounds.

While a difficult call, the video replay did not seem to have sufficient evidence for a reversal.

In the fourth quarter, defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. received a roughing-the-passer penalty for shoving his forearm into Northwestern Marchiol's helmet.

Though the flag was correct, the officials did not review the play for targeting. By definition of the NCAA rulebook, targeting is when a player leads with a helmet, shoulder, forearm, fist, hand or elbow to attack with forcible contact. Not reviewing the play altogether was confusing.

In the first quarter, offensive lineman Carlos Hinzman was called for a false start, but the Northwestern defensive tackle appeared to jump first. Inconsistencies altogether leave the officials with a subpar score.

Northwestern: 2 leaves

Like Ohio State, Northwestern is navigating without a starting quarterback. Marchiol had a solid game, but his offensive line struggled to protect him as the Buckeyes got five sacks.

The Wildcats were also limited on long third-down situations and went 0 for 5 on attempts greater than nine yards. Northwestern's running game never got started, either; the Wildcats averaged 1.8 yards per rush. Wildcats offensive coordinator Chip Kelly could not get the advantage over his ex-coaching partner Day.

Fun factor: 2 leaves

Ohio State fans got something to cheer about, despite three losses already on the schedule. Game action, however, was scarce.

The broadcast pairing of Connor Onion and Robert Griffin III provided some Heisman Trophy winner-to-winner drama when Griffin called out former Michigan wide receiver and ESPN analyst Desmond Howard for his criticism of Smith for his performances in big games.

“When you talk about the Heisman Trophy, my guy Desmond Howard, he’s been very critical of Jeremiah Smith and said, ‘When does this guy ever show up in big-time games?'” Griffin said. “Well, he’s shown up in big-time games all over the place, and Desmond Howard has to stop hating on Jeremiah Smith just because he goes to Ohio State. That’s not the right way to do this, and we’ve got to be better in our Heisman brotherhood.”

Game MVP: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State WR

Stats: 11 catches for 117 yards, one touchdown

It's hard to imagine where Ohio State's offense would be without Smith. He did it all and has scored a touchdown in seven straight games.

Overall grade: 3 leaves

Attempting to turn their season around, the Buckeyes had enough positive play to earn a victory.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Despite the win, Ohio State has room to improve. See grades vs Northwestern

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