AP photo Ohio State running back Trey Sermon, left, cuts up field against Indiana defensive back Jamar Johnson during the first half of Saturday's win over Indiana.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — After climbing to its highest AP Top 25 poll ranking in more than a half century, No. 9 Indiana got a chance find out how it measured up with Big Ten behemoth Ohio State, a team the Hoosiers hadn’t beaten in 32 years.

They came up short but sure made it interesting — and a lot closer than the No. 3 Buckeyes would have liked.

Behind quarterback Michael Penix Jr., Indiana (4-1) rallied from a four-touchdown deficit in the second half only to be outlasted by the Buckeyes 42-35 on a rainy Saturday in an all-but-empty Ohio Stadium.

You know, people didn’t think we belonged on the field with Ohio State, but I think we showed that today,” Indiana coach Tom Allen said. “I think we’re a good football team, a really good football team.”

The Buckeyes (4-0) were happy to get out of there with a win after leading 35-7 early in the second half and allowing Indiana to climb back to within one score. Two weeks ago, Ohio State led 35-3 at halftime and were outscored 24-14 in the second half in a win over Rutgers.

“We’ve got to figure out a way to close out games,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “This is kind of the second week now we let a team hang around a little bit, and we’ve got to get that fixed. But (there were) so many great things in this game. Indiana is a good team, they’re a top-10 team so this was not easy.”

The Buckeyes defense in the second half struggled to slow down Penix, who had the best statistical day of his career — 27 for 51 for a career-high 491 yards and five touchdowns.

Penix passed for four touchdowns in the second half but also made a critical error, tossing an interception that Ohio State’s Shaun Wade returned for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter. The game might have been different if it wasn’t for that.

In other key games Saturday:

NO. 1 ALABAMA 63, KENTUCKY 3

labama didn’t quite look like itself at first after an extended period on the sidelines, but it scarcely made a difference on the scoreboard.

DeVonta Smith caught nine passes for 144 yards and set the Southeastern Conference career record with two more touchdowns in the top-ranked Crimson Tide’s victory.

“I think we played better and better and better as the game went on,” coach Nick Saban said.

And the score got bigger and bigger and bigger.

Mac Jones passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns and Najee Harris ran for a pair of scores for the Tide (7-0 SEC), both in less than three quarters. A slow start turned into a breezy return from a three-week layoff after LSU was forced to call off last week’s scheduled game because of COVID-19 troubles.

NO. 19 NORTHWESTERN 17, NO. 10 WISCONSIN 7

Every clutch play by Peyton Ramsey. Every big hit by Northwestern’s defense. It was all designed to send a message.

The Wildcats had something they wanted to say.

“We woke up the country now, and we need our damn respect,” cornerback Greg Newsome II said.

Ramsey threw two touchdown passes and No. 19 Northwestern shut down Graham Mertz and Wisconsin, putting the undefeated Wildcats in control of the Big Ten West.

Northwestern forced five turnovers — four in the first half — and sacked Mertz three times in its first win over a top-10 team since a 28-25 victory over No. 9 Nebraska on Nov. 5, 2011. Ramsey, a graduate transfer from Indiana, was 23 for 44 for 203 yards, and Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman had four receptions for a career-high 95 yards.

NO. 6 FLORIDA 38, VANDERBILT 17

Florida quarterback Kyle Trask is all about winning — and not so much about awards and records.

Trask passed for 383 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 6 Florida rallied from an early deficit. Trask, a Heisman Trophy hopeful, completed 26 of 35 passes to nine different receivers. He is the first quarterback in SEC history to accrue 30 touchdown passes in seven games.

NO. 7 CINCINNATI 36, UCF 3

Cincinnati found itself in a four-quarter struggle for the first time all season and Desmond Ridder and the Bearcats showed they can take a punch.

Ridder threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores as Cincinnati defeated Central Florida to head into the release of the first College Football Playoff rankings unbeaten.

The Bearcats (8-0, 6-0 American) fell behind 14-3 in the first quarter against their toughest opponent yet, but grabbed the lead by halftime.

Dillon Gabriel threw for 243 yards, three touchdowns and one interception as the Knights (5-3, 4-3) lost at home for the second time this season.

UCF took a 25-22 lead in the third quarter with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to Marlon Williams.

NO. 8 BYU 66, NORTH ALABAMA 14

Tyler Allgeier ran for a career-high 141 yards and two touchdowns and the no. 8 Cougars routed North Alabama to improve to 9-0.

Allgeier had his fourth 100-yard game of the season. Zach Wilson threw for 212 yards and four touchdowns before halftime and added 33 yards rushing. He had a season-high 256.3 QB rating against the FCS Lions.

BYU scored touchdowns on all six first-half drives. The Cougars rolled up 394 total yards and averaged 11.3 yards per play before halftime.

NO. 11 OREGON 38, UCLA 35

Tyler Shough and Devon Williams have found their on-field chemistry.

Shough threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns and No. 11 Oregon held off short-handed UCLA to remain undefeated.

Williams was Shough’s favorite target, with six catches for 123 yards, including a 19-yarder for a touchdown and a 49-yard reception that helped set up a third-quarter score.

“He’s been such an electric player in practice, and that’s showing in the games,” Shough said about his sophomore receiver who has been challenged over the past two weeks to contribute with receiver Mycah Pittman unavailable.

At 3-0, Oregon solidified its spot atop the Pac-12 North.

UCLA (1-2) had several players out because of COVID-19 protocols and contact tracing, including starting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Redshirt freshman Chase Griffin started.

NO. 4 CLEMSON-FLA. STATE POSTPONED

The game between No. 4 Clemson and Florida State was postponed hours before kickoff Saturday when medical personnel from both schools could not agree it was safe to play.

The Tigers learned a day earlier one of their players tested positive for COVID-19, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced the postponement, although it did not detail whether the game at Florida State was called off because of coronavirus issues.

The person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity said the postponement stemmed from a positive test Clemson received Friday after traveling to Tallahassee. That unidentified player had tested negative on campus this week despite displaying symptoms.