Marvin 'Maserati' Harrison Jr. Climbs History Books In Ohio State Buckeyes Win Over Penn State Nittany Lions
Marvin "Maserati" Harrison Jr. could have pulled a Ja'Marr Chase or a Micah Parsons if he wanted to, and NFL evaluators wouldn't have thought twice about it.
He could have entered the NFL Combine, a full year removed from playing football at Ohio State after a record-setting season, turned on the tape and still been a sure-fire first-round pick.
Top 10? More than likely? Top five? What should be a lock now at least would have been up for debate if the junior Buckeyes' star had forgone a year of eligibility.
But no, that's not how Harrison wanted to end his career at Ohio State: a field goal short of making it to the national championship. A couple of plays away twice from defeating Michigan and winning a Big Ten title. A chance to become a face in the conversation of the greatest receiver to walk through "Wide Receiver U."
More than anything, Harrison wanted to be a difference-maker for Kyle McCord and the Buckeyes' offense. He was that and then some Saturday afternoon in a 20-12 win over No. 7 Penn State at Ohio Stadium.
“He’s a tremendous talent – and this is what every defensive coordinator’s going to say, ‘The first thing we’re going to do is not let Marvin Harrison beat us.’ So you stay up late trying to figure out ways to get him the ball,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said to Fox postgame. “I thought we were creative.”
"He’s a weapon for us obviously and our best player on offense."
In a game where pass attempts were scarce to come by thanks to a ravenous secondary headlined by potential first-rounder Kalen King, Harrison had made it look it. He hauled in 11 catches for 162 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to extend Ohio State's lead by 14.
Finding the end zone helped give Ohio State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) some elevated breathing room, especially after Penn State (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) quarterback Drew Aller found Kaden Saunders for a late 8-yard touchdown. But it was Harrison's 28-yard reception in the third quarter that cemented him in the history book.
The catch put him over 100 yards for the 12th time in his career, surpassing Chris Olave for second-most 100-receiving-yard games in school history. He needs two more triple-digit showcases to tie David Boston (14) and three to sit alone atop the record books.
“The standard he has set here, his work ethic, and what he means to Ohio State, it’s about leaving a legacy behind,” Day said. “We’re only halfway through the season, so I’m not going there yet, but he’s on his way. I’m proud of him.”
Everything that should have gone wrong nearly did. Emeka Egbuka was sidelined with an injury, forcing freshman Carnell Tate to expand his role. The run game was all but invisible. And McCord, who did finish 22-of-35 for 286 passing yards, was wildly inconsistent from the second drive until the early stages of the fourth quarter.
But hey, sometimes games like these open eyes and turn heads. Games like this are the ones Lou Holtz said Ohio State couldn't win because of its toughness. Sure, Penn State's offense remained in neutral until the last drive, but in a defensive bout, physicality from the Buckeyes prevailed.
These matchups also present questions that most probably know the answer to. Here's one: is Harrison the best player in college football? He's got a case, to say the least.
Penn State entered Saturday holding opponents to an FBS-low 121.2 passing yards per contest. Harrison passed that up before the fourth quarter and still had time to tack on another 30-plus.
"What he's done, especially these past few games, I'm not sure we've seen a stretch like that. Just how consistent he is, how reliable he is," said McCord. "He's done a great job and he's obviously a lot of fun to play with."
Harrison, who following Saturday's performance likely locked up the title of WR1 by nearly every NFL draft pundit, now could turn his sights to award season. He'll be a favorite to win the Biletnikoff Award and could be the dark horse to win the Maxwell Award, given out to the nation's top player.
Could a Heisman invite be on his mind? It's in the heads of voters and well it should. Receivers seldom win the trophy in a quarterback-driven era, but Harrison's dominance warrants praise similar to that of former winner DeVonta Smith.
"It's a tremendous honor for any player to win that award," said Smith.
Does that serve as his motivation to close out the season on a record-setting note?
"Nah, I'm not worried about that," he said when asked about potentially winning the award. "My goal is to get to the Big Ten Championship. That's something I always wanted to do."
Harrison might not care if he takes home the honor. His teammates, however, have a differing opinion.
"If it's truly the award that goes to the best player in college football, I don't see how he's not in the mix," said McCord.
