Buckeyes WR Marvin Harrison Jr. 'Surprised All of Us' with Long TD

Ohio State Buckeyes receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. had a first half to remember in Saturday's win over Youngstown State.

It's not a shock to see Ohio State Buckeyes star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. make big plays, something he did in abundance during OSU's dominant 35-7 win at home over Youngstown State on Saturday.

But Buckeyes coach Ryan Day wasn't afraid to admit that Harrison Jr.'s 71-yard touchdown on the third play from scrimmage surprised him and the coaching staff alike.

"He popped on it," Day said after the game. "It kind of surprised all of us on third down. The guy you think they'd be doubling would be him, and all of a sudden he popped and Kyle found him."

In a fashion that many expected, Harrison Jr. made easy work of the Youngstown State secondary. He finished Saturday with seven grabs for 160 yards and two touchdowns. All of this production came in the first half.

This seemed to have been the ideal scenario that Day and the coaching staff was looking for. No need to play arguably the best receiver in college football deep into the fourth quarter against a team that entered Ohio Stadium as 45.5-point underdogs.

© Brooke LaValley, The Columbus Dispatch

"When you know you're in for one of these days that you know that the clock is going to get milked out a little bit," Day said. "You want to make sure that you get those touches early on."

The Buckeyes will likely only get one more chance to limit Harrison Jr.'s reps before the real battling begins. Ohio State will host Western Kentucky next Saturday before visiting the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, Sept. 23.