Ohio State Buckeyes Star Marvin Harrison Jr. Named Big Ten Offensive Player Of The Week
What was the biggest takeaway from Ohio State's 20-12 win over No. 7 Penn State? Was it that defense does win titles? Perhaps converting on third down is essential.
No, it's that one team had Marvin Harrison Jr. and the other didn't. That's it.
And yes, thanks to a Drew Aller fourth-quarter touchdown, No. 18 going 18 yards for a touchdown proved to be the difference in Columbus.
Even the Big Ten agrees.
Harrison was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his record-setting performance against the Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium. The junior receiver totaled 11 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown.
Games like these are becoming standard for the soon-to-be top-five NFL draft pick next April, should he declare. And yes, "standard" feels dull, but believing Harrison won't be hitting triple-digits on the stat line is almost foolish up to this point.
Saturday's win marked the 12th game of Harrison's career where he's totaled at least 100 receiving yards in a single outing. That's good enough to place him No. 2 all-time on leaderboards, surpassing New Orleans Saints stud Chris Olave.
Two more outings like Saturday and he'll tie David Boston for the most 100-yard performances. Three, and he'll sit atop the charts for likely years to come.
Harrison's domination is remarkable, but how unique could one player be? Entering Saturday, Penn State led the nation in pass coverage, holding opponents to 121.2 yards per contest. Harrison beat the marker before he found the end zone with 4:07 left to play.
The Nittany Lions offense went a putrid 1 for 16 on third-down conversions on the afternoon against Jim Knowles' defense. Harrison went 4 for 4 by himself.
“We went into this knowing we needed to have an awareness and limit the impact of No. 18,” Penn State coach James Franklin said postgame, “and we had a hard time doing that.”
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who continues to keep the Wolverines ahead in the polls, was an honorable mention after completing 77.8 percent of his passes for 287 yards and four scores in a 49-0 victory over in-state rival Michigan State.
It must have been an honor for him to share the spotlight with arguably the Big Ten's best player.
There are four more games before the No. 3 Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) face the No. 2 Wolverines (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) in the "Big House" on Nov. 25. That's plenty of time for either McCarthy or Harrison to separate themselves are the front-runner for this year's Heisman Trophy.
And yes, after Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.'s three-turnover outing Saturday in a 15-7 win over Arizona State, the race is open, including for the receiver that draws in rave reviews like double coverages that can't stop him.
Kyle McCord, who's seen Harrison blossom into one of the greatest college receivers in recent memory, said the Heisman is supposed to be awarded to the best player in the sport.
"I don’t see how he’s not in the mix,” McCord said of Harrison's chances.
The Buckeyes hit the road to take on Wisconsin this Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium at 6:30 p.m.
