Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. “Tough,” “Gutsy” In Critical Moments Of Win At Penn State

The sophomore set career highs with 10 catches for 185 yards in the 44-31 victory over the Nittany Lions.

Overshadowed by a dominant defensive performance by one of his classmates, Ohio State sophomore wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. set career highs with 10 catches for 185 yards in Saturday's 44-31 win at Penn State.

“Obviously, the one guy we struggled with is Marvin Harrison,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said after the game. “He’s a really good player and they went to him time and time again.”

The Buckeyes did just that, as Harrison converted all 10 of his catches for first downs, including a critical 3rd-and-10 with just over five minutes remaining in the game to keep a scoring drive alive.

It marked Harrison’s final catch on the afternoon, as quarterback C.J. Stroud subsequently found wide receiver Emeka Egbuka on a 42-yarder and then running back TreVeyon Henderson punched it in from there for a 37-24 lead.

“It means a lot,” said Harrison, a Philadelphia native. “It might be one of my only times to come back here to Penn State, so I try to make the best of it … It’s a big win for us. It’s going to definitely help us moving forward. We’ve got to keep pushing, though.”

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Harrison’s status actually looked in doubt midway through the third quarter, as he was favoring his shoulder as he ran off the field following an 11-yard reception. He returned to catch five more passes, becoming Stroud’s go-to target in the midst of adversity.

“Tough,” head coach Ryan Day said when asked to describe Harrison’s play. “We know Marvin’s talented, but to play tough the way he did says a lot about him. He was gutsy today.”

Harrison did not catch a touchdown pass on Saturday, snapping a streak of three straight games where he found the end zone. Still, he now leads the team with 48 catches for 783 yards – five yards shy of Egbuka’s pace – and 10 touchdowns. 

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