Buckeyes WR Marvin Harrison Jr.'s TD vs. Hoosiers Should've Counted
Amidst the start-and-stop offense the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes were running against the Indiana Hoosiers, one of the biggest plays in the game didn't even count.
Midway through the quarter a 49-yard hookup from quarterback Kyle McCord to tight end Cade Stover set the Buckeyes up at Indiana's 24-yard line. With the momentum on their side, McCord lofted a pass down the right sideline to wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. for what would have been a 24-yard touchdown pass, but the play was nullified for an illegal touching penalty.
However, head coach Ryan Day had conversations with Big Ten officiating afterwards and was told it shouldn't been called back.
"We came right back with another four verticals concept," Day told 97.1 the Fan Thursday. "[McCord] hit Marvin, which I was told should have been a touchdown. That shouldn't have been called because he was forced out by the defender. They thought he ran out on his own. That didn't happen, so that was missed and they let us know that."
At the time, Ohio State was leading 13-3 and driving, having picked up 64 yards on three plays before the nullified 24-yard touchdown. The Buckeyes scored on a 3-yard touchdown from running back Miyan Williams three plays later to extend the lead to 17 points.
Though the penalty against Harrison didn't matter in determining the outcome of the game, a four-play, 88-yard touchdown drive with three explosive plays is a whole lot better for a struggling offense's confidence than a six-play drive.
Day emphasized the importance of capitalizing on the fewer possessions the Buckeyes will have due to the running clock after first downs throughout the majority of the game.
"You can see the explosiveness; you can see where we're at," Day said. "There was still some things we didn't execute well enough to get to where we need to be. We know these possessions aren't going to be as many as in the past, so we got to be more efficient and got to execute at a better level."
The Buckeyes will have a chance to rekindle that explosive offense that was so potent when C.J. Stroud was under center against the Youngstown State Penguins at noon Saturday.