Ohio State second-year wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) recorded three touchdowns in No. 3 Ohio State’s (6-0) 49-20 win over Michigan State (2-4) Saturday. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Days before second-year wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. rewrote Ohio State receiving history books, head coach Ryan Day noticed the wideout alone in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Day said Harrison practiced catches on a JUGS football machine with other Buckeye wide receivers, then found a spot to study.
“I’m just walking through the facility, and he’s out there on the JUGS with Reis Stocksdale going through, I think, the script of practice and the game plan in the facility by himself,” Day said. “I think if you ask anybody on our team they’d say, ‘Oh, there’s Marvin again working by himself.’”
Harrison became the first Ohio State wide receiver to catch three touchdowns in three separate games in his career during the then-No. 3 Buckeyes 49-20 win at Michigan State Saturday.
He originally joined former wideout Joey Galloway as the second to do so in two games in Week 2, but Harrison etched himself as the lone wide receiver to catch three scores in as many games.
“I just want to be great, to be a great football player,” Harrison said. “I want to help my team win, so I just try to put in as much work as I can to help us win.”
The Philadelphia native and son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr. finished with 131 receiving yards across seven receptions. Marvin Harrison Jr. set the tone with his first catch of the game, hauling in a 19-yard touchdown while leaping over the defensive back who committed pass interference less than two minutes into the first quarter.
Marvin Harrison Jr. later caught a 28-yard score in the second quarter, but his third touchdown left spectators and teammates in awe, including third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Stroud threw a 19-yard pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. in the front-left corner of the end zone, and the receiver sprung into the air ahead of the cornerback, catching the football in his hands with his legs just inches away and providing extra stability to make the haul.
“The corner kind of played man principle, so Marvin did a good job,” Stroud said. “I tried to just put it wide as possible as I could. I could’ve probably put a little higher, but with those type of guys all you got to do is give them a chance.”
Reflecting on his seven receptions Saturday, which brought him to 31 this season, Marvin Harrison Jr. said they’re products of his diligence — and he’s not too shocked.
“I definitely surprise myself sometimes, but you also have that confidence in yourself that you can make any play out there,” Harrison said. “That’s why I put all the work in, so nothing surprises me.”
Marvin Harrison Jr. and second-year wide receiver Emeka Egbuka each recorded over 100 receiving yards Saturday, marking the 25th game in Ohio State history in which at least two players eclipsed the century mark in a single game and their third time together this season.
Egbuka said Marvin Harrison Jr. is a “freak athlete” standing 6-foot-4 and can make acrobatic receptions look easy thanks to the extra time he spends catching passes.
“Going up and making those plays is something that Marvin’s really comfortable with,” Egbuka said.
Marvin Harrison Jr. also now leads the NCAA with nine touchdown receptions this season. He’s made seven starts in his Buckeyes career, with six coming this season and his first in the Rose Bowl Jan. 1, during which he recorded his first game hauling in a trio of scores.
Decorated and successful football careers are aplenty in the Harrison household, and the accolades continued to pile Saturday. In his latest achievement, Marvin Harrison Jr. said he couldn’t find words to express what it meant to him — and all he hopes is more scores follow.
“It’s honestly such a blessing,” Harrison said. “You think of all the great receivers that have come to Ohio State, to be the first person to do that, I mean, I can’t really describe what that means to me. I’m just going to keep working though and hopefully more touchdowns come.”
