Across The Shield: Terry McLaurin Scores An 86-Yard Touchdown, Malik Harrison Makes 13 Tackles and Cade Stover Scores First NFL Touchdown

By Dan Hope on November 26, 2024 at 8:35 am
Terry McLaurin racing to an 86-yard touchdown
Geoff Burke – Imagn Images
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Across The Shield is Eleven Warriors’ weekly recap of the best and most notable performances from former Ohio State players throughout the NFL.

This week’s recap is highlighted by career-long catches for Terry McLaurin and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a highly productive night for Malik Harrison on Monday Night Football and Cade Stover’s first NFL touchdown.

An 86-yard house call

In terms of yardage, Terry McLaurin made the biggest play of his NFL career on Sunday.

With only 33 seconds left to play and the Washington Commanders needing a miracle to tie the game, McLaurin delivered as he caught a pass from Jayden Daniels about 27 yards downfield and raced away from the entire Dallas Cowboys defense from there for an 86-yard touchdown.

That touchdown – the second last-minute long touchdown by a former Ohio State receiver for the Commanders this season along with Noah Brown’s game-winning Hail Mary in Week 8 – would have tied the game at 27-27 and likely forced overtime if Washington kicker Austin Seibert hadn’t missed the extra point that followed. The Commanders instead lost 34-26 after Seibert’s subsequent onside kick attempt was returned for a touchdown by Cowboys safety Juanyeh Thomas.

Nevertheless, McLaurin’s touchdown remains one that should be celebrated. The fourth-longest touchdown from scrimmage in the NFL this season, it broke McLaurin’s previous career-long catch of 75 yards from his rookie season in 2019. It also brought him to five catches for 102 yards on the day, good for his fifth 100-yard game of the year, already the most he’s ever had in a season.

For the season, McLaurin now ranks fourth in the NFL in both receiving yards (823) and receiving touchdowns (seven).

Brown also had a productive day in the Commanders’ loss, catching a season-high six passes for 71 yards.

Harrison makes 13 tackles

Malik Harrison had the most productive game of his NFL career on Monday Night Football as he racked up a career-high 13 tackles in the Baltimore Ravens’ 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

10 of those 13 tackles came within five yards of the line of scrimmage, including one tackle for a 2-yard loss and another two tackles for no gain.

Harrison’s previous career-high was 11 tackles in a win over the Indianapolis Colts during his rookie season in 2020. Since then, Harrison hadn’t had more than seven tackles in a game before Monday night, but he took advantage of the opportunity to play a bigger role against the Chargers as he started in place of the Ravens’ usual starting middle linebacker, Roquan Smith, who was sidelined by a hamstring injury.

With his productive night, Harrison earns our Pro Buck of the Week award as Ohio State’s top NFL performer for Week 13.

Pro Bucks of the Week
Week Player Stats
1 Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins 10 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches, 4 yards
2 Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. 4 catches, 130 yards, 2 TD
3 Commanders WR Terry McLaurin 4 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD
4 49ers DE Nick Bosa 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF, 1 FR, 9 QB pressures
5 Seahawks LB Jerome Baker 14 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF
6 49ers DE Nick Bosa 4 tackles, 2 QB hits, 14 QB pressures
7 Bengals DE Sam Hubbard 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 FF, 3 QB hits
8 Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. 6 catches, 111 yards, 1 TD
9 Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba 7 catches, 180 yards, 2 TD
10 Saints DE Chase Young 1 sack, 1 FF, 2 QB hits, 9 QB pressures
11 Browns CB Denzel Ward 4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR, 2 PBU
12 Ravens LB Malik Harrison 13 tackles, 1 TFL

Harrison’s former Ohio State teammate J.K. Dobbins was on the receiving end of seven of his tackles. Unfortunately, Dobbins – who had six carries for 40 yards and three catches for 19 yards before leaving the game – injured his left knee on the last of those tackles and was unable to return to the game.

Dobbins, who missed the entire 2021 season and part of the 2022 season while playing for the Ravens due to injuries in that same knee, had been having a resurgent campaign in his first year with the Chargers, running for 766 yards and eight touchdowns on 158 carries so far this season.

Dobbins wasn’t the only Buckeye who now plays for the Chargers to leave Monday night’s game early due to injury. Eli Apple, who Los Angeles signed to their 53-man roster just hours before the game after elevating him from their practice squad for their previous three games, suffered a hamstring injury in the first half and was ultimately ruled out for the rest of the game.

Stover’s first NFL TD

Cade Stover went 11 games without scoring a touchdown to start his NFL career, but it didn’t take him long in his 12th NFL game to get on the board for the first time.

Just 18 seconds into the Houston Texans’ game against the Tennessee Titans, Stover scored the first touchdown of the season’s 12th NFL Sunday when he caught a 19-yard pass from fellow Ohio State product C.J. Stroud.

Stover finished the game with three catches – the most he’s had in a game so far in his rookie season – for 26 yards.

That touchdown kicked off a strong start to the day for Stroud, who completed 11 of his first 14 passes against the Titans for 149 yards, including a second touchdown pass to Nico Collins and a 56-yard deep strike to Collins.

Things went downhill from there for Stroud, however, as he completed just nine of his final 19 passes of the day for 98 yards with two interceptions. He also made a Dan Orlovsky-esque mistake by stepping out of the back of the end zone while being sacked in the final two minutes, giving the Titans two more points to secure a 32-27 win while the Texans suffered their third loss in four games.

Stroud, who threw only five interceptions as a rookie last season, has now thrown five interceptions in the Texans’ last three games alone.

Smith-Njigba continues to shine

Jaxon Smith-Njigba tied the longest catch of his young NFL career on Sunday as he had a 46-yard reception for the second time in three games. 

All 46 of those yards came after the catch as Smith-Njigba caught a pass from Geno Smith at the line of scrimmage, exploded away from a tackle attempt and raced to the 4-yard line before he was brought down.

Three plays later, Smith-Njigba finished off the drive himself with a 3-yard touchdown catch.

Smith-Njigba caught a total of six passes for 77 yards in the Seattle Seahawks’ 16-6 win over the Arizona Cardinals, the fourth straight game in which he’s led the Seahawks in receiving. He now ranks sixth in the NFL this season with 755 yards on 66 receptions, the eighth-most in the league.

Following the game, Smith-Njigba participated in an on-field reunion of former Buckeyes as he, Seattle teammate Dre’Mont Jones and Tyreke Smith (a member of the Seahawks’ practice squad) posed for a picture with Marvin Harrison Jr., Paris Johnson Jr. and Baron Browning, who all now play for the Cardinals.

Harrison caught three passes for 47 yards in the Cardinals loss, though he would have had a fourth catch in spectacular fashion if he was still in college, as he just narrowly missed getting a second foot down in bounds (hitting the pylon with a foot counts as out of bounds) on a spinning grab at the goal line.

Quick Hits

  • Denzel Ward preserved a snowy victory for the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football by knocking down Russell Wilson’s Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the game. He also recorded five tackles with one tackle for loss in the Browns’ 24-19 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
  • Tommy Togiai recorded his first sack since 2022 when he took down Titans quarterback Will Levis for a 9-yard loss in the Texans’ loss to the Titans.
  • Jonathon Cooper was named as the Denver Broncos’ nominee for the NFL’s Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.
  • Tyquan Lewis made his return from injured reserve and recorded one quarterback hit with no tackles in the Indianapolis Colts’ 24-6 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Week 12 Stats

The following table, compiled by Eleven Warriors researcher Matt Gutridge, includes statistics for this week and the entire 2024 season for every Buckeye who has played in at least one game this season. (Note: The table only includes players who finished their college careers at Ohio State.)

Buckeyes Around the NFL
PLAYER POSITION TEAM WEEK 12 STATS SEASON STATS
ELI APPLE CB CHARGERS Played at special teams 2 tackles, 1 PD
JEROME BAKER LB TITANS 3 tackles 48 tackles, 1 sack (0 yards), 2 TFL, 2 QB hits, 2 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR
VONN BELL S BENGALS Bye 48 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit, 1 INT, 2 PD
JOEY BOSA DE CHARGERS 4 tackles, 1 TFL 15 tackles, 3 sacks (16 yards), 4 TFL, 8 QB hits
NICK BOSA DE 49ERS Inactive 36 tackles, 7.0 sacks (40 yards), 10 TFL, 15 QB hits, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR
NOAH BROWN WR COMMANDERS 6 catches, 71 yards 32 catches, 426 yards, 1 TD
BARON BROWNING LB CARDINALS 2 tackles, 1 QB hit 9 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit
PARRIS CAMPBELL WR EAGLES Practice squad 6 catches, 30 yards, 1 TD
JONATHON COOPER LB BRONCOS 3 tackles, 0.5 sack (2.5 yards), 1 QB hit 46 tackles, 7 sacks (32 yards), 7 TFL, 13 QB hits, 1 FF
TAYLOR DECKER OT LIONS Started at LT 10 starts at LT
J.K. DOBBINS RB CHARGERS 6 carries, 40 yards; 3 catches, 19 yards 158 carries, 766 yards, 8 TD; 23 catches, 123 yards
TOMMY EICHENBERG LB RAIDERS 1 tackle 11 tackles
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT RB COWBOYS 3 carries, 6 yards 58 carries, 185 yards, 2 TD; 6 catches, 31 yards
LUKE FARRELL TE JAGUARS Bye 9 catches, 55 yards; 1 tackle
JUSTIN FIELDS QB STEELERS 0/1, 0 yards; 3 carries, 26 yards 106/161, 1,106 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT; 60 carries, 274 yards, 5 TD
JORDAN FULLER S PANTHERS 5 tackles, 1 FF 26 tackles, 1 FF
MIKE HALL JR. DT BROWNS Injured reserve (knee) 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 QB hit
DAVON HAMILTON DT JAGUARS Bye 35 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 QB hit
JOHNATHAN HANKINS DT SEAHAWKS 1 tackle 24 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 QB hit, 1 INT, 1 PD
MALIK HARRISON LB RAVENS 13 tackles, 1 TFL 36 tackles, 1 sack (6 yards), 2 TFL
ZACH HARRISON DL FALCONS Bye 13 tackles, 1 TFL
MARVIN HARRISON JR. WR CARDINALS 3 catches, 47 yards 36 catches, 546 yards, 6 TD
CAMERON HEYWARD DT STEELERS 6 tackles, 2 PD 45 tackles, 5 sacks (45 yards), 6 TFL, 15 QB hits, 7 PD
RONNIE HICKMAN S BROWNS 4 tackles 24 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit, 1 PD, 1 FR
JALYN HOLMES DE COMMANDERS Played at DE 11 tackles, 1 sack (5 yards), 3 TFL, 2 QB hits
MALIK HOOKER S COWBOYS 4 tackles 51 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 1 QB hit, 3 PD
SAM HUBBARD DE BENGALS Bye 37 tackles, 2 sacks (6 yards), 3 TFL, 8 QB hits, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 FF
JONAH JACKSON OG RAMS DNP 2 starts at C, 1 start at LG
PARIS JOHNSON JR. OL CARDINALS Started at LT 11 starts at LT
CAMERON JOHNSTON P STEELERS Injured reserve (knee) 2 punts, 51.5 average, 1 inside 20
DAWAND JONES OT BROWNS Injured reserve (ankle) 5 starts at RT, 3 starts at LT, 9 games played
DRE'MONT JONES DE SEAHAWKS 1 tackle 21 tackles, 4 sacks (35 yards), 6 TFL, 10 QB hits, 1 PD, 1 FF
JAMARCO JONES OT LIONS Practice squad 1 game played
MICHAEL JORDAN OG PATRIOTS Started at LG 11 starts at LG, 1 FR
MARSHON LATTIMORE CB COMMANDERS Inactive 30 tackles, 2 PD
TYQUAN LEWIS DT COLTS 1 QB hit 17 tackles, 1.5 sack (9.5 yards), 2 TFL, 4 QB hits
TANNER McCALISTER S BRONCOS Practice Squad 1 tackle
LIAM McCULLOUGH LS FALCONS Bye 11 games played
TERRY McLAURIN WR COMMANDERS 5 catches, 102 yards, 1 TD, 1 FR 53 catches, 823 yards, 7 TD; 2 carries, 2 yards; 1 FR
RAEKWON McMILLAN LB PATRIOTS Practice squad 45 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit
JAKE McQUAIDE LS VIKINGS Played at LS 3 games played
THAYER MUNFORD OT RAIDERS Played on special teams 4 starts at RT, 8 games played
JOSH MYERS C PACKERS Started at C 10 starts at C
JEFF OKUDAH CB TEXANS Inactive 2 tackles
CHRIS OLAVE WR SAINTS Bye 32 catches, 400 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry, 7 yards; 2 tackles
NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE OT TITANS Started at RT 6 starts at RT, 8 games played
ISAIAH PRINCE OT TITANS Practice squad 1 game played
JEREMY RUCKERT TE JETS Bye 13 catches, 73 yards; 1 tackle
CURTIS SAMUEL WR BILLS Bye 21 catches, 185 yards, 1 TD; 3 carries, 6 yards
TREY SERMON RB COLTS Played at RB 47 carries, 131 yards, 2 TD; 12 catches, 75 yards
KENDALL SHEFFIELD CB JETS Bye 3 tackles
JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA WR SEAHAWKS 6 catches, 77 yards, 1 TD 66 catches, 755 yards, 4 TD; 1 carry, 8 yards; 1/1 passing, 35 yards; 1 tackle
CADE STOVER TE TEXANS 3 catches, 26 yards, 1 TD 13 catches, 128 yards, 1 TD
C.J. STROUD QB TEXANS 20/33, 247 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT; 3 carries, 18 yards 231/363, 2,643 yards, 13 TD, 7 INT; 37 carries, 187 yards
TOMMY TOGIAI DT TEXANS 2 tackles, 1 sack (9 yards) 5 tackles, 1 sack (9 yards), 1 TFL, 1 QB hit, 2 PD
NICK VANNETT TE TITANS Played at TE 11 catches, 84 yards, 2 TD
SHAUN WADE CB CHARGERS Practice squad Has not played
DENZEL WARD CB BROWNS 5 tackles, 1 TFL 25 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QB hit, 1 INT, 16 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR
PETE WERNER LB SAINTS Bye 49 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 PD
GARRETT WILSON WR JETS Bye 69 catches, 722 yards, 5 TD
LUKE WYPLER C BROWNS Injured reserve (ankle) Has not played
CHASE YOUNG DE SAINTS Bye 20 tackles, 3.5 sacks (20.5 yards), 6 TFL, 15 QB hits, 1 PD, 1 FF
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