Skull Session: Marvin Harrison Jr. Loves Being a Villain, C.J. Stroud Responds When People Count Him Out and Kirk Herbstreit Catches a Stray

By Chase Brown on December 28, 2022 at 5:00 am
Marvin Harrison Jr.
Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch
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Welcome to the Wednesday Skull Session. The Peach Bowl is only three days away.

Seriously, it can't come soon enough.

Let's have a good Wednesday, shall we?

 BECOMING A VILLAIN. Despite being one of college football's best receivers, Marvin Harrison Jr. doesn't appear cocky or full of himself. Instead, he seems humble and soft-spoken, with a quiet confidence that shows itself more on the football field than in interviews with the media.

Knowing this makes Harrison's comment from Tuesday's press conference toward Ohio State embracing an underdog mentality against Georgia all the more interesting, as Harrison said he loves being an underdog and – perhaps even more – becoming a villain in big games like the one the Buckeyes will have in the Peach Bowl.

Personally, I did not have Harrison becoming a villain on my bingo card, as his character and demeanor mentioned above don't necessarily fit the role's description. When I think of college football villains, my mind runs to players like Johnny Manziel or Baker Mayfield, not a player like Harrison.

Still, Harrison has all the talent to make for a compelling villain. Harrison's transformation into a monster started after he was snubbed a Biletnikoff Award in early December. Unless we are talkin' about the Hulk, monsters are often seen as villains. For all we know, Harrison is preparing his origin story for this weekend in Atlanta.

I can't wait to see how it all works out for him.

Bring on the Bulldogs. Ohio Against the World.

 HOW YOU REACT. Speaking of the underdog role, C.J. Stroud was asked a similar question to Harrison's about how Ohio State has embraced the mentality in the weeks leading up to the Peach Bowl.

Stroud is correct that people counting him out is nothing new.

After all, the quarterback from Southern California was an overlooked and overshadowed prospect at Rancho Cucamonga High School. He responded with an otherworldly showing at The Opening in 2019 that put him on recruiting boards of top programs across the country.

At Ohio State, Stroud's inconsistent performances in his first three starts –  a win over Minnesota, a loss to Oregon and a too-close-for-comfort victory over Tulsa – led people to count him out again. After missing the Akron game to nurse a shoulder ailment, Stroud remained QB1 and responded with a season in which he threw for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns, won several Big Ten awards, finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting and broke 17 program records.

Finally, over the last few weeks, many have doubted Stroud's ability to lead the Buckeyes to a victory in big games, citing his performances against Michigan the previous two seasons and his comments that The Game doesn't define him or any of his teammates as players.

How will Stroud respond?

History tells us that Stroud performs well when people count him out. Perhaps Saturday will be the latest example, but we won't know until the boot hits the ball around 8 p.m. at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Until then, Stroud's focus is clear: “Just mask up and go play football.”

 HERBIE CATCHES A STRAY. Kirk Herbstreit probably wasn't expecting to catch a stray bullet from Will Muschamp on Tuesday, but that's what happened when Georgia's co-defensive coordinator was asked about what he remembers from the 1993 Citrus Bowl against Ohio State – a game he played in as a defensive back for the Bulldogs.

"It was a good win for the Dawgs. We had a luncheon, and when Herbstreit got up and threw a pass across the room, I knew we had a shot to win. Make sure he knows I said that."

Ohio State lost that year's Citrus Bowl 21-14 to Georgia as Herbstreit struggled to move the ball through the air for the Buckeyes, ending the game 8-of-24 passing for 110 yards and an interception in his final performance in the scarlet and gray.

“It’s a big loss for me because it could have put us in the top 10,” Herbstreit said that day in Orlando of Ohio State, who finished the season 8-3-1. “It was a good chance to show what our league’s about.”

Fast forward to Tuesday, and Herbstreit, who will color commentate on this year's Peach Bowl next to Chris Fowler for ESPN, claims he doesn't remember much about the postseason matchup with the Bulldogs.

While I believe Muschamp's comment to be a fun jab, I must also commend Herbie for responding to it as such. A couple of jokes never hurt nobody!

 ANOTHER ONE AND DONE? Brice Sensabaugh’s talent is no longer something Ohio State fans are privy to. As of Tuesday, the freshman hooper is on the NBA’s radar and labeled a “fast riser” in the 2023 draft, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony.

In his first mock draft for 2023, Givony projected Sensabaugh, who secured another Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor on Tuesday, as the No. 24 overall pick to the Brooklyn Nets. Here is what he wrote about the 6-foot-6, 235-pound forward from Orlando, Florida:

At 29 points per 40 minutes, Sensabaugh isn't just the best per-minute scorer in this freshman class, he's one of the most dangerous offensive players in college basketball. After initially limiting his playing time because of defensive concerns, Ohio State inserted him into its starting lineup earlier this month. He had his best performance of the season at the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, where NBA executives saw him explode for 22 points, eight rebounds and three assists against North Carolina, including the potential game-winning shot over one of the best defenders in the country in 23-year-old Leaky Black.

Sensabaugh doesn't look like a potential one-and-done prospect at first glance as he's undersized for the power forward position he often plays at 6-6 with wide hips, thick legs and average length. He clearly needs to continue to improve his conditioning, something he has started to address since leading the Nike EYBL in per-minute scoring at 38.5 points per 40 minutes in summer 2021.

But he's a better athlete than he gets credit for, possessing impressive body control and some underrated explosiveness as a finisher around the basket.

While Givony believes Sensabaugh to be a gifted scorer, there are places where he thinks Sensabaugh can improve as the season continues, with the primary focuses being his passing and defense.

Regarding passing, Sensabaugh has improved tremendously since Game 1 with the Buckeyes and has posted 10 assists in his past two games after only collecting four through the first month of play. As for the defense, that's still a work in progress. Givony writes:

Defensively is where the biggest questions remain, as Sensabaugh often looks lost off the ball, rarely gets in a defensive stance, shows bad closeout technique and gets scored on frequently in the post. His lack of size, length and quickness is an issue, but so is his lack of intensity. He generates very few steals, blocks or rebounds to complement his incredible scoring prowess. He has struggled with foul trouble in some of the toughest games he has played in thus far, something that could be a bigger issue now that he's receiving starting-caliber minutes going into Big Ten play.

While improvements still need to be made, it's incredible that Sensabaugh has already emerged as a one-and-done candidate at Ohio State only 11 games into the season. He is much further along at this point in the year than Malaki Branham was in 2021-22, and Branham ended up as the No. 20 overall pick to the San Antonio Spurs.

Unfortunately, Branham's success at Ohio State was only enough for the Buckeyes to earn a trip to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament last year. Hopefully, Sensabaugh's talent along with that of the rest of the 2022-23 team can take the scarlet and gray much further come March.

 SONG OF THE DAY. “Back Against the Wall” by Cage The Elephant.

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