Skull Session: Marvin Harrison Jr. is Marvelous – And So is Josh Proctor, Denzel Burke Hurt Gus Johnson's Feelings and Avery Henry Returns to Ohio Stadium

By Chase Brown on October 9, 2023 at 5:00 am
Marvin Harrison Jr.
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Slow and steady won the race in Game 5.

Let's have a good Monday, shall we?

 HE IS MARVELOUS! Chris Lauderback made a similar observation in Five Things, but I'll repeat it here: Marvin Harrison Jr. is so good – like, so good – that he makes an eight-catch, 163-yard, one-touchdown performance look effortless, even on an ankle that is less than 100%.

Harrison recorded catches of 1 yard, 13 yards, 12 yards and 6 yards before he broke free for a 58-yard reception near the end of the second quarter. Had Kyle McCord's pass hit Harrison in stride, the play could have ended in a touchdown, knowing Harrison's incredible top-end speed.

On the next snap, Harrison leaped to corral a pass on the Ohio State sideline. Here is a screenshot of Harrison's 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame in the air as he secured the 19-yard catch:

And then, of course, there was Harrison's 37-yard catch when Ohio State faced 2nd-and-33, and later, his 17-yard touchdown reception, which he celebrated with a LeBron James "Silencer" celebration in the end zone.

Man, oh man, is he marvelous and super and all that good stuff.

You know who else is marvelous?

Josh Proctor.

Seven tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one interception and one defensive touchdown. His pick-six, which came when Ohio State trailed Maryland 10-0 in the second quarter, was on 3rd-and-4. Before the snap, he pumped up the crowd at Ohio Stadium. He then anticipated a curl route, reached in front of the Maryland receiver, secured the interception and sprinted 24 yards for the Buckeyes' first touchdown of the game.

Incredible.

In his postgame press conference, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said he offered a special shoutout to Proctor in the Buckeyes' locker room celebration to recognize how well the veteran safety performed.

“He's the best version of himself right now,” Day said. “The guy’s been through a lot of ups and downs, injuries, things like that. He’s playing his best football. He’s the best version of himself now. For us to get to where we need to be the next two months, we need him to play like that.”

 "YOU GOT BBQ BACK THERE?" Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke laid the wood on Maryland wide receiver Tyrese Chambers on Saturday. Not only did Burke's massive hit cause some pain for Chambers, but it also hurt Gus Johnson's... feelings.

Did Johnson's call sound familiar?

It should have.

Exactly six years from Saturday – as in, Oct. 7, 2017 – Johnson made the call, "OOOOH. WHAT A HIT. YOU GOT BBQ BACK THERE? AND YOU DIDN'T INVITE ME? HURT. MY. FEELINGS." when Denzel Ward delivered the boom on a Maryland wide receiver when the Buckeyes battled the Terrapins at Ohio Stadium.

Two Denzels. Two massive hits (both at the 35-yard line). Two Ohio State vs. Maryland matchups. Two iconic calls from the FOX play-by-play announcer. 

We must protect Gus Johnson at all costs.

Another memorable moment on FOX's coverage of Ohio State-Maryland came on Big Noon Kickoff. Former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn was forced to wear former Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk's old uniform on the broadcast. Why? Because the brothers-in-law bet on the winner of Ohio State-Notre Dame on Sept. 23.

"A couple of weeks ago, the Buckeyes took down my Fighting Irish in South Bend. This Ohio State right here took down my Fighting Irish," Quinn said as he pointed to the Ohio State fans outside the studio. "A bet was made with my brother-in-law, AJ Hawk, and I'm now repaying that bet."

Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer was quick to come after Quinn.

"That's the best you've ever looked," Meyer said.

I agree, Coach. I agree.

After all of Quinn's comments about Ryan Day's comments about Lou Holtz's comments – which included remarks that Day's emotional outpour was "bizarre" and that Day lacked "poise" in how he handled Ohio State's top-10 win over Notre Dame – it was phe-no-menal (read that in a Jim Rome voice) to see Quinn eat a slice of Humble Pie on national television.

Well done, A.J. Hawk!

 YES! YES! YES! Former Ohio State offensive lineman Avery Henry, who medically retired from football after a battle with cancer, returned to Ohio Stadium for the first time in 10 months to watch Ohio State defeat Maryland.

While the Buckeyes battled the Terrapins, the Ohio State football media team posted pictures of Henry's appearance at the Shoe. Henry also posted a video of the tunnel entrance with his teammates, who he said welcomed him back with open arms. Henry also said the experience showed how The Brotherhood at Ohio State is the real deal.

I smiled for all 15 seconds of Henry's video. What a moment!

Henry was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, in December 2022. Over the next nine months, he documented these experiences on Twitter:

Buckeye Nation stood with Henry in each of those milestones and will continue to stand with him for all the milestones to come.

Keep up the FIGHT, Avery.

 UNDERRATED MOMENTS. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Josh Proctor's performances will dominate headlines after Ohio State's win over Maryland – and deservedly so.

As Harrison and Proctor steal the show, I want to direct attention to (some of) the underrated moments in the Big Ten East battle. Those moments include an unexpected drone delay, a JT Tuimoloau sack, a Chip Trayanum touchdown, an acrobatic Julian Fleming catch, a Lathan Ransom interception and a Cade Stover touchdown catch.

A Drone Delay?

Five minutes after Ohio State and Maryland kicked off, officials paused the action because referees detected a drone that flew over (or into?) Ohio Stadium. FOX color commentator Joel Klatt confirmed the drone was not involved in FOX's broadcast, so the operator remains on the loose. Sounds like a case for The Mosby Boys!

Tuimoloau Takedown

Tuimoloau recorded sack numero uno on Saturday. In the olden days, I would shrug and move on after such a moment. We all would. However, Tuimoloau's sack was the first of the season for the 6-foot-4, 269-pound edge rusher. It was also the first sack for either Tuimoloau or Jack Sawyer and the second for the Buckeyes' defensive ends in 2023, as Mitchell Melton secured one late in the fourth quarter of Ohio State's 63-10 win over Western Kentucky.

Does More Green Matter?

Let me be clear: I am no scheme expert. However, Big Brained Ball Knowers would concur with my Little Brain Non-Ball Knower assessment that Ryan Day and Ohio State's offense loveeeeeeee handoffs toward the short side of the field. Why do the Buckeyes love it? I'm not sure – especially when handoffs toward the wide side of the field result in runs like Trayanum's touchdown. That's too easy!

Julian Fleming's Impressive Catch

Lathan Ransom's Interception

Farmer Gronk's Touchdown

Stover scored his first touchdown of the season on Saturday, a 44-yard career-long score. After five weeks, Stover has 19 receptions for 306 yards and one touchdown – numbers that rank third, second and third on the team in 2023. At Farmer Gronk's current pace, he will have the best receiving season ever for an Ohio State tight end, surpassing Billy Anders' 671 yards in 1966. Even if the Buckeyes only play 13 games, Stover is on pace for 796 yards.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Chimes, Carmen Ohio" by TBDBITL.

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