Skull Session: Marvin Harrison Jr. Deserves a Trip to New York, Ohio State's Offense Looks Great at Full Strength and Tom Ryan Earns Dual Win No. 200 With Buckeyes

By Chase Brown on November 13, 2023 at 5:00 am
Marvin Harrison Jr.
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Ohio State is 10-0.

Let's have a good Monday, shall we?

 MARV FOR #HE18MAN. Marvin Harrison Jr. (Route Man Marv, Marvelous Marv, Super Marv, Maserati Marv), YOU deserve a seat at the Lincoln Center in New York City when the Heisman Trophy Ceremony occurs on Dec. 9. And, if I may be so bold — it's not that bold — YOU deserve to lift the Heisman Trophy before the ceremony ends.

In 2022, Harrison established himself as the best wide receiver in college football, collecting 77 receptions for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns in 13 games and becoming a unanimous All-American. In 2023, with an impressive 59 receptions, 1,063 yards and 13 total touchdowns in 10 games, Harrison has established himself as the best player in the sport. Period.

And if, for some reason, college football observers nationwide doubted Harrison's talents or how realistic his Heisman chances were before Saturday, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound pass-catcher made a statement with a dominant 168-yard, three-touchdown performance in Ohio State's 38-3 win over Michigan State.

Indeed. Harrison reached the end zone three times in the Buckeyes' first three offensive drives of the game — once via a 19-yard run, twice via a 26-yard catch and thrice via a 10-yard catch.

Before the intermission, Harrison became the first Ohio State player to record 1,000 receiving yards in multiple seasons. He also tied David Boston for the most 100-yard receiving games in school history with 14.

And somehow, some way, Harrison made it all look easy.

And somehow, some way, Harrison, even with his incredible talent, cares less about individual accolades and more about team accomplishments with two weeks left in the regular season.

“Honestly, that wasn’t in my head at all,” Harrison said when asked about his chances to win the Heisman. “I just want us to beat 'That Team Up North' and go to the Big Ten championship. I’ve kind of been saying that all year. Those are the two goals I've had before the season even started.”

I hope Harrison wins all three.

That Team Up North, Big Ten Championship Game, Heisman Trophy, in that order.

It can happen!

 "WE'RE GETTING ALL OUR PIECES BACK." Before the Michigan State matchup, it was well-documented that the Spartans were a bad football team and that, if all went according to plan, the Buckeyes would win in blowout fashion on Saturday.

Still, I left the Shoe impressed with how efficient Ohio State's offense looked when its starters were on the field. So, like, the first half and a couple of possessions in the second half. Head coach Ryan Day explained a potential reason for the Buckeyes looking better offensively in his postgame press conference.

"We're getting all of our pieces back, and I think you're starting to see our identity start to forge a little bit," Day explained. "Sometimes it takes a little bit longer to figure that out."

With all of Ohio State's offensive pieces back, the distribution of touches was crucial to the Buckeyes' success.

In the opening 30 minutes, the Buckeyes racked up 360 yards and 35 points, as Marvin Harrison Jr. scored three touchdowns and both TreVeyon Henderson and Cade Stover reached the end zone. By the time the clock reached 0:00, Ohio State finished with 530 yards and 38 points, securing their five-score win over the Spartans.

Here is a look at some items in the box score:

Ohio State Passing

  • Kyle McCord: 24-31, 335 yards, 3 TD
  • Lincoln Kienholz: 2-3, 18 yards

Ohio State Rushing

  • TreVeyon Henderson: 13 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD
  • Xavier Johnson: 4 carries, 40 yards
  • Chip Trayanum: 7 carries, 35 yards
  • Evan Pryor: 7 carries, 20 yards
  • Marvin Harrison Jr.: 1 carry, 19 yards, 1 TD

Ohio State Receiving

  • Marvin Harrison Jr.: 7 catches, 149 yards, 2 TD
  • Cade Stover: 7 catches, 79 yards, 1 TD
  • Carnell Tate: 2 catches, 26 yards
  • Jelani Thurman: 2 catches, 18 yards
  • TreVeyon Henderson: 2 catches, 14 yards
  • Julian Fleming: 2 catches, 12 yards
  • Chip Trayanum: 2 catches, 12 yards
  • Xavier Johnson: 1 catch, 31 yards
  • Emeka Egbuka: 1 catch, 12 yards

Again. Michigan State. Bad football team.

But it should not be dismissed that Ohio State dismantled a Big Ten football team when Henderson carried the ball just 13 times (for 63 yards and one touchdown) and Egbuka had the ninth-best production among receivers with (one catch for 12 yards). That's proof of how deep the Buckeyes are at the skill positions and how dangerous the team can be from here on out.

"We have great weapons across the board," Day said. "That's what is great about having all of our guys back at full capacity. And the O-line is starting to make strides."

Yeah, that sounds dangerous to me.

I like dangerous.

 PLAYERS OF THE GAME. The Sunday after an Ohio State win, Eleven Warriors presents an offensive and defensive Buckeye with player of the game awards. This week, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and cornerback Davison Igbinosun received our top honors for their performances.

Around seven hours after we shared our selections, Ohio State revealed its picks: Harrison and Kyle McCord as its offensive players of the game, Igbinosun as its defensive player of the game and both Jayden Ballard and Jermaine Mathews Jr. as its special teams players of the game.

Overall, it was a great Saturday for these five Buckeyes.

Congratulations to Harrison, McCord, Igbinosun, Ballard and Mathews.

I hope all five continue in excellence.

Ohio State will need them!

 OLYMPIC VILLAGE. More congratulations are in order for Ohio State wrestling head coach Tom Ryan, who secured dual win No. 200 with the Buckeyes when Ohio State demolished Edinboro, 53-0, on Sunday — less than 48 hours after the team's 24-12 road win over No. 3 Virginia Tech on Friday.

You love to see it.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Carmen Ohio" - TBDBITL.

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