Ryan Day heaps high praise on Marvin Harrison Jr. for leading team to win vs. Penn State

There wasn’t a lot of offense in Saturday’s Big Ten showdown between Ohio State and Penn State, but Marvin Harrison Jr. provided his share of explosive plays to lead the Buckeyes to a 20-12 victory.

Harrison caught 11 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown as he continues to look like the best receiver in the country and one of the top players in college football.

Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day spoke about his star receiver after the win.

“He’s a tremendous talent – and this is what every defensive coordinator’s going to say, ‘The first thing we’re going to do is not let Marvin Harrison beat us.’ So you stay up late trying to figure out ways to get him the ball,” Day said to Fox following the game. “I thought we were creative.”

Harrison was targeted 16 times on the afternoon and he caught the majority of them.

He finished with nearly half of Ohio State’s total yards.

Marvin Harrison Jr.’s biggest play of the day came late in the fourth quarter. With the Buckeyes leading 13-6, he caught a short pass over the middle and made defenders miss on his way to the end zone.

The play all but clinched the win for the Buckeyes.

“We didn’t execute a bunch of them today, but even the third down play right there to get open, wait ‘til you see the route. He wiggled, he got on the other side of the whole player. Makes a huge run after the catch,” Day said. “I mean he’s a weapon for us, obviously, and really our best player on offense.”

Marvin Harrison Jr. is expected to be a high draft pick in next year’s NFL Draft. Ryan Day is thankful for what he has already done for the Ohio State program and can’t wait to see how he closes out his career.

“The standard he has set here, his work ethic, and what he means to Ohio State, it’s about leaving a legacy behind,” Day said. “We’re only halfway through the season, so I’m not going there yet, but he’s on his way. I’m proud of him.”

Ryan Day shouts Ohio State defense for performance vs. Penn State

While Marvin Harrison Jr. made the majority of the plays for the Ohio State offense, it was a group effort defensively.

The Buckeyes were outstanding, holding Penn State to only 240 total yards. Penn State didn’t reach the end zone until the final 29 seconds.

Day praised his defense following the win.

“I thought our defense played unbelievable – lights out. Really shouldn’t have even put them in that situation at the end of the game like that,” Day said. “I thought we did a great job up front. Won the line of scrimmage. Our guys on the back end got their hands on passes, kept battling. The defense won the game today, and they did an unbelievable job.”