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With Monarc machine on hand, Marvin Harrison Jr. locked in for CFP matchup

Tim-Mayby:Tim May•12/28/22•

TIM_MAYsports

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Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is excited to play his first game in a dome. (Matt Parker/Lettermen Row)

ATLANTA — Ohio State equipment personnel gained a shoutout from receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. on Tuesday because among the many things they transported here was the Monarc pass-throwing machine which he constantly uses back in Columbus.

Call it making it feel like home away from home, but the Buckeyes seem to be sparing few opportunities to prepare for Saturday night’s College Football Playoff semifinal vs. Georgia in the Mercedes Benz Stadium. For sure Harrison appreciates having that machine around, something he, Reis Stocksdale and the OSU receiving corps have made a staple to their daily routine, and he insisted it be included on the truck’s manifest.

It’s set up in one of the large meeting rooms in the team’s downtown hotel, and Harrison and Co. have already put it through many sessions of fire and catch.

“We’ve got a nice little spot where me and my teammates can catch balls,” Harrison said, smiling. “So I’ve kind of got that working out for me.”

As for the site of the game, Harrison is looking forward to calling it a dome, sweet dome.

“It’ll be my first time playing indoors. I’m very excited for that,” Harrison said. “Came from Philadelphia, the state (high school) championship was outside, Dec. 8, probably eight degrees. So I’m very happy we can play in the dome. It kind of takes that cold element away, which does kind of affect a little bit, especially if there’s any kind of rain or anything like that. Like at Northwestern (this November with 30-40 mph winds and rain at times, in the 21-7 win) – we kind of had to battle through some weather up there.

“So playing in a dome is going to be definitely beneficial for us.”

There is an irony to that for Harrison. His father, NFL Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison Sr., played more than half of his college and NFL games indoors, since he was drafted out of Syracuse by the Indianapolis Colts.  

“He had the luxury of playing in a dome in his college AND NFL career, so hopefully it will benefit me,” Harrison Jr. said.

As for specific pointers from his father on playing in a dome, there were none.

“He was always telling me it doesn’t matter where you’re playing at, go out there and do your best,” Harrison Jr. said.

He said he and quarterback C.J. Stroud and fellow receiver Emeka Egbuka are fired up just to have the experience of playing in a dome. The closest they’ve come was when Ohio State was allowed to practice in SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles – home of the Rams and Chargers – last December before the Rose Bowl vs. Utah because of rain that drenched the Buckeyes’ practice facility three straight days.

“So that was nice,” Harrison Jr. said. “But to actually play a game in a dome is going to be very exciting to me.”

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