Michigan 30, Ohio State 24
Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr is an elite prospect for the NFL and he showed why in this game against their arch rival. In the first quarter Harrison had a cornerback out fight him for a poorly located pass and that resulted in an interception for Michigan. It was a difficult play for Harrison to bail out his quarterback because the cornerback had the angle and leverage to jump the route. The Buckeyes came back to hit Harrison on a back shoulder route for a gain of 24. Late in the first half Harrison made a superb catch while getting tackled to the ground but still managing to haul in a pass for a 44-yard gain.
After halftime, Harrison had a nice play on a short catch where he broke a tackle and then ran for a first down. Later on the drive Harrison had a nice block downfield to help spring teammate Emeka Egbuka. In the fourth quarter Harrison caught a touchdown from 13 yards out. Harrison caught a cross at the 11-yard line and Harrison darted into the end zone to pull his team within three. Late in the fourth quarter he made a leaping grab for 22 yards to get a get a critical first down. Harrison finished with five receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown. If Kyle McCord had played better it could have been an even bigger game from Harrison.
This game shows that Harrison is a future No.1 for the pro game. With his dynamic skill set, there are a variety of ways for Harrison to shred a defense. Automatically, Harrison gives cornerbacks problems with his size. With his height, length, and leaping ability, Harrison is never truly covered. Even when corners run with him, Harrison is extremely skilled at winning contested catches. Harrison will make use his size to get position and he out battles corners for jump balls. Harrison is a tremendous red zone weapon with his ability to high point the football and win 50-50 passes. With his size and body control, Harrison is fantastic on fade routes and back shoulder receptions along the sideline. To along with his size, Harrison has strong hands and he is a natural hands catcher.
Harrison is not a big bodied receiver that can’t run either. He has a nice burst out of his breaks to get separation from cornerbacks with a second gear to dart for extra yardage after the catch. Many big receivers are not as twitchy or flexible as Harrison is. He will dodge and juke defenders in the open field and uses that ability to get off the line of scrimmage when seeing press man coverage. With enough speed to get vertical, Harrison attacks defenses at every level and is a threat to make big plays downfield. Whether it was innate or he was taught by his father, Harrison is an advanced route runner. Many big receivers struggle to run routes as fluidly as Harrison does. He has lower body flexibility and can sink his hips to turn quickly. This tape will help Harrison to go in the top-five next April.
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy could be a first-round pick next April, and this tape versus Ohio State will help his cause. While McCarthy did not dominate, he did a good job of managing the game and leading his offense to points while taking what the defense was giving him. McCarthy did not get impatient and did a good job of protecting the ball.
In the first quarter McCarthy had a nice pass leading his tight end on the run for a big gain that helped produce some points. Early in the second quarter McCarthy made a superb pass. With the rush coming into his face, McCarthy threw off his back foot but found Roman Wilson for a touchdown from 20 yards out. McCarthy threaded the pass down the seam and over two defenders who were close to Wilson. It was a phenomenal pass with ball placement and accuracy.
Late in the third quarter McCarthy had a nice 15-yard run to get across midfield and it was a smart decision by McCarthy not to force the ball into coverage. McCarthy completed 16-of-20 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for some yardage.
McCarthy has been banged up lately, but he looked better against Ohio State as he was running with more speed and agility. McCarthy has a quality arm and can throw the ball accurately. This season he has been much better with decision making and taking what the defense is giving him. McCarthy has shown growth with taking check downs, underneath routes, and using his legs at the right time. For the NFL, McCarthy might be more of a game manager than an elite playmaker, but he has starting ability and could be a first-round pick next April.
Ohio State has some future defensive line talent for the NFL. End T.J. Tuimoloau has gotten a lot of hype, but he has quiet stretches and this game proved that. He is more of a second-day pick. Defensive end Jack Sawyer has been overrated in his college career and he is more of a mid-rounder. This game gave proof of that.
Defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr is a quick and athletic defender at the line. In the second quarter Hall had an impressive rush shedding the block from guard Zak Zinter and Hall closed on McCarthy in a blur to start a sack that forced a punt on the next play. Late in the fourth quarter with his team needing a critical stop, Hall got through the line to swallow up Blake Corum for a little gain. Overall this tape will help Hall showing his pass rush ability and some quality run defense. He could get late first-round consideration and will go in the second round if he doesn’t go in the first.
This tape will also help other prospects like Michigan running back Blake Corum (22-88-2), Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson (19-60-1), and Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (3-25-1). While none of them were dominant, they all showed next level ability while going against good defenses. The running backs could be day-two picks and future starters while Egbuka might get first-round consideration and won’t get out of the second round.