When Ohio State takes the field against Georgia on Saturday in the Peach Bowl, the Buckeyes will trot out any number of potential receiving targets for quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka have led the way this season, with Julian Fleming, Xavier Johnson and tight end Cade Stover each hauling in double-digit receptions. Harrison led the way with 72 catches for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns, and was named a unanimous All-American, the first receiver in Ohio State history to earn the honor.
Harrison is just one part of Ohio State’s receiving corps, though, and he feels the Buckeyes have no shortage of firepower.
“I trust the coaches…obviously C.J. back there, best quarterback in the country – best player in country, too – and then obviously the o-line’s going to do their thing,” he said. “The running backs, receivers, tight ends, everybody, so I definitely feel as though we have the firepower to be very dangerous in College Football Playoff.”
That attitude is shared by Ohio State’s opponent in Georgia. The Bulldogs have allowed 215.1 passing yards per game this season – 49th in the country – and will face their stiffest challenge yet in the Buckeyes’ passing attack.
“He’s a really good player,” Georgia defensive back Kamari Lassiter said of Harrison. “I’ve got a lot of respect for him. He’s very physical. He’s a big long guy with a pretty big catch radius.
“He just seems like he pays attention,” Lassiter continued. “He has a lot of attention to detail during the game, and I think that’s what makes him a pretty good player.”
Lassiter is conscious of the fact that Georgia will have to play better than some recent performances to hold off Harrison and Co. Despite a 50-30 win over LSU in the SEC Championship Game, the Bulldogs allowed the Tigers to throw for 502 yards, with two receivers – Kayshon Boutte and Malik Nabers – each picking up over 100 receiving yards on the night.
Harrison has reached at least 100 receiving yards in half of Ohio State’s games this season, and four of the last seven, in addition to hauling in at least five receptions in the last seven games.
Evidenced by his three-score outing against Utah last season, Harrison has the ability for big gains if not kept in check by Georgia’s secondary.
“Ohio State definitely has a lot of great receivers, great quarterback, and we’ve got a lot of respect for them,” Lassiter said. “We did have some lapses (against LSU) in the second half. We just really needed to recenter and refocus after that win and during this time off and just get back to the basics of Georgia football.”
