Ohio State Names Players Of The Game For Arkansas State

An anticipated breakout star and emerging key defensive cog headlined Ohio State’s Players of the Game against Arkansas State.

Sophomore wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. took home Offensive Player of the Week honors, while fourth-year linebacker Steele Chambers earned Defensive Player of the Week and graduate linebacker Palaie Gaoteote IV ended up as Special Teams Player of the Week.

Harrison racked up 184 yards in just seven receptions against the Red Wolves. He added three touchdowns, each from at least 30 yards away from the goal line. Combined with his three-touchdown performance against Utah in the Rose Bowl to conclude the 2021 season, he is just the second wide receiver in Ohio State history with multiple three-touchdown games.

“Marvin’s route running is very mature for his age,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said after the game. “To see somebody who’s played as much as he has, the high level of route running is pretty remarkable. He had a chance to have four touchdowns, I think, he had the one they called an incompletion, he could have finished that one off. The potential is there, you can see the couple of plays he made, he did it a bunch of different ways.”

Chambers tied for the team lead with six total tackles on defense, four of them solo. He added one sack on a perfectly-timed blitz up the A-gap.

“I think it’s the D-line,” Chambers said about what opens up Ohio State’s interior blitzes. “The offensive line, running backs, whoever’s blocking, just having them put all their attention on those front four, then us being able to just fit wherever we need to fit, that’s really nice for us.”

Gaoteote picked up two tackles in coverage, keeping contain well enough to pick up his second straight Special Teams Player of the Week honor.