BREAKING NEWS: A MEDICAL REPORT HAS STARTED THAT WR MARVIN HARRISON JR WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PLAY AGAIN……
But a compelling case can be made that Ohio State would be headed to Los Angeles for a chance to win a national championship next week had Marvin Harrison Jr. not gone down in the third quarter of Saturday’s College Football Playoff semifinal in Atlanta.
At that point, the Buckeyes had racked up 319 passing yards and four scores through the air, of which Harrison contributed 105 yards and two touchdowns. On the next play after Harrison’s injury, Ohio State kicked a field goal to take a 14-point lead into the fourth quarter.
From that point forward, the Buckeyes only mustered 29 more passing yards and three more points, allowing Georgia to outscore them by 15 in the final period to steal a one-point win and a spot in the national title game.
A scary hit to Harrison’s head and neck area delivered by Georgia defensive back Javon Bullard – and the subsequent collision Harrison’s head made with the turf – might have changed college football history. Ryan Day confirmed after the game that Harrison suffered a concussion on the play, which rendered him unable to return. What followed was Ohio State’s lowest-scoring quarter of the game. It came at the worst possible time.
“It hurt bad. Fourth quarter, College Football Playoffs, chance to go to the national championship? I mean, I wish I could be out there for my teammates and do the best I can to help,” Harrison said after Ohio State’s 42-41 loss in the Peach Bowl.
Even if the hit on Harrison had been ruled differently, the game’s result might have changed. In real time, Bullard’s hit on Harrison to break up a high-arcing heave from Stroud to the end zone appeared to be a no-brainer targeting call. Harrison’s immediate physical reaction made it look like he might have been knocked unconscious by the hit, given his stiff appearance and fencing response.
A targeting penalty would’ve given the Buckeyes a fresh set of downs and the ball half the distance to the goal line after a play that was snapped from the Georgia 7-yard line. Instead, there was no targeting call, and Ohio State faced 4th-and-7. The Buckeyes were forced to kick a field goal rather than getting another series to punch in a touchdown at the Bulldog’s doorstep.
