Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. Was 'Knocked Unconscious' by Controversial Hit vs. Georgia
In their College Football Playoff semi-final matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs last month, the Ohio State Buckeyes were firing on all cylinders and had the eventual national champions on their heels.
However, their efforts took a major hit midway through the contest, when star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was forced to leave the game with a concussion.
And in his Wednesday press conference, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day revealed some scary details on the injury, telling the media that Harrison was knocked unconscious by the vicious hit - a hit that somehow, did not result in a targeting penalty.
"I made a lot of calls after the game," Day said on Wednesday. "I felt like it was targeting... the hard thing for me is to see, and understand that, and have our medical staff let us know, that he was knocked unconscious, and that's why we're not going to put him back in the game. Yet, the flag gets picked up for targeting."
Ohio State was leading by 11 points when quarterback C.J. Stroud lofted a desperation pass toward the end zone, where Harrison nearly caught the ball before he took a hard hit from defensive back Javon Bullard.
Obviously unhappy with the call, Day went on to say that he made multiple phone calls, including to the Big 10 and the Pac 12 conferences, the latter of which provided the officials for the game.
"I spoke with the officials in the Big 10," Day said. "I then called the Pac 12 to get an explanation there. The explanation that was told to me, was that it wasn't forcible enough. I then asked to speak with the head of the officials, Steve Shaw. He explained to me that the hit didn't go right to Marvin's head. That it wasn't a shot to his head, it was to the shoulder. I completely disagree with that. But that is the decision that was made."
Harrison had five catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns before being forced to leave the game.
The Buckeyes would go on to fall the Bulldogs on a heartbreaking missed field goal on the final play of regulation, sending Georgia to the national title, where they eventually hoisted the championship trophy after demolishing the TCU Horned Frogs at So-Fi Stadium.
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