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Ohio State defensive lineman Zach Harrison was exceptional on Thursday night against Minnesota.
He recorded 3 tackles, 1 sack and was very effective at disrupting what the Golden Gophers wanted to do on offense. For his troubles, he was the highest-rated of any college defender who played on Thursday night according to Pro Football Focus.
He earned a 90.0 grade from PFF:
Zach Harrison: Highest-graded defender in any game last night (90.0)
D-Line University 🎓 pic.twitter.com/y3DpE8JVco
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 3, 2021
Harrison is a former 5-star recruit who is still hoping to live up to that billing. He’s now entering his third season with the Buckeyes, but has mostly been a rotation player to this point in his collegiate career. He entered last night’s game with 5.5 career sacks in 17 games.
However, he’s been drawing praise from teammates and coaches this offseason. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson said in August that he believes he’s a more confident player right now. Johnson also complimented Harrison’s leadership abilities.
Ohio State will need another big performance out of Harrison in Week 2 as the Buckeyes host Oregon.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.