Coming into Ohio State’s matchup in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Georgia, nobody questioned quarterback C.J. Stroud’s efficiency, toughness, and capability for explosive plays in the pocket. There were, however, questions about Stroud’s ability to make off-schedule plays in which he had to create outside the pocket, under pressure, and when the play broke down. Based on Stroud’s 2022 tape, these have been legitimate issues, and they did put a bit of a pause on Stroud’s automatic status as a top-5 pick in the 2023 NFL draft — at least, in the minds of some.
This was especially true on the two touchdown passes Stroud threw to Marvin Harrison Jr. in the first half of the game. There was this 31-yard touchdown pass thrown with 8:16 left in the first quarter, in which Stroud drifted to his right, directed Harrison out of the way of coverage, and made the throw he needed to make.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is SPECIAL pic.twitter.com/QIW2J7uae2
— PFF (@PFF) January 1, 2023
Then, there was this 16-yarder with 10:56 left in the second quarter, where Stroud was pressured by multiple Bulldogs defenders, escaped the problems, and threw an absolute dart off-platform.
The C.J. Stroud-Marvin Harrison Jr connection is so unfair
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 1, 2023
Both throws were into tight coverage, and both were against defenses that required Stroud to do what he didn’t do very well in the regular season — get it done when things weren’t right in the pocket.
Safe to say that a game in which he completed 23 of 34 passes for 348 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions against the NCAA’s best defense did a lot to solidify Stroud’s perception as a first-round talent. But it’s the stuff we didn’t really see in the regular season that could have Stroud moving up a bit in the minds of NFL decision-makers.
C.J. Stroud may have been on the wrong end of a 42-41 loss, but he gained as much as he lost in his final collegiate game.
