ATLANTA — By this point, it’s becoming a bit. In big Georgia games, the opposing team’s star receiver suffers an injury that changes the course of the game.

In 2021, it was Jameson Williams and John Metchie of Alabama picking up non-contact injuries that ended up being torn ACLs. On Saturday, it was Ohio State star Marvin Harrison Jr. suffering a concussion after a bone-rattling hit from Georgia safety Javon Bullard.

“To say that losing Marv didn’t have an impact on the game, it absolutely did,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “What this guy did and the way he competed in the second half with all those things coming at him, I just can’t say enough. I’m so proud of the way he played.”

Georgia had no answers for Harrison on Saturday night, as he caught five passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. He did all of that in three quarters and very nearly had a third touchdown that would’ve been a back-breaker for Georgia.

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud lobbed a pass to the end zone for Harrison and the sophomore receiver found a way to separate himself from Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo. Like the giant peach in Atlanta as the clock ticked towards midnight, the ball slowly descended towards Harrison’s hands.

But as the ball arrived, so did Bullard. He wallopped Harrison, sending him and the ball to the ground. A targeting flag was called on the hit but was picked up and waved off after review. Day was told that Harrison did not take a hit to the head on the play by the officials.

The play would be Harrison’s last, as he left the game with a concussion and did not return.

As violent as it was, the hit could not have been a more perfect hit from Bullard.

“It was really just C.J. scrambled. He made a play with his feet and threw the ball up in the air,” Bullard said. “I seen Marvin’s hands going for the ball and just tried to make a play when I could.”

The pass breakup led to an Ohio State field goal instead of a touchdown. It was a four-point play by Bullard in a game Georgia won 42-41. Ohio State scored 38 points with Harrison on the field. In the fourth quarter without him, Ohio State had just three points.

Bullard was named the game’s defensive MVP, due in large part to the pass breakup. The play was a rare stop for Georgia on a night where it struggled to limit the Ohio State offense. Stroud threw for 348 yards, four touchdowns and added another 71 rushing yards if you take away the 4.0 Georgia sacks.

“We knew coming into the game, it wouldn’t be perfect,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “You come into a game like this, college playoff, we know you are going to give up some plays, they are going to make some plays, we’re going to make some plays. You can’t get too high up and can’t get too low. Like I said, we had to rely on the connection we built through the off-season and the resiliency. I couldn’t be more proud of the team.”

As Al Pacino famously said, football is a game of inches. The inches needed to win are everywhere. If Bullard’s shoulder were a few inches higher and he makes contact with Harrison’s head, it’s undoubtedly targeting. If he’s a few inches late in getting to Harrison, it’s likely a touchdown.

Bullard found a way to make up those inches for the Georgia defense. And his play did just enough to give Georgia the narrowest of victories. But it is a win nonetheless and moves Georgia on to play TCU, while Ohio State’s season is over.

More Georgia football stories from around DawgNation