From the moment he spurned “Big Blue Nation” to come to the University of Alabama in 2015, Crimson Tide fans were excited about the potential of five-star running back Damien Harris.
After a strong high school career and overcoming issues as a freshman, coach Nick Saban and company saw a mixture of Mark Ingram and Kenneth Darby a year ago. Harris opened the 2016 season with a bang, posting a team-high 138 rushing yards on nine carries against University of Southern California at AT&T Stadium.
During conference games with Ole Miss, Arkansas and Texas A&M, he totaled at least 100 yards.
While his two rushing touchdowns came versus Mississippi and UT-Chattanooga, Harris was poised for more end zone opportunities – if not for the lack of breakaway speed in open space. Regardless of his low scoring output, the Richmond, Ky., native still managed to produce a 1,000-yard campaign (1,037) on 146 attempts.
Crossing this mark as a complete back speaks to the work one puts in, however in Harris’ case, the feat was rather quiet among the Tide faithful. He’s been more consistent across the board statistically than his counterpart, Bo Scarbrough, nevertheless; the latter seems to collect a double portion of the conversation.
In the case of touchdowns, of course Scarbrough would have more – 12 to 3 – seeing that he is 6-foot-2 and possesses the body of a runaway freight train in goal line situations. Aside from this, it has been Harris pushing Alabama’s offense between the hash marks, catching passes out the backfield (18 for 112 yards, two scores) and keeping quarterback Jalen Hurts upright in the pocket.
Following Scarbrough’s emerge late in the season and Josh Jacobs’ performance, there will be a push to see who is the Tide’s concrete No. 1 ball carrier. The additions of Najee Harris and Brian Robinson along with B.J. Emmons’ return may complicate matters even more, but will Harris get overlooked in the talented clutter?
Spring practice begins on March 21.
Stephen M. Smith is a managing editor and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag
