Just when some people were starting to think Damien Harris made a poor choice to return to Alabama for his senior year, the veteran running back turned in his first 100-yard rushing performance of the season in the Crimson Tide’s 65-31 win over Arkansas on the road.
Nick Saban relied more on his dependable back in the second half, as the Razorbacks started building momentum. While Najee Harris and Josh Jacobs have carried the hot hand prior to this weekend, it was good to see the Kentucky native remind people of how effective he is.
Damien Harris had five runs of 10 or more yards, with his longest rush being 19 yards and it resulted with him scoring a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
He was credited with 111 yards rushing with two scores in 15 attempts. Harris averaged 7.4 yards per carry and helped pace an offense that tallied 639 total yards and no turnovers. This performance was what he needed for his confidence, in terms of pushing toward his goal in becoming the first back in Alabama football history to collect three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
After putting in three 100-yard games in 2017, he now has hit the century mark eight times in rushing during his career with the Tide. Harris and the rest of the offense will return to Bryant-Denny Stadium next week in a meeting with Missouri for homecoming.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
