Running back adds speed to team

By Greg Doddridge
Staff Writer

Fans can expect to see a lot of Joey Harris this year.

"I think it is going to be very difficult for us to keep Joey Harris off the field this season," said Purdue coach Joe Tiller. "As a matter of fact, we are not even thinking about keeping him off the field."

Harris, who attended Purdue last year but couldn't practice with the team because he didn't qualify academically, is a speedster to say the least.

The sophomore running back from Tomball, Texas, has constantly used his breakaway speed and quick lateral movement to impress coaches, teammates and spectators during fall camp.

Harris' background as a sprinter helped him develop his speed. He ran the 200-meter dash in 21.07 seconds his senior year at Klein Oak High School to place second at the state meet in Texas. That time would be good enough for the Purdue top-10 all-time outdoor list in the 200.

Harris, who lost a year of eligibility last year because of his status as a partial qualifier, could not participate in football or track. He may do both this year, like teammates Jacques Reeves and Tim Upshur did last year.

"Reeves has run a faster time than 21.07, but Harris told me he has run in the 20s and I don't doubt him," said Purdue track coach Lissa Olson.

And that time of 21.07 was just in high school.

"My best times were actually coming out of high school my senior year when I ran a 10.26 in the 100-meter dash and my best time in the 200-meter dash was a 20.44," said Harris.

Those times would place Harris atop the Purdue record books for an outdoor performance. Alvin McNair holds both the 100 (10.3) and 200 (20.47) records, set in 1983 and 1984, respectively.

Wide receiver Vinny Sutherland, a senior on last year's team, ran a 10.49 in the 100 in May of 1999. Rod Woodson, an all-pro cornerback, ran a 10.45 in the 100 in April of 1987.

But Harris remains modest.

"It's speed, but I don't think it is tremendous," said Harris. "Yeah, I'm fast, but there are a lot of other guys out there that are faster."

Harris runs the 40-yard dash in 4.26 seconds — the fastest time at Purdue in years. Harris maintained his speed by working out at the Recreational Sports Center because he wasn't allowed to use the football team's facilities.

"I tried to do heavy weights to try to get my body fit to where I could get ready to play football," said Harris.

And he played well during the indoor full-contact scrimmage on Saturday. Harris rushed for 47 yards on 13 carries and he also showed his receiving skills by catching a four-yard pass. He cuts quickly, and a few of his runs were straight up the middle. During the Saturday morning kicking scrimmage, he returned three kickoffs for touchdowns of 77, 65 and 78 yards.

"He demonstrates an ability to make things happen with the ball, whether it was in the kicking game or during offense in the scrimmage," said Tiller. "And that was encouraging."

Redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Hance said Harris is definitely a good player who has impressed him during camp.

"He obviously has tremendous speed and he has been running the ball aggressively right up in there," said Hance.

As a matter of fact, Harris performed fairly well compared to his fellow running backs during the scrimmage on Saturday.

Montrell Lowe ran for 57 yards on 10 carries including one 45-yard run. Junior Sedrick Brown ran six times for 20 yards with one touchdown.

But for all his speed and ability, Harris is still much understanding of his role with the team.

"My heart is in it, but it is whatever is best for the team," said Harris. "If me being in the rotation is best for the team, then that is going to be good. But if I have to sit there from the sidelines and sit and watch and learn how to become the running backs that Lowe and Brown are, then I am willing to do that too."

One thing that has helped him though was being around the guys last year, even though he couldn't practice or play, but to at least talk to them and hang out with them.

"Every day I am constantly asking Lowe and Brown questions, like what should I have done on this and what should I have done on that," said Harris. "It is the older guys' advice that is really going to help me progress as a player."

But even one of those older players, Lowe, a junior, agreed that Harris needs to see as much playing time as possible, no matter what position he plays.

"Joey is an exceptional athlete," Lowe said. "A 4.26 40 — there's not too many people in the world that can run that, so we've got to get him on the field."

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