Spring Break
Dwayne Harris feature
Hart Holloman
Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: Sports
When Chris Johnson left ECU for the NFL in 2008, a huge chunk of the Pirates' all-purpose yards and touchdowns left with him.
Filling the void left by the now Tennessee Titan playmaker has since been a problem for the Pirate offensive attack; that is until now.
Enter Dwayne Harris.
The junior wide receiver has become a consistent threat to score from anywhere on the field and is stepping into the role vacated by Johnson.
Harris leads the team with nine touchdowns this season, which also ranks second in Conference USA, but it's the variety in which he scores them that makes him such an exciting player. He has scored four times on the ground, three times through the air and twice returning kickoffs. He's even thrown the ball twice with one completion.
It's that kind of versatility that has led ECU's coaches to find ways to get him more involved.
"He's just a guy that we know when we put the ball in his hands, good things are going to happen," said ECU offensive coordinator Todd Fitch.
And putting the ball in his hands is exactly what they have done. Harris leads the team in all-purpose yards by a long shot in averaging almost 157 per game. Likewise, Harris himself is not particular in the manner that he gets the ball as long as he gets it often.
"It is always good to have the ball in your hands," Harris said. "I play different roles in the offense and it just gives me more opportunities to go out there and make plays for the team. The coaches try to get me the ball as much as they can, and try to help the team out as much as I can."
Coach Fitch wasn't coy about the coaches' effort to get Harris involved in the offense as much as possible either.
"We always try to highlight the attributes of a player like [Harris] who can make big plays for our offense and provide a spark from anywhere on the field," Fitch said. "With his skill-set we can line him up in several positions and use him effectively."
Filling the void left by the now Tennessee Titan playmaker has since been a problem for the Pirate offensive attack; that is until now.
Enter Dwayne Harris.
The junior wide receiver has become a consistent threat to score from anywhere on the field and is stepping into the role vacated by Johnson.
Harris leads the team with nine touchdowns this season, which also ranks second in Conference USA, but it's the variety in which he scores them that makes him such an exciting player. He has scored four times on the ground, three times through the air and twice returning kickoffs. He's even thrown the ball twice with one completion.
It's that kind of versatility that has led ECU's coaches to find ways to get him more involved.
"He's just a guy that we know when we put the ball in his hands, good things are going to happen," said ECU offensive coordinator Todd Fitch.
And putting the ball in his hands is exactly what they have done. Harris leads the team in all-purpose yards by a long shot in averaging almost 157 per game. Likewise, Harris himself is not particular in the manner that he gets the ball as long as he gets it often.
"It is always good to have the ball in your hands," Harris said. "I play different roles in the offense and it just gives me more opportunities to go out there and make plays for the team. The coaches try to get me the ball as much as they can, and try to help the team out as much as I can."
Coach Fitch wasn't coy about the coaches' effort to get Harris involved in the offense as much as possible either.
"We always try to highlight the attributes of a player like [Harris] who can make big plays for our offense and provide a spark from anywhere on the field," Fitch said. "With his skill-set we can line him up in several positions and use him effectively."
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