Double Threat
Amanda PapkeBowling Green senior quarterback Josh Harris is so good opposing defenses have to format a gameplan to contain him.
“You can’t stop him,” said CMU coach Mike DeBord. “The best defense is to keep him off the field.”
The Purdue Boilermakers learned the hard way, after being shredded for 357 passing yards in a 27-26 loss.
“I like to think he’s very difficult to stop,” BGSU coach Gregg Brandon said. “The best defense in the Big Ten couldn’t stop him.”
Ohio State, who didn’t recruit the Westerville, Ohio native, a suburb of Columbus, gained a new respect for Harris’ abilities after narrowly avoiding an upset. He finished the game with 326 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Harris took it personal last season when Bowling Green ended its season in disappointment. The team had road wins against Kansas and Missouri and a top 25 ranking going into the Toledo game. Then the Falcons lost two games, and were forgotten when bowl bids were handed out.
“That just tells us we need to do better,” Harris said of the team’s 9-2 record. “The only way we can guarantee ourselves a bowl bid is to win the MAC.”
Harris is a new breed of quarterback, one who can turn a broken play into a 60-yard run or pass. In 2002, he rushed for 20 touchdowns and threw 19 more. This season, he has 1,076 passing yards and eight touchdowns, including two rushing in four games.
| Passing | |||
| Year | Yards | Percent | TD/INT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1076 | 62.3 | 8/5 |
| 2002 | 2425 | 56.1 | 19/11 |
| 2001 | 1022 | 60.9 | 9/3 |
| 2000 | 243 | 47.9 | 0/2 |
| Rushing | |||
| Year | Yards | Percent | TD/INT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 70 | 40 | 2 |
| 2002 | 737 | 186 | 20 |
| 2001 | 614 | 126 | 8 |
| 2000 | 292 | 69 | 2 |
“A great player has to counter everything a defender does because he’s at a disadvantage,” Harris said. “It’s not about scrambling or throwing, it’s the guy who manages his offense the best.”
Brandon said he challenged Harris in the offseason to improve his pass efficiency.
Harris has met the challenge.
He has completed 62.3 percent of his passes, good enough for fourth amongst MAC quarterbacks.
“Aside from the intangibles, he’s an excellent technician on the field,” Brandon said. “I think he’s really become a student of the game. He has great instincts.”
Harris said football is like a physical chess match, one he is beginning to master. He is 5-1 against BCS schools.
“You have to be fearless when you’re playing the game or you’ll get hurt,” he said. “Quarterbacks that have escapability have more of an advantage than guys who are going to just stand there because guys are getting faster on defense.”
Brandon said Harris is the complete package and possibly the best quarterback in the MAC. However, Harris said it won’t be determined until the end of the year.
“It’s going to come down to who leads their team to the MAC Championship,” Harris said. “There’s some great quarterback’s in the MAC. I think I fit into the mix. The team that wins the MAC usually has the best quarterback.”
No player from the MAC has ever won the Heisman Trophy, something Harris said won’t likely happen anytime soon.
“A lot of things will have to go right during the season,” Harris said. “It’ll have to be a special year and special season. I don’t think he’s just going to outright win it.”
Harris said he never really admired any professional athletes growing up, but followed NFL players Randall Cunningham and Donovan McNabb. Now, as a future draft pick, Harris wants to create his own image.
“I think I’ve played at the highest level at quarterback to prove myself,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any one quarterback I stack up to or compare to. I feel like I play my own style of football.”
