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Big-play Harris helps Pirates cruise to win
Former QB scores 3 TDs for ECU
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Published: October 18, 2009
GREENVILLE
Dwayne Harris just keeps finding the end zone these days. And suddenly, East Carolina seems to have its best big-play threat since Chris Johnson left for the NFL.
Harris, a junior receiver, returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown and added two touchdown catches to help the Pirates beat winless Rice 49-13 yesterday, bouncing back from last weekend's loss at SMU.
Harris matched his career high with 128 yards receiving for the Pirates (4-3, 3-1 Conference USA), while Rob Kass -- a former starting quarterback who moved to tight end -- had his first career touchdown catch to help ECU to a relatively stress-free win.
The Pirates led 21-3 midway through the second quarter and wound up blowing out the Owls (0-7, 0-3) late. Much of that domination started with Harris, who has scored seven touchdowns in the past four games -- two rushing, three receiving and two on kickoff returns to tie ECU's single-season record. It's a threat the Pirates haven't really had since Johnson joined the NFL's Tennessee Titans in 2008.
"I try to score every time they give me the ball," Harris said. "I know once the ball is in my hands, I can help my team make plays out there and move the ball downfield."
He's shown flashes of that ability before, but not quite like he this. He ran for a 25-yard score and had a 3-yard scoring catch against UCF on Sept. 26. Then last week he had a 77-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 10-yard scoring run at SMU.
Yesterday he gave ECU the early lead when he caught a short pass from Patrick Pinkney on the right side and scored from 16 yards out on the game's first possession. Later, after Rice got an 80-yard touchdown pass from Nick Fanuzzi to Toren Dixon, Harris broke free near midfield on the ensuing kickoff and -- freed by blocks from Brandon Jackson and Darryl Reynolds -- raced down the right sideline to the end zone for a 28-10 lead just before halftime.
Harris added a third score with about 11 minutes left and the outcome not in doubt, taking a short screen pass from Pinkney and running 7-yards untouched for a touchdown that made it 42-13.
Coach Skip Holtz said Harris' big plays have increased as he grows more comfortable with being a college receiver after playing quarterback in high school.
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