As we reached the final day of 2020, a year that produced many unpredictable results on and off the field, one South Carolina football player took full control of this crazy year better than the others.
Second year rear Kevin Harris, someone who was not even considered a starter entering the pre-season pitch, turned it into one of the best individual seasons in Gamecock’s 127-year history.
Pressured to start work after an injury at the end of the preseason camp season for the freshman highlight SeaShawn Lloyd, the 5-10, 225 pound tailback dropped his shoulder, broke tackles and overtook the defenders to the final zone to the sound of 1,138 yards and 15 run touchdowns in just one 10-game season. So difficult to knock down, Harris only managed 40 yards lost on 185 shipments. No SEC tailback had more run yards in the regular season of 10 all-SEC games than Harris. He was named the first All-SEC team by the Associated Press and the second All-SEC team by league coaches.
Kevin “??” Harris pic.twitter.com/81tgRONe3H
– Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) December 7, 2020
Harris eclipsed 1,000 running yards during the season finale against Kentucky on December 5, becoming the first 1,000-yard Gamecock rusher since 2013 and only the ninth player to do so in the show’s history. That night in Lexington, the ball was delivered 21 times and ran for 210 yards and a touchdown. It was Harris’ second 200-yard game of the season, something that was only done by two other players who wore garnet and black: George Rogers and Lattimore. Rogers, Heisman Trophy Winner in 1980, did this three times that season. He ran for a program record of 1,894 yards.
Harris has run at least 100 yards five times this season: 100 against Tennessee, 171 at Vanderbilt, 126 at LSU, 243 at Ole Miss (fifth highest number of runs in a single game in the program’s history) and 210 in Kentucky. His 1,138 running yards were the fifth longest in a season in the program’s history and his 15 running touchdowns were the second longest in the program’s history, second only to Marcus Lattimore’s 17 in 2010. His four running touchdowns against Ole Miss established a new record in the program for a single game.
The career average ypc of ?? two ?? 0 ?? is currently at 6.4 yards per race. ??
This is where all the time @GamecockFB list was going for the 2020 season. There will be a new man at the top … #Gamecocks???? // #ForeverToThee pic.twitter.com/kOuDrY9NGP
– Information about Gamecock Football (@GamecockFBInfo) December 6, 2020
Beamer well aware of the ‘workhorse’ that Gamecocks have in the tail
Under the new head coach Shane Beamer, South Carolina fans expect better days to be ahead at the turn of the calendar for 2021. One thing they don’t need to worry about before the September season is whether there is congestion on the list that can help them win and punish opponents while doing so. Nicknamed “the bus”, Harris proved that he is one of the few running backs at the SEC that you don’t want to be caught in front of one against one.