The biggest moments in football can be spurred by the littlest of motivations. For redshirt senior Rodney Harris II, who played high school football at Princeton, a school near Cincinnati and Ohio’s biggest rival, Miami. This game was something more as he has had a massive chip on his shoulder ever since he arrived here as a freshman.
“Coming out of high school, Chuck Martin told me that I wasn't good enough to play at Miami,” Harris II said after scoring the game-winning touchdown against Miami. “Every time I get to play Miami, I'm really excited.”
The game was 20-17 in favor of the RedHawks, and the Bobcats had the ball near midfield. Quarterback Parker Navarro was pressured by the Miami defensive front and had to scramble to his left. Once he got away from the defenders, he saw Harris II leaking behind his defender and threw it up to him.
“I see Parker scrambling, and he's someone who, no matter how collapsed the pocket is, he'll be able to stay on his feet,” Harris II said. “So, I see him scrambling. I know I'm open, but he tells me to go deep. I went deep, and then I just saw the ball in the air. I see it was a bit underthrown, so I just came back to it, and I just made a play.”
Harris would go up for the contested catch against a Miami defender and come down with it around the 20-yard line, but he was not done there, turning up the field and racing to the endzone to give Ohio the lead, one it would hold until the final seconds ticked off the clock.
“I think Rod’s proven that he's a physical receiver,” Ohio head coach Brian Smith said. “You give him an opportunity to make plays down the field, he's going to come down with the ball a lot. We've seen a ton of practice just how strong his hands are, how physical he can play, but for him to stay on his feet and then finish in the end zone was big time. It was a huge play for the program, but for Rodney as well.”
Harris II, a four-year Bobcat, has really come into his own this season, seeing more targets from Navarro. He could have had a huge Hail Mary touchdown against Eastern Michigan, had it not been called back due to a penalty. Harris II’s experience has been a vital piece to a thriving Ohio offense this season, and it starts with his connection to Smith.
“When (Smith) became head coach, it was definitely important to me to build more relationship with him and just know that he trusted me and Coach, I know that he trusts me,” Harris said. “He gives me some pretty tough tasks, and he gets on me, I feel more than a lot of people, but I know that it's all tough, and I know that he does that because he trusts me. I'd say that we have a great relationship.”
The Ohio offense started stagnant on Tuesday night, but Harris II, who had five receptions for 92 yards and the game-winning score, was a main catalyst in helping Ohio come out of the half and win the Battle of the Bricks. Ohio is now bowl eligible, but the players have their eyes set on a different goal.
“You want to treat it like it's just any other game, but it's not, it's Miami,” Harris II said. “It’s the game to get bowl eligible, but we have our sights set on finishing the season strong, so we end up in Detroit.”
ol415422@ohio.edu
