How fewer honey buns have led to more big plays for Damien Harris
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* Saban provides injury updates heading into game against Arkansas
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nick Saban’s affinity for Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies is no secret. The Alabama head coach eats a pair of the sugary snacks for breakfast with his morning coffee.
Damien Harris wishes he was as lucky.
The running back shares his head coach’s love for breakfast treats although prefers honey buns as his guilty pleasure. This season, though, Harris has had to show a little more discipline when met with the urge to indulge.
Harris put on a few unwanted pounds this offseason which led to a new weight-loss program prior to Alabama’s preseason camp. That meant no more honey buns and a few more mid-summer workouts.
“I love honey buns,” Harris said with a smile. “I haven’t had one in months, since probably June or July, and it hurts to talk about it.”
While the restraint has been difficult, the results have been plenty rewarding. Now listed at 5-foot-11, 221 pounds on Alabama’s official roster, Harris appears to have an extra gear this season. That was evident during the junior’s 75-yard touchdown run against Texas A&M last week, the longest touchdown run of his career.
“He improves every week and gets better,” Alabama offensive lineman Bradley Bozeman said of Harris after the game. “He’s a little lighter this year, and he’s working really hard just trying to be the best he can.”
Harris leads the team with seven touchdowns on the ground and trails only quarterback Jalen Hurts with 500 rushing yards on 59 carries. Harris’ 8.47 yards per carry this season leads the SEC and ranks No. 9 in the nation. The star back says some of that production is due to his new lighter weight. Although, he admits he can’t take all the credit for his stats this season.
Harris is quick to deflect much of the praise he has received this season to his offensive line. To be fair, it was the right side of the line that cleared a mammoth hole for him to bust through on his touchdown run Saturday. Ask Harris and he’ll tell you that those holes have been there for him throughout the season.
In fact, the only thing Harris has had to worry about in terms of his offensive line is how he’s going to pay them back for their services. He took his line out to dinner following a career-best 151-yard performance against Vanderbilt two weeks ago and hinted at doing the same in the near future. At this rate, the bills are going to pile up as high as Harris’ rushing stats.
“They’re going to make me keep taking them out to eat and keep spoiling them,” Harris said. “Because they make our offense work, and it starts up front with them. I say that every week. Whether it’s in the pass game blocking inside out and protecting Jalen in the pocket, or in the run game opening up holes and moving the line of scrimmage. They do a great job. It’s kind of getting expensive.”
Harris has had to be just as generous with his fellow running backs, sharing his carries with a loaded backfield. Following his 75-yard run Saturday, Harris was replaced by Bo Scarbrough on Alabama’s next offensive series. The switch had nothing to with Harris’ performance but instead was part of a regular rotation Alabama has used this season.
So far that hasn’t been a problem for Harris.
“The way I look at it is, on every run you want to make the most of the opportunity because you never know when someone is going to come in with fresh legs,” Harris said. “So anytime you get the ball you want to do the most that you can, not only for yourself but for the team. Gain the most yards, get as close to the end zone, make the offense as efficient as you can and make the offense have positive plays.
“It’s more about fighting for production, not necessarily to show anything to the coaches. I think they have a pretty good idea of what we can do. I think it’s just for the production of the offense so it can be successful.”
After all, the newer, lighter Harris has shown he doesn’t need too many carries to make a difference.