Alabama Running Back Najee Harris Hurdles Notre Dame Defender During Big Run

Ask and you shall receive. 

USWNT legend Megan Rapinoe tweeted at Alabama running back Najee Harris, wishing him luck and asking him to hurdle someone during the Rose Bowl. And did he deliver. 

Harris wasted no time bringing out his fancy footwork and quick thinking as he hurdled a Notre Dame defender (who was standing up, only slightly bent) in Friday's College Football Playoff semifinal.

The Alabama running back impressively jumped over the player while running it 53 yards to the red zone during the first quarter of the Rose Bowl.

"I actually try to teach him not to do it," head coach Nick Saban said after the game, "but it didn't work."

Friendly reminder: Harris, a Doak Walker finalist for top running back, is 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds. He's ProFootballFocus's No. 3 running back prospect for the 2021 NFL draft. 

Quarterback Mac Jones then threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jahleel Billingsley, giving Alabama a 14–0 lead with a little over two minutes to go in the opening quarter. 

The winner of Friday's matchup, of which Alabama entered as a heavy favorite, will advance to the national championship game on Jan. 11.

Prior to the Rose Bowl, Harris had scored 27 total touchdowns (24 rushing) and 1,578 total yards (1,262 rushing). While he holds multiple all-time career records for the Crimson Tide (including total touchdowns, rushing scores and career rushing yards), Harris was not chosen as a Heisman Trophy finalist, but rather Jones and DeVonta Smith were nominated. 

"I'm not tripping at all, man," Harris said in a press conference this week. "The two guys we've got in there right now is good enough. I play my play when my name is called. It really doesn't matter if I'm in the race or not."

So far, he has total 79 rushing yards with three carries as Alabama lead Notre Dame 21-7 with over eight minutes to go until halftime. 

Here is how Twitter reacted to Harris's wild hurdle.