Alabama RB Najee Harris on 'Unmatched' Crimson Tide Offense: "We Are Built To Strike Fear"

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — University of Alabama senior running back Najee Harris returned to school for one last ride to experience moments like last Saturday — toting the rock 23 times for 209 yards and five touchdowns to propel the Crimson Tide to a thrilling 63-48 victory over Ole Miss.

But Harris isn't too concerned with all the numbers. His focus is solely on getting better and putting the team first, which is a scary thought for the rest of the SEC.

”All of us are creating more value for ourselves by winning games," Harris told the media via Zoom on Monday. "You win a game, it brings a lot of national notoriety for all the players, not just one particular player. I’m not really aiming for a game where I just have a breakout game. I’m looking for things I can improve on – obviously, long speed, pass protection, open space when I catch the ball, what more can I do to get extra yards. So it’s more what I have to work on, not in the numbers sense.”

Harris' 10 rushing touchdowns leads the nation, while Crimson Tide signal caller Mac Jones' 13.3 yards per pass attempt is good for No. 1 in the country and his quarterback rating of 95.3 ranks second.

That dual-threat ability from the Alabama offense is what makes it so explosive and built to have success against any defense it might come across according to Harris.

"This offense is built to prepare for each game at a time," Harris said. "This offense is prepared, every time we get the ball we make sure all 11's are doing their job. This offense is prepared to strike fear in opponents, to know that hey if you give these guys the ball, expect that it isn’t going to just be one player, it’s going to be multiple players getting the ball, multiple players making plays. It has to be a game plan for not just one player, but all players across the field. We try to be as explosive as possible. We try to be an offense where we can’t be matched really.

"Like I said, if you play the run, we are going to do as much as we can in the pass game. If you try to play the pass, we are going to do as much as we can in the run game. So really, this offense tries to be unmatched, I guess is the word you can say.

Harris also has a message to the media regarding the his teammates in the trenches who open up the big holes for him.

"[Alex] Leatherwood, ever since he got here to Alabama, he’s been doing amazing. He’s worked on a lot of stuff this season. He did pretty good. Texas A&M, he did good, Missouri, the past three games he has been amazing, but I feel like it’s the whole o-line who’s done a really good job, from even Emil [Ekiyor] stepping up and coming in there. I feel like everyone has taken the competitive drive, really, and working to get better each game and exceeding expectations each game. I feel like the whole o-line is doing really good. I feel like the whole o-line, to be honest, they’re like the unsung heroes in every game. I feel like they don’t have enough attention on the o-line. It’s on all on the skill players, but really, if you guys see how good the o-line is becoming each game, how much attention they pay to their game, how much of a force that they are, and how much they really are the heart of the team. I feel like the media should give them more credit than they are getting.”

Topping his five-touchdown performance from last week will be extremely difficult, but Harris knows what's at stake in this contest against No. 3 Georgia on Saturday as this is another opportunity for his decision to return for his senior campaign to be validated on college football's biggest stage.

"Each game is, like I said, different," Harris said. "Each game is a different opponent. My role, I guess you can say, has stepped up more. I gotta be a more vocal person and I have to set the example more. My teammates motivate me each game and coming into Georgia, they have an amazing defense, one of the best in the nation, and that motivates me more. Anybody would motivate me more, but Georgia, if you look at what they did to Tennessee last game, that just motivates me even more because you know, when you line up against them, it’s straight dudes out there — it’s dogs really.

"This is a motivating game for all of us. It motivates me more because I feel like I have to be on top of my game even more, to know that we can come out of this game victorious.”