Purdue Getting 'Old Antonio' Harris Back at Pivotal Time
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Nobody wearing a Purdue uniform made the most of his limited opportunities quite like Antonio Harris on Saturday. The backup running back may have only gotten five touches in a 43-27 loss to No. 22 Illinois, but he certainly had the Illini defense pulling its hair out.
Harris carried the football just four times but amassed 69 yards, which included a 41-yard touchdown run at the nine-minute mark in the third quarter. Saturday was the running back's top performance of the season.
Coach Barry Odom was complimentary of Harris after the game, saying he thought he ran hard, really providing the Boilers with a spark offensively. Monday, offensive coordinator Josh Henson said the vision Harris demonstrated was a key piece to his success on the ground.
"I just thought he did a really nice job of using his eyes to get to his cuts. His eyes were in the right places," Henson said. "He set the defense up really well when he made those cuts. He was patient, he pulled people into places, and then he found the open hole and hit it."
Harris hasn't seen many carries this season, as a lion's share of the touches go to senior running back Devin Mockobee. Through five games, the backup has toted the rock just 16 times for 110 yards.
Part of that is because Harris was dinged up in Purdue's season opener against Ball State. Henson said that, during the off week, the running back finally looked like he was 100% healthy.
"Antonio, that first game, got kind of banged up. I thought last week was the first week he was truly back to full speed," Henson said. "I think his improved health has been a factor in him looking like he looked Saturday. He looked like the old Antonio that we saw in the spring."
Purdue had it's most productive rushing day since the Week 2 win over Southern Illinois when it piled up 214 yards on 53 carries. The Boilermakers ended Saturday's contest with 151 yards on the ground, with Harris leading the way. Mockobee ended the game with 58 yards and a touchdown on 11 touches, and Ryan Browne had 22 yards and a score.
Boilers hoping to run the football better
Odom has talked about establishing the run throughout the season, understanding its importance to win Big Ten games. On Saturday, it finally looked like things were clicking with the rushing attack.
A lot of that had to do with improved play in the trenches.
"I thought our execution was better, our blocking was better," Henson said. "A little of it was what [Illinois] was doing on their side, but I thought we were on our guys and covering up the defensive line and linebackers, giving our running backs a chance to make cuts."
But Purdue's improved run game can also be attributed to Harris' strong performance on Saturday. The Boilermakers have relied heavily on Mockobee, who has accounted for 49.3% of the team's rushing attempts this season.
Harris's ability to provide Mockobee with some relief and still produce at a high level will only help the Boilermaker offense moving forward.
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INJURY UPDATES ON TWO BOILERS: Defensive back Tony Grimes missed Saturday's game vs. Illinois, and Jalen St. John exited with an injury. Coach Barry Odom provided an update on both players. CLICK HERE
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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