Harris joins elite 1,000-yard club
John Harris accomplished almost every goal he set for himself in his Texas career.
As recently as three months ago, the wide receiver had accomplished next to nothing.
Harris’ unexpected ascent to stardom reached a crescendo Thursday when he cleared 1,000 yards on senior night against TCU. Harris did it on Texas’ first drive of the second half, picking up 11 yards on third down.
Harris, who needed 24 yards coming into the night, had 39 yards on five catches to become the sixth Texas player to reach 1,000 yards and the first since 2009. He joins Jordan Shipley (2008, ’09), Kwame Cavil (1999), Roy Williams (2002, ’03), Quan Cosby (2008) and Wane McGarity (1998).
With a bowl game still left to play, Harris has 64 receptions for 1,015 yards and seven touchdowns. He is undoubted- ly the offense’s most valuable player, though based on Thursday — and many other games from this 6-6 season — there aren’t a whole lot of candidates.
Texas managed just 290 yards and turned the ball over six times in a 48-10 loss to fifthranked TCU. With reliable senior Jaxon Shipley out with a hamstring injury, quarterback Tyrone Swoopes threw four interceptions. He also fumbled, which TCU’s Terrell Lathan returned 40 yards for a touchdown at the end of the first quarter.
Even Harris had a drop or two and did not have a catch longer than the 11-yard record breaker.
“I wanted to be one of the receivers to leave his mark on this place, so I’ve done just about everything I have in one year that nobody ever thought I could have done,” Harris said last week.
Well, almost everything. He aspired to win the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top re- ceiver, but he did not advance past the award’s watch list. He
also wanted to play in a national championship game, which the Longhorns never sniffed in his five years on campus. His play this season did, however, help Texas avoid missing a bowl game for the second time in five years.
After totaling just nine catches for 190 yards in his first three seasons, Harris considered quitting the sport or transferring within the Big 12, to Texas Tech. But Charlie Strong
and his coaches convinced him to give them a chance. They also encouraged him to drop a few pounds, as he would be transitioning from tight end to receiver. The result was a 110-yard performance in the season opener against North Texas. Harris added three more 100-yard games along the way against Iowa State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.