Losing all-time leading school rusher Montel Harris hurts the Boston College Eagles on the morale front, but as far as on-field production goes, it's not a killer. Harris' strength for most of his career was reliability, not game-breaking speed. And without him, BC's running game was a relative strength last year -- by which I mean it ranked No. 8 in the ACC, not No. 11 like the Eagles' aerial attack.
With Harris missing 10 games in 2011, backups Rolandan Finch and Andre Williams combined for 1,222 yards on the ground. Finch's average per carry surpassed Harris', in fact. Freshman Tahj Kimble was able to get his feet wet as well. All three return, and with Harris missing spring ball, the whole of the running depth chart got still more experience than it would've otherwise. There are only four scholarship running backs left, but none are seniors, so every little bit helps, I guess.
The true damage in losing Harris is largely symbolic, and we can't downplay how much it means. His place in the record books was just about the only thing left for BC supporters to hang onto after a 4-8 season, especially with team leader Luke Kuechly gone to the NFL. With Kuechly around, the defense was actually not bad last year, but now it ... well, it ... well, how much do you like Chase Rettig?
For more on Eagles football, visit Boston College blog BC Interruption, plus SB Nation Boston.
While we’re here, let’s watch some college football videos from SB Nation’s new YouTube channel together:
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