Miami quarterback Jacory Harris isn't exactly an expert on San Francisco.
What's that bridge called, that big ‘ol bridge?
he asked a bit sheepishly, when the name of the Bay Area landmark known as the Golden Gate Bridge escaped his mind.
While geography may not be his strong suit, what Harris knows best is winning. Going back to the beginning of his junior season in high school, Harris has started 31 games and won every one, a streak that he'll put on the line on Saturday when Miami (7-5) heads west to play California (8-4) in the Emerald Bowl.
Harris will start in place of Robert Marve, who was suspended because of missed classes.
It would seem like a daunting task for any true freshman: Fly to San Francisco to face a Cal team that'll be playing in its own backyard, and make his second career college start under the bright lights of a bowl game. But Harris said he'll be calm and cool, which is what teammates say he's been all season.
I feel like I play better in road games anyway,
Harris said. But at the same time, it's a business/vacation. We want to go out there and have fun, but when Dec. 27 comes around, it's a business trip. That's when we're going to go out there and perform, do everything the coaches have been teaching us all year ... and establish some momentum for next year.
Harris started Miami's opener because Marve was serving another one-game suspension, and capped his first drive with a 30-yard touchdown rush to start the Hurricanes' 52-7 romp against Charleston Southern. He passed for 190 yards and another touchdown that night as well, but clearly, Charleston Southern wasn't exactly the caliber of an ACC opponent.
And Cal might be the biggest test this season for Harris and the Hurricanes' passing game.
The Golden Bears intercepted 23 passes this season, the third-most in major-college football behind Boston College (26) and Florida (24).
Jacory will be ready,
said wide receiver Kayne Farquharson of Miama. We know that.
After the opener, Marve started every other game in the regular season, and Harris played as the backup -- but was hardly an afterthought.
He passed for four touchdowns as Miami rallied past Duke, two more touchdowns to carry the Hurricanes out of a deficit at Virginia two weeks later, and after both of those games Harris was named the ACC's rookie of the week. Performances such as those are part of the reason why Miami coach Randy Shannon doesn't have any reservations that Harris will be able to handle whatever Cal throws his way on Saturday night.
It's no different than what he did all season long,
Shannon said. He's going to be fine. He played all season long. Played in a lot of great games in tough situations.
Starting with that Duke game on Oct. 18, Harris has the 31st-highest passer rating of any quarterback in the country, among those with at least 15 attempts per game. Among ACC quarterbacks during that timespan, only N.C. State's Russell Wilson was better, with a rating of 143.6 edging him past Harris' 141.8.
And unlike most backups -- especially those a few months removed from high school -- Harris has been received by teammates as a leader, too.
Jacory Harris is a great quarterback,
Farquharson said last week, on the day Marve's suspension and Harris' promotion to first-string were announced. He had a great season this year. He's a smart guy. He's ice cold in his veins. He plays well under pressure. He's a great guy.
Harris finished the regular season with a team-best 10 touchdown passes, one more than Marve. Harris also completed a higher percentage of his passes (60.8 to 54.5) than Marve, and threw an interception every 25.5 passes -- compared to a one-every-16.4 clip by Marve.
Take all those numbers, add in Marve's two suspensions, and it's easy to see why speculation is high that Harris will be Miami's starting quarterback in 2009. A strong performance in the Emerald Bowl certainly won't hurt Harris' chances of winning the job, either, but he said he won't let himself took at the game in those terms.
I don't think there's any pressure on this game,
Harris said. I'm just going to go out there, have a good game and just have fun.
So that's what he's doing.
At Miami's team banquet last week, fans lined up three-deep around Harris -- a local product, who led Miami Northwestern High to state titles in 2006 and 2007 -- at times, asking him to pose for photos and sign their helmets, programs, footballs and jerseys.
He handled every request with ease, putting his plate of hors d'oeuvres off to the side and smiling with every shutter click. If he's ultimately going to be the future of Hurricanes football, that future may be starting now.
I know I'm not a great quarterback yet,
Harris said. I still have things to work on. I still have a lot of things to work on.
