Cam’Ron Harris makes first career start for Miami Hurricanes with DeeJay Dallas injured
University of Miami sophomore running back Cam’Ron Harris stayed patient and positive through the Hurricanes’ recent woes. On Saturday, Harris got his first career start at Pittsburgh after usual starter DeeJay Dallas sustained an apparent knee injury last week against Georgia Tech.
“I really didn’t care if I played my heart out,’’ Harris said heading into the Pitt game of his 136-yard rushing performance (and one receiving touchdown) last week in UM’s demoralizing loss to Georgia Tech, “because there’s no I in team. I care about the team. I believe all of us will play our hearts out for the Pitt game.”
Harris played in all seven games leading to Saturday, rushing 57 times for 282 yards for a 4.9-yard-per-carry average behind Dallas’ 486 yards and 6.7-yard-per-carry average. Harris also has two rushing touchdowns.
Harris, listed as 5-10 and 205 pounds, played at Miami Carol City High, where he was a consensus four-star recruit and rated as the nation’s seventh best tailback by 247Sports.
Dallas started the first seven games of the season for the Hurricanes before going down in the first half of an overtime loss to the Yellow Jackets last week. He didn’t participate in practice Tuesday during a portion of the session open to reporters, but traveled with the team to Pittsburgh. He warmed up ahead of the game at Heinz Field, wearing a black brace on his right knee while running and cutting.
While it was not immediately clear whether Dallas is available in any capacity, ESPN reported the junior is unlikely to play.
McCloud gets first 2019 start
Senior Zach McCloud, one of UM’s defensive leaders, asked UM coach Manny Diaz in late September if he could redshirt this season so he could return next year and make his mark.
He had played in three games this season coming into Pitt, limiting him to one more game to preserve that redshirt.
MccCloud, who started 31 times in his first three seasons with the Hurricanes but has not played in the past four games, got that game Saturday, starting for the first time this season at weakside backer.
Fellow senior linebacker Michael Pinckney, who is third on the team with 38 tackles and has a team-leading 7 ½ tackles for loss along with three sacks, two breakups and four quarterback hurries, sustained an apparent knee injury last week against Georgia Tech and did not travel to Pennsylvania.
The reason the 6-2, 235-pound McCloud (four tackles in previous three games played) has played sparingly is that Miami’s defensive scheme now uses a striker (cross between a safety and linebacker) and usually only has two linebackers on the field at one time.
Now the question becomes whether Diaz will play McCloud more this season, which would end his college eligibility.
“If something were to happen catastrophically where we would need him for the long term,’’ Diaz said on Sept. 25, he’ll be ready to go for the team...But otherwise it would be amazing if we could...let him go have next season.’’
This story was originally published October 26, 2019 at 12:16 PM.
