The Najee Harris hurdle touchdown on Saturday was a thing of beauty for sports fans to witness. The Alabama Crimson Tide star achieved what some feel could be the play of the season in his incredible ability to elude a defending opponent and reach the end zone. Add in the fact that star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had a stellar performance and it made Bama’s first SEC game of the season especially sweet for Tide fans.
Watch Najee Harris’ highlight touchdown
The No. 2 Crimson Tide took on the South Carolina Gamecocks for Saturday’s matchup. While it was their QB and potential top NFL Draft pick Tagovailoa who had the best overall stats of the day, running back Najee Harris showed off with one of the game’s best plays.
In the video clip below, he catches a pass from Tua before taking off near the sidelines. Harris manages to get past several of the South Carolina opponents before hurdling one of the Gamecocks’ defenders. Harris then uses a stiff arm to push past another defender before reaching the end zone for a touchdown.
The play helped Bama distance themselves a bit in the second quarter as they were leading 17-10 at the time. Not only that, it was a gutsy 4th-and-3 conversion for the Crimson Tide.
Could that Najee Harris touchdown be the college football play of the year? It’s still early, but seems like a good candidate already!
Bama gets a double-digit win thanks to Harris, Tagovailoa
For the game, Najee Harris would record 87 yards receiving on five catches with two touchdowns. In addition, he had seven carries on the ground for 36 yards to add to his overall total. He also achieved a few interesting distinctions in the history books, one of which saw him join current New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara amongst SEC backs.
Alabama RB Najee Harris became the first Alabama RB in the last 20 seasons with multiple receiving touchdowns in a game.
He also became the first SEC RB with multiple receiving touchdowns in a conference game since Alvin Kamara in Week 6, 2015. pic.twitter.com/PYZLgtLFyq
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 14, 2019
The Crimson Tide’s quarterback had quite a game as well. Tua Tagovailoa ended up with a 28-for-36 passing day, good for a career-high 444 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. The end result of his work in guiding the offense was a 47-23 Alabama victory, putting them at a record of 3-0 in the early part of the season.
Tua Tagovailoa passed for 444 yards today against South Carolina, the 3rd-most in a single game in Alabama history. He also became the first Bama player to record 400 pass yards and 5 pass TD in the same game. pic.twitter.com/diwfB2UjL9
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 14, 2019
It also continues the conversation of whether Tua will be top pick when the next NFL Draft rolls around. Most mocks have kept him atop the list, with Oregon Ducks’ Justin Herbert close behind.
The Alabama Crimson Tide take on Southern Mississippi next Saturday (Sept. 21), with the game time still to be determined.