manning the front

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Gator Football - 12/28/06

Manning the front

Steven Harris has scripted a feel-good ending to what has been a tough and
tumultuous Florida career.

A week after helping the Gators win the SEC title in Atlanta, Harris
graduated from UF. Now, in his final game, Florida is playing for the national
championship and Harris is playing the best football of his life, according to
those around him.

It's a wonderful finish.

"It just feels good, going through everything I've been through and struggling
just to keep pushing and to have all this happen in the end," said the
defensive tackle from Miami. "To accomplish something feels great."

No one saw this uplifting ending for Harris last spring - or even a few months
ago.

Back when he was placed under an indefinite suspension from the team by
UF coach Urban Meyer in the spring, it appeared a sad ending had already
been written. Carrying the weight of numerous personal issues, his career
seemed over.

Even though Meyer let Harris start working out with the team in the summer
and practicing in August, Harris was told just to focus on academics (and
getting his degree) and pretty much forget about playing.

"Coach Meyer told me every day I probably wouldn't play," Harris said.

Harris said he did not find out until the day of the second game that he
would be playing this season.

"I didn't know until I went on the field," he said. "Coach Meyer is a good
coach. He respects the guys and the problems they're going through. I know
he was trying to help me.

"Everyone on the football team was behind me, getting on me and making
sure I was going to class. They were behind me 100 percent. Coach Meyer.
... he saved me. He brought me back and allowed me to play. He got on me
about classes and told me all he wanted me to do was graduate. I owe him
to go out there (to Glendale, Ariz.) on Jan. 8 and try to win, bring him the
victory."

Win or lose in the national title game, Harris seems to have made the most
of his second chance.

He earned his UF degree this fall and along the way has taken his game to
another level.

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Harris played a key role on the defensive line (especially after starting
tackle Marcus Thomas was thrown off the team on Nov. 3) and really
started to excel when he was moved from tackle to nose tackle before the
Florida State game.

In the last two games (FSU and Arkansas in the SEC title game), Harris
has been one of the Gators' best defensive players.

"I didn't have any question that when we needed him to step up down the
stretch, he would," defensive line coach Greg Mattison said. "He started
every game last year. He's always been a big part of our defense. He's
making more tackles because he's in the middle now and closer to the
ball both ways. When he was (playing tackle), they could run away from
him."

Playing over the center, Harris has become a playmaker.

In his first start at nose tackle, he recorded season highs in tackles (four)
and tackles for losses (2.4) and had a sack against FSU.

He followed with another strong performance in the SEC championship
game, making three tackles (one for a loss), deflecting a pass and
anchoring a defensive front that shut down star Arkansas running back
Darren McFadden for most of the game.

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"It's my natural position," Harris said. "I have a chance to make more
plays."

Senior defensive tackle Ray McDonald said he and Harris often talked
about Harris' potential as a nose tackle before the switch was even made.

"I always knew when Steve got on the field he was going to do good,"
McDonald said. "I'm not surprised that he's playing great football. I'm not
surprised one bit.

"We used to talk all the time that Steve should be at the nose. When they
put him in there, he did what he said he was always going to do and that's
play great. (His switch to nose tackle) has done a lot for the team."

An even bigger triumph than his play down the stretch is the fact that
Harris has emerged as a leader. The same guy who had problems handling
his personal responsibilities off the field is now leading by example.

"Really, if you ask me who is the leader of that front, I'd say it's Steven
Harris," Mattison said. "He's a guy that everybody looks to because he's a
real man.

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"He's going to do what he's supposed to do, he's going to play like he's
supposed to play and nobody is going to get him out of there."

It's all part of a feel-good ending to Steven Harris' college career.

"It has become a lot of fun," he said. "We won the SEC, I graduated and
now we have the chance to play for the national championship. You can't
ask for more than that."

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