COLUMBIA, S.C. — The first 1,000-yard rusher for South Carolina since 2014 will make his 2021 debut at East Carolina.
Kevin Harris finished the 10-game regular season in 2020 as the SEC’s leading rusher with 1,138 yards and was subsequently named First Team All-SEC by the Associated Press.
Harris had been slowed in the preseason by a procedure on his back and only an illness kept him from playing last week against Eastern Illinois.
While Davis has been fully cleared to play and will play, Beamer says the other running backs in the room will have something to say about playing time.
“It’s not like all of the sudden Kevin Harris is back and those guys are kicked to the curb,” Beamer said.
“There are some dynamic running backs in that room, Kevin included, and competition is a core value of this program. We’re competing at every position. Certainly it helps to add a guy of Kevin’s ability.”
Last week, ZaQuandre White got the start against EIU and recorded 129 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown. Former five-star prospect MarShawn Lloyd had 55 yards on 14 carries in his first collegiate game. Lloyd missed all of 2020 after suffering a torn ACL on the second preseason practice.
Juju McDowell added 42 yards on 12 carries, giving three solid options for offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield to go with the return of the veteran Harris.