On Wednesday night as the University of Toledo hosts Bowling Green to kick off the 2020 Mid-American Conference football season, center Bryce Harris will take the field in a game for the first time since Dec. 21, 2018.
“I really don’t know what I’m going to feel,” Harris said last week. “I just know I’m looking forward to it. I think about it every day. I feel like I worked hard and all the hard work I put in hopefully pays off when I get on that field. I’m just ready to get out there and spend time with the team again on game day and just be a part of the games.”
Harris spent all of last season recovering from a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee.
It is hard to understate the importance of Harris to the program, and how much losing him meant in the grand scheme of last season — especially when you consider the 6-6 record the Rockets compiled in 2019.
“Really, that was a major loss for us,” head coach Jason Candle said. “That’s the guy that touches the ball on every play, that’s the guy that’s the communicator, that’s the guy that’s making all the calls on the line, not to mention what he has brought to our team off the field.
“Then you lose that guy, it’s more than just a center. It’s more than just an offensive lineman, it’s more than just an all-conference football player, it’s a major piece.”
With Harris’ return, he brings plenty of experience. The Akron native is entering his sixth year in the program after also redshirting in 2015 as a true freshman. But overall, him rejoining the lineup gives an experienced unit even more experience.
When Toledo released its first depth chart last week, Harris was listed in the first unit of the offensive line along with Mitchell Berg at left tackle, Nick Rosi at left guard, Luke Doerger at right guard, and Lavel Dumont at right tackle. Both Harris and Rosi are All-MAC players, Berg started 10 games last season, and Doerger got more experience last year filling in for Harris at center.
“Give Luke Doerger a ton of credit because he went in and played fine last year at center, played really well at times, and did a really good job,” Candle said. “But to get Bryce back, get Luke to have some experience there at center, provides a little bit of depth at that position.”
In addition to bringing a huge on-the-field presence, Harris also is a key leader on the team.
He’s a multi-year captain, and is on the team’s leadership council, a 13-member group that consists of players from each position group.
But it’s also important to note that Harris was still taking on an active leadership role even while he missed last season.
“He’s the guy who is going to make sure we’re doing everything we can,” Rosi said. “Bryce has always been the guy who is about taking care of your nutrition, getting in for extra film and all that. Bryce was always the guy to keep us performing at a high level. He might not have been on the field with us, but I still learned a lot from him in my position. He’s played center, he’s played guard, he’s played all of it. Just learning from him, it really helped further everyone’s development, not just myself.”
But talk to Harris, and leadership is one area he says he has spent a lot of time critiquing himself on over the last year, especially concerning last year’s 20-7 loss to Bowling Green. The Rockets entered that road game as 26 ½-point favorites, and after that loss only went 2-4 down the stretch of the regular season and did not receive a bowl bid.
“I wish I could have prepared the team more, gotten their minds ready for the game a little bit more,” Harris said. “So, I’m thinking about those things this year and just kind of critiquing myself from last year, and how much more I can make an impact this year. Not necessarily just by me playing, but just by my leadership.”
First Published November 3, 2020, 12:00 p.m.
