As If He Never Left: Harris dominates in return

CFL.ca Staff

WINNIPEG — He hadn’t seen the field for game action in almost two months. It didn’t seem to matter for Andrew Harris.

The legendary Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ running back returned to the lineup and turned 23 carries into 136 yards and a touchdown, helping steer his team to a 21-17 Western Final win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Bombers will return to the Grey Cup for the second season in a row, looking to defend the championship they won in 2019.

With the Bombers hosting their first Western Final since 2011, Harris worked diligently with the team’s trainers to be in a place to take the field. It was too good of an opportunity for the Winnipeg product to pass up.

“Playoff game at home and definitely a memorable one for the fans, for this organization,” Harris said.

“Especially when you play a team like Saskatchewan back-to-back during the season and have tight games, good games with them, this one was definitely that as well,” Harris said.

The Bombers committed five first-half turnovers, with QB Zach Collaros throwing three interceptions and receivers Drew Wolitarsky and Rasheed Bailey losing the ball on fumbles. The conditions didn’t help. It was a cold, blustery afternoon and evening in Winnipeg that saw temperatures dip into the minus-20 C range.

“We shot ourselves in the foot in the first half and our defence really flexed in the second half and we were able to get a drive going and punch it in in the third quarter,” Harris said, referencing the moment he got into the end zone with 1:39 left in the third quarter. The touchdown put the Bombers in front 13-10, part of what would turn into a back-and-forth battle with a Riders team that didn’t back down from the team that topped them in two regular-season meetings this year and in the 2019 Western Final.

“We’re resilient and we’ve got thick skin and there’s no quit in our team. We didn’t give up. We didn’t falter,” he said.

The MVP and Outstanding Canadian in his team’s 2019 Grey Cup win, Harris had no trouble getting back into the lineup and putting forth a game-changing effort, regardless of how long he was out.

“I’ve been in this league for a long time and played a lot of snaps. I know it’s win or go home in these situations,” he said.

“There’s a certain attitude, there’s a certain stigma, a certain feeling you get in playoff time and I never want to go home in these situations. I want to give it all I have. That energy, that enthusiasm, that fire in your belly, it kind of elevates and your play comes out after that.”

Harris credited his offensive line and said that whoever was behind them would have had success on the night. Still, when the lights were brightest, even when they broke through a cold and crisp prairie night, it was Harris that came up with a superstar performance.

“No surprise,” Collaros said. “With the limited reps that he did have in practice I thought, ‘He looks young.’ The way he was bouncing around out here. Even if he didn’t look good in practice, it’s a game and I know Andrew’s a gamer. I’m not surprised at all.”

It may not have happened in perfect conditions, but it was still a picturesque performance from a player that’s become synonymous with the success of the Bombers these last few years. Harris lands on that list of players you’d name if you had to take someone for one game when you needed to win. He showed it again on Sunday night in front of his hometown.

“Our fans were insane and for me, this year has been a difficult one as far as injuries and not being in the mix,” Harris said.

“Really, my teammates and the whole club have kept me under their wing and that family atmosphere and that family feeling and it was definitely exciting. I felt like I didn’t miss a beat once I stepped in.”

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