Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 10, 1995 TAG: 9509120086
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
He's picked up 35-40 pounds and he's pushing 30 now. But when it comes to this National Minor League Football stuff, Major Harris can still play.
Showing flashes of the guy who led West Virginia to an 11-1 record and finished third in the 1989 Heisman Trophy balloting, Harris threw a 5-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left to lift the West Virginia Lightning to a 17-12 victory over the Roanoke Rush on Saturday night at Victory Stadium.
``I'm just playing the game for the fun now,'' said Harris, conducting a postgame autograph session for some of the announced 5,000 fans.
``I had a ball tonight. That last drive is what a quarterback dreams of, no matter if you're playing high school, college, pros or whatever.''
Harris, who left WVU after his junior year only to be shunned in the NFL draft, realizes he's not far from football's graveyard. He played a season in the Canadian Football League (1990) and bounced around the Arena League for another year.
In hopes of possibly getting one more shot in the CFL, Harris is lacing up the shoes this fall with the Lightning. The Charleston-based franchise is probably the best operation in the NMLF. The Lightning averages 10,000-plus fans at home and owns the league's best record at 5-0.
``You're not going to get rich here,'' Harris said, laughing. ``I just play because I like playing football.''
The Rush (1-3) appeared to have the Lightning in a bottle with 2:50 left to play. That's when new place-kicker Mike Shoda bounced a 24-yard field goal off the left upright and through the posts to give Roanoke a 12-10 lead.
Harris then proved he hasn't lost all his old moves. Scrambling out of the pocket all night long, Harris took the Lightning on a 57-yard drive. He completed his last five passes on the drive. The game-winning score came when Harris scrambled to his left and hit a leaping George Howard in the left corner of the end zone.
``Major is hard to handle, man,'' said Robert Majors, a Rush defensive back. ``He's still got some wheels. I think by the end the linemen and linebackers were tired of chasing him.
``It's disappointing. We played well enough to win this game. We should have won it. We had three interceptions and couldn't turn them into points.''
Harris didn't have his best night. He completed 14 of 24 passes. He had two passes picked off. The Lightning, averaging 40 points a game coming in, struggled against a strong Roanoke defense.
``Those guys gave us all we wanted,'' said Harris, who was forced to leave the game for the final 7 minutes of the second quarter after taking a savage hit from Roanoke's Carl Lewis.
Until the Lightning's final drive, it appeared the Rush hero would be Shoda, who ironically played collegiately at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va.
``I thought we had a great script there,'' said Denie Marie, Rush coach. ``I thought the luck was with us after that field goal bounced through.
``But Major was too much. He starts running around back there everywhere, but he knows exactly where all his guys are at. We played good defense. I think talent versus talent tonight we were even. But Major was the difference.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
by CNB