'Why not take a shot?': Big plays starting to come for Nyck Harbor

They had repped it every day in practice. Maybe three to four times a day. So, when the moment came where they needed a miracle, the thought process was simple: “Why not take a shot?”

Down by eight points with 50 seconds to go, South Carolina had just gotten a huge break. As LaNorris Sellers was taken to the ground for what would’ve been his sack of the day, the ball came loose. Fumble recovery at midfield by Alabama. Ballgame. … Right?

Not so fast.

A flag was thrown for a face mask penalty against the Crimson Tide, giving the Gamecocks new life and an automatic first down. Then came the big play.

“Coach (Mike) Furrey was yelling at me on the sideline. He was like, ‘Run! You about to get this ball,'” Nyck Harbor said. “I looked at 16. 16 looked at me. So, I’m like, ‘All right, it’s time to go make a play.'”

[See what other fans are saying on The Insiders Forum!]

Ever since Harbor first arrived on campus last summer, all anyone could talk about was his speed. And after that, the conversations probably shifted to something along the lines of, “Hey, why don’t we have this guy run a go route? Nobody can keep up with him!”

Well over a year later since those talks first started, it finally happened. Harbor ran for 31 yards straight to the end zone, but as the ball came his way, he turned around, created a small window of separation, hauled in the pass and managed to keep one foot in bounds. Touchdown.

“That’s the moments where you dream of going to make a play for your team,” Harbor said. “Big game, Alabama, trying to get that upset. Just throw it up deep and good things will happen.”

Many had been clamoring for this moment for a long time. Their expectations only heightened when they saw how unstoppable he was in the EA Sports College Football 25 video game. But this 31-yard touchdown catch gave a glimpse of just how good he can be.

[Join GamecockCentral for great coverage, great community]

However, as evident later in the game, there’s still room for growth. On what would be the game’s final play, Harbor ran another deep route in hopes of finding that same magic as he and Sellers had done before. The only problem was that he couldn’t see where the ball was going.

By the looks of it, Harbor started slowing down as the ball landed in the hands of Alabama’s Domani Jackson for a game-sealing interception in a 27-25 loss for South Carolina on Saturday.

“(Sellers) threw it before I got out of my break. I just didn’t see it,” Harbor explained. “And that’s not on him, that’s on me. I didn’t know where it was at and just saw the ball in the DBs hands. So, it’s a learning experience.”

If there were any silver lining to take away, though, Harbor proved it is in fact possible that he can go run deep and make a play. He hasn’t gotten the ball a ton this season, only having nine catches for 91 yards and the one touchdown. As he pointed out, he hasn’t dropped a pass yet this season. So, between that and the work he’s put in, he knows his opportunities will keep coming.

“That’s what I do. I put in a lot of blood, sweat, effort into this. Probably one of the first in the building and the last out. So, I put in that effort to make sure my teammates see it,” Harbor said. “Everybody sees it on the practice field and now it’s starting to show up in games. So, I mean, I just hold that to myself, just getting better every week. It just puts me in a position to where they give me the keys. I just gotta go and take it.”

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!