EWU's Jones has bigger day than Harris

CHENEY, Wash. -- Saturday's Football Championship Subdivision playoff game featured two of the nation's premier running backs on the FCS level, and neither disappointed.

But Taiwan Jones' Eastern Washington squad bested Henry Harris' Southeast Missouri State team in a battle of Walter Payton Award candidates, which is presented to the best player on the FCS level. The Eagles knocked off the Redhawks 37-17.

Both running backs topped 100 yards in the first half alone and flashed brilliance during Saturday's game. Jones edged Harris by 60 yards and scored one more touchdown.

"We knew where he was going to make his cuts and he still made those cuts and was able to be successful with it," Southeast coach Tony Samuel said about Jones. "You've got to give him credit for that because he has great ability to make his cuts. I'm not going to say we underestimated him, but sometimes game speed is not the same as film speed."

Jones showed his explosive speed late in the first half. He took the handoff and zipped past the defense for a 56-yard score to even the score at 14-14 with 3 minutes, 43 seconds left before halftime. It was his 19th career run of 50 yards or longer for the junior.

Eastern Washington's Taiwan Jones evades a Redhawks tackler in Cheney, Wash. Jones finished with 168 yards on 25 carries.

"A fast guy," Southeast defensive lineman Maurice Lyles said. "We knew what we had to do. We had to keep him inside. We didn't do a good job of it."

Jones didn't rely solely on this speed. He employed some jukes and spins to break free of would-be tacklers for important first downs. He finished with 168 yards on 25 carries.

"It's the same thing every week," EWU quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell said. "He's going to surprise you no matter what. … The kid's amazing."

Harris, who is listed at 5 foot 8 and 185 pounds, served as the Redhawks' workhorse all season. He carried 20 times for 108 yards Saturday.

"It's really impressive to see what [Harris] has done because I remember when he couldn't run power right," Samuel said. "Now all of a sudden, he's ripping off 200-yard games in a row.

"You can see he's not the biggest man in the world, but he's got a big heart. When you grow up, your heart grows with it sometimes. That's exactly what he did."

Harris impressed the Eagles most with his touchdown run. The Redhawks faced fourth-and-goal from inside the 1-yard line in the closing minutes of the first half. Southeast quarterback Matt Scheible handed off to Harris, who headed to his left and looked stopped multiple times.

But the sturdy and powerful Harris refused to be denied. He spun around a couple of tackles and carried a host of Eagles defenders across the goal line with the aid of a few teammates, including Scheible.

"He's one of the strongest players I think we've played against, especially from the waist down," EWU linebacker J.C. Sherritt said. "That goal-line run, I couldn't believe he kept his legs going through about three or four guys, and they were big guys who were hanging on him. We knew he was a great player, but he definitely was stronger than I thought from seeing him on film."

Harris' determination to find the end zone didn't surprise Scheible, who watched Harris break five single-season school records on offense this season.

"Henry, he's amazing," Scheible said. "He makes stuff happen for you. He's a hard worker and he's a combination of speed and quickness and vision."

Harris, a senior, finished the season with 1,735 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.

"If I can keep playing, I'm going to keep playing," Harris said after his collegiate career ended Saturday. "But I'm just gonna sit back, watch film, watch this game. Look at things I know I can do to get better and hopefully I get a chance to keep playing."