It's the USF football equivalent of Willis Reed answering the bell for the New York Knicks in Game 7, Jack Youngblood playing the Super Bowl with a broken leg for the Rams and Kirk Gibson limping around the bases after a monumental World Series home run for the Dodgers.
Demetris Harris is set to make his record-tying 50th career start on Saturday.
Bulls senior guard Demetris Harris, affectionately known as "Meech'' to everyone in the program, will start his 50th career game Saturday afternoon when USF (1-7, 0-4 AAC) faces the Temple Owls (2-6, 0-4 AAC) at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.
Harris will tie the program record held by two of USF's all-time luminaries, defensive end George Selvie, a two-time All-American, and linebacker Auggie Sanchez, the program's all-time leader in tackles. It's a magnificent accomplishment.
Particularly when considering Harris has played the last four games of a 27-game stretch of unmissed starts with a fractured bone in his left foot. Most other players probably would've called it a season, or at least taken a game off. For Harris, it wasn't even a consideration.
"The best ability is availability,'' said Harris, 24, who opted to return for his sixth season (COVID-prompted after beginning with a 2017 redshirt). "It doesn't matter how fast you can run or how high you can jump if you're not available. I want to be available for my team and my guys.''
Harris was injured during the first half against East Carolina on Oct. 1 (in a game played at Boca Raton due to Hurricane Ian). X-rays were negative, so he returned for the second half. Back in Tampa, an MRI revealed a small fracture, requiring four to six weeks for proper healing. That would likely have finished Harris' season — and career at USF.
No way.
"I don't need surgery, so it's just pain tolerance,'' Harris said. "I played on it during the second half (against ECU) and didn't miss a beat. I wear a boot (during the week) to take pressure off it. After games, it's a little swollen and sore. Throughout the week, they limit my reps in practice. I just tape it up real good, take an Ibuprofen, say a prayer and go out there.''
Harris' toughness and discipline does not surprise his coaches.
"Meech inspires me every day … and a lot of other people, too,'' head coach Jeff Scott said. "He brings a truly special kind of focus.''
"He's a warrior, through and through,'' offensive coordinator Travis Trickett said.
"In today's world, it would be awfully easy for Meech to quit right now and say, 'I'm done, I'm not 100 percent,''' offensive line coach Allen Mogridge said. "Meech would never do that. This means something to him. It's a commitment. It's an honor for me to coach him and the rest of the guys on the line.''
Harris, raised by parents who both were in the U.S. Navy, said he knows no other way.
"Of course, I'm like, 'Wow, this hurts,' but there are several guys on this team who are dealing with something,'' Harris said. "Their bodies hurt, too. When you start 50 games in college football, you're not going to be 100 percent, except for a few times.
"It's just being available and being a leader. One of the best ways to lead is to serve. Whatever's going on, I'm going to tape it up and go out there. Young guys see that and know that you've got to push through it. Are you willing to get up at six o'clock in the morning and go to the training room when no one else is there? That's what you have to do.''
Mogridge couldn't have said It better himself.
The veteran coach is big on saying, "nobody cares.'' Meaning: nobody cares if you're hurt. Nobody cares about your problems. Nobody cares how you get it done. The bottom line is getting it done. You must find a way, even if there's big-time adversity.
"I don't care about your outside noise, because I'm working with a room full of great humans,'' Mogridge said. "They are my guys. For them, I'll watch film until my eyes bleed. I get to be a part of this. It's unreal how special they all are. Twenty years from now, you think Meech will be winning at life? You're dang right he will be.''
Harris doesn't expect special recognition or any praise. He figures he's just doing his job and contributing to the Bulls. That's enough. If USF can get a few wins down the stretch, beginning with Saturday's game at Temple, no one will be happier than the 6-foot-3, 315-pound, always-smiling, ever-steady football warrior from Jacksonville.
Meech.
It rhymes with teach.
Every day is a new lesson.
"Putting me in the same breath with George Selvie and Auggie Sanchez is something I never expected,'' Harris said. "I guess I kept showing up. I can always say I gave it all I got. When my USF career ends, when the dust settles, I can look back at everything and know that I gave it everything I had. When my team needed me, I was there.''
