Jacory story,...

Jacory Harris that is.

My girlfriend and I went down to South Florida for Dolphins camp in early August. Right when we got there, I grabbed us a couple of seats and she went to the concession stand to get some hot dogs and drinks. Watching the Dolphins with my lady in 95-degree weather - these are the things that make life worth it.

Anyway, there was a kid sitting next to me with one of his buddies when his girlfriend showed up with her brother and her best friend. I overheard her introduce everybody and soon after she said the name 'Jacory' I realized it was that Jacory, the Hurricanes quarterback. As practice went on, some kids caught wind of who he was and were asking him to sign autographs and take some pictures with him and all that. He had no problem giving some kids a nice memory and some souvenirs to take home with them, in fact, he seemed happy that people were taking interest in him. His girlfriend, with a big smile on her face, remarked to my girlfriend and I, "this happens all the time!" It was a pretty cool moment.

To be honest, I don't follow college football all that much; I watch a lot of the big games and all that but I never really fell in love with a team and I pretty much only follow things on and off. It caught my attention, however, that the 'Canes quarterback was coming out for Dolphins camp. He also just seemed like a real genuine kid, the kind of guy that you're surprised to find out is some type of big-shot athlete, particularly a starting quarterback for a major Division I program - pretty down to earth, not looking for the spotlight but not shying away from it. I guess I was a little bit like some of those kids that got his autograph because the memory stuck with me.

Last night, I was winding down my Labor Day weekend by finishing up some stories for the newspaper I write for, the Northwest Current in Washington D.C. My friend told me Miami was playing Florida State so I flipped on the game hoping to watch Harris play a little bit. I was at my girlfriend's apartment and as soon as I mentioned his name, she remembered him pretty much the same way I did - genuine kid, down to earth, the kind of guy you want to root for. She sat down to watch some of the game with me.

All those things I caught in passing that day at Dolphins camp were evident in watching him play last night - unselfish kind of guy, quiet and humble. The performance he turned in was inspiring. I had never seen him play before and what I saw was a 6-foot-4, skinny kid with a strong arm and a good head on his shoulders. He showed great mechanics, very good footwork and excellent poise. When he took a shot in the 4th quarter that resulted in an interception returned for a touchdown, I wanted to see how he would bounce back. He threw a TD pass on the ensuing drive, showing no ill effects from what looked like an awkward injury to his throwing arm. He never panicked while trailing on the road against a ranked team. Instead, he made throw after impressive throw, the best of which was a perfectly thrown bullet down the sideline that landed in the absolute perfect place for his receiver to get it, stay in bounds and set up the go-ahead score. When the 'Canes defense had a goal-line stand to seal the win, he showed no reaction on the sidelines, just exhaled after a job well done. The kid is only 19 years and has tremendous poise and looks like he could be a really good leader and a pretty exciting player to watch.

I was impressed when I saw a local product who was the quarterback for the city's college team coming out to watch the Dolphins practice with his girlfriend. I became a pretty big fan of Jacory Harris last night after watching him lead the Hurricanes past the 18th ranked Seminoles. I have a feeling we're going to hear a lot of good things about this young man this season and maybe for some years to come.

BEAT THE FALCONS.