Harper adds depth to BSU backfield

November 1, 2007

Boise, ID (CSTV U-WIRE) -- True freshman D.J. Harper (34) has rushed for 315 yards and four touchdowns this season on 67 carries. Last Friday against Fresno State he ran for 153 yards and one touchdown in the Broncos' 34-21 win.

Two weeks. That's all it took for one Boise State freshman to make a name for himself. Just three weeks ago D.J. Harper found himself third on the Bronco depth chart and seldom used behind star tailback Ian Johnson and his back-up, red-shirt freshman Jeremy Avery.

But then, in an unexpected turn of events, Johnson was sidelined for two games with a bruised kidney he suffered in BSU's four overtime win against Nevada. Opportunity knocked and Harper answered.

The Cypress, Texas native had his incredible coming-out party last weekend in Fresno when he torched the Bulldogs for 153 rushing yards and one touchdown.

That performance helped propel the Broncos to a 34-21 victory and a 4-0 Western Athletic Conference

record.

"D.J. is an incredible athlete and I like to think we knew that when we recruited him," BSU Head Coach Chris Petersen said. "He and Jeremy (Avery), together with Ian (Johnson) allow us to do some things offensively that we've never done before."

The depth in the backfield has allowed the Broncos to spread out an already explosive offense. During the 2006 season when the Broncos had little depth at running back, BSU would rarely throw the ball out to Johnson, but rather, would elect to dump off short passes to designated receivers like do-it-all junior Vinny Perretta.

A lot has changed in 2007 and Harper is a big part of it. Harper and Avery are terrific at catching the ball out of the backfield and even Johnson has vastly improved as a pass-catching back.

This makes BSU extremely hard to defend and helps make Taylor Tharp an even more dangerous

"We like how our young guys spread out our offense and give us choices," Petersen said. "They are terrific and we're really happy with what they're doing."

As for Harper, he's just glad to be given a chance to contribute to the team's success this season.

"I just want to come in, be productive and be a threat when I'm out on the field," Harper said. "If I just come out and play my best I think good things will happen. We're a team with depth at running back and that helps our offense a lot."

In high school Harper wasn't just a standout football player, but he lettered in track and field.

"I try and use that experience to my advantage," Harper said. "Any time you can have experience like that can come back to help you down the road. I think it's done that for me."

Harper's track and field experience has helped make him an explosive, speedy back. As a senior Harper rushed for more than 1,500 yards and scored 21 touchdowns and was named team MVP.

As the 2007 season progresses fans can expect to see Harper play a more integral part in the Broncos offense alongside Johnson and Avery.

"We're just going to work together to be successful," Harper said. "Any combination of us is the backfield is dangerous and teams have to prepare for that. We like being that kind of a threat and we try and use it to our advantage."

Harper's breakout game against Fresno State is likely only a glance at what he can do for the Broncos. All of BSU's four touchdowns scored against the Bulldogs last Friday were scored by freshmen.

"We're a group of young guys who are trying to come in and contribute any way we can," Harper said. "We each have roles on this team and it's important that we do our part."

Given the chance to step up Harper will continue to be someone the coaching staff loves to see get better each week.

"We enjoy seeing these young guys get better every single week," Petersen said. "They continue to amaze us and just keep coming out every game and giving it everything they've got and we think

that's great."

(C) 2007 The Arbiter via CSTV U-WIRE