After just six passing attempts and a few runs in his first collegiate star, the question of whether true freshman quarterback Treon Harris could be relied upon to make big plays was still a pressing one for the Gators. He wasn’t needed much against UGA, but that changed quickly this past weekend in Nashville.

Against Vanderbilt, The Miami native threw for 215 yards and added 49 yards on the ground along with two rushing touchdowns. Harris connected on some deep throws and showed good action on the ball, but no play was better than his 33-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

On a designed QB run, Harris took the snap out of the shotgun and hit the middle of the field. He benefited greatly from some good downfield blocking as three offensive lineman as well as running back Matt Jones hit the second level of the defense rather quickly.

Even with the good blocking, however, Harris shows off his playmaking ability. He quickly bounces it to the outside after breaking a tackle and turns on the burners. His speed allows him to outrun three Vanderbilt defenders that were closing in on him about 10 yards downfield. From there, it’s too easy as Harris runs it in for the score with virtually no other defenders around.

What makes this play so special is the speed of Harris. When Jeff Driskel was quarterback, he was considered a dual-threat guy as well. He’s much bigger than Harris and his speed wasn’t nearly as prevalent, but Driskel was often considered at his best when he’s a threat throwing and running the ball. In fact, one of his best rushing performances came two years ago on the road against Vanderbilt.

However, there’s a noticeable difference with Harris. Driskel wasn’t a bad runner, but there was never the thought that he would be able to make the big plays with his feet. Pick up a tough first down? Sure, but he isn’t likely to outrun many defenders.

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Harris is a different kind of runner. Watching this play would likely remind you of Auburn’s Nick Marshall and how he beats defenses with his speed and field vision as a runner.

As Andre Ware said on the broadcast following Harris’ touchdown run, his flashes of playmaking ability against Vanderbilt give you the belief that Florida could have a special player under center. The potential is certainly there and as we have seen around college football, dual-threat quarterbacks often give teams much more success (see Auburn, Tennessee, etc.).

It’s early for Harris and it’s important to not overstate a performance against a team like Vanderbilt. But there’s no denying the big-play potential in Harris, especially with some of the throws and runs he made on Saturday night.

The Gators’ offense with Harris as the quarterback seems more like the offense Florida fans envisioned the team would have under Kurt Roper’s offense in the preseason. He appears to have the perfect skillset for Roper’s offense and he should have plenty of opportunities for more runs like this in the future.

He by no means is a proven commodity, but the early returns suggest Florida has a good one in No. 3.