Troy notebook: FAU tight end Jason Harmon is key target

Jason Harmon came to Florida Atlantic four years ago weighing 185 pounds, soaking wet, hoping to be the next great Owls wide receiver.

It’s happened, but not at that position. Listed as a tight end, Harmon is the Owls’ leading receiver with 38 catches for 503 yards and four scores. He caught 63 balls for 825 yards and five scores in 2007, but he missed last year with a knee injury.

Now at 210 pounds, he’s back 100 percent and hoping to latch on in the NFL as a wide receiver after this season. FAU’s offense allows him to split out wide.
“I’m about 50 percent run block and 50 percent going out on a route,” Harmon said. “There’s a lot of action to the tight end in our offense. It’s a hybrid tight end:  not as big as a regular tight end, but not as small as a wide receiver.

“We’re trying to create a mismatch with a linebacker, and that’s what we depend on in our offense.”

Troy defensive coordinator Jeremy Rowell said that FAU’s offense — lining up tight ends and fullbacks as wide receivers — presents problems. It’s worked out well for Harmon, who starred in basketball and baseball in high school, and patented the “Harmon Hop” in 2007, when he first hurdled a Middle Tennessee defender who was trying to make a low tackle.

“I’ve done it in a game a couple of times,” Harmon said. “It’s my signature move. If you’re going to try to tackle me low, I’ll just jump over you and keep going.”

Having Harmon back has made a big difference for the Owls.

“He’s a guy that can take a 5-yard catch and turn it into a 60-yard touchdown,” FAU quarterback Jeff Van Camp said.

Top dog on the ground: FAU sophomore Alfred Morris is second in the Sun Belt in rushing at 107.2 yards per game with eight touchdowns. Morris, who was a backup fullback heading into the spring before injuries allowed him a shot at tailback, is coming off a 117-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 35-18 win over Arkansas State.

2007 win still in high regard: FAU’s 38-32 win at Troy in 2007 is remembered by players as the second-best win in team history. The best came weeks later in the New Orleans Bowl, a 44-27 win over Memphis. But FAU got that bowl win because of the upset win over Troy that year.

“It was a huge win for us because Troy’s always up at the top in the conference,” Harmon said. “To come out there and get a win was amazing.”