Dan Lanning will need everything in his arsenal to fend off the mighty Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl. To pull off the upset, he even went to some extra lengths by breaking away from the Oregon norm. The Ducks are down a lot of players ahead of the key game, forcing Lanning to make such a decision.

The Oregon head coach confirmed to the press that RB Jay Harris will play in the Peach Bowl. Technically, players are still eligible to play for their former team despite entering the portal. The norm is that players opt out of games after declaring their plans. Coaches also move on from them during the postseason run.

However, programs can still retain such players on their own terms. In the Dan Lanning era, Harris is the first player to be a part of the active roster despite transferring out. He was never listed as ‘out’ in the injury reports, unlike two other RBs in the portal.

This brings the duo to attack the problem of an extremely thin group of tailbacks. If Harris wasn’t in the picture, Oregon’s once seven-deep RB room would be down to just 2 players. Makhi Hughes and Jayden Limar join Harris in the portal. Their absence is compounded by that of Jordon Davison and Da’Juan Riggs, who are out with injuries. Dan Lanning only had two scholarship players left in the depth—Noah Whittington and Dierre Hill. Oregon’s offense has been using multiple running backs in its schemes this season, which is why it desperately needs more depth.

Jay Harris might probably be playing his last game with Oregon, but it might turn out to be the one that puts him on the map. The RB has seen action in five games so far this season. Over the past two years, Harris has totaled 36 carries, 155 rushing yards, and two touchdowns. These low numbers do no justice to the potential he holds, which Oregon noted during his time with Northwest Missouri State. At the D-II level, he hauled in 1,645 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns, which earned him first-team All-American honors.

Despite his minimal production, offensive coordinator Will Stein is high on having Harris play an important role against Indiana.

Will Stein felt positive about Jay Harris’ role in the Peach Bowl

The soon-to-depart RB was thrust into the fire after a long period of inaction. Harris got to play in the JMU game after playing Minnesota. He will now play Indiana for the second time after missing the quarterfinals. Plus, he hasn’t contributed much throughout the season, playing 7 or more snaps only twice. But Will Stein is still relying on the potential Harris carries.

“I think he’s an exceptional back,” offensive coordinator Will Stein said Wednesday shortly after the team arrived in Atlanta. “He’s got great balance. He can run. He can really catch the ball. So I think he’s at a spot now to really flourish given the opportunity.”

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Desperate times call for desperate measures, since Oregon has practically no hope going against the Hoosier defense like this. Indiana’s stout rush defense is the country’s second-best entering the Peach Bowl. This is a side that limited Ohio State to 58 rushing yards and Alabama to an embarrassing total of 23 yards.

Dan Lanning will utilize any help he can get, even if it has to come from those who are already packing their bags. He’s willing to risk it even with someone like Jay Harris, who has never played a game this big in his career.