Temple coach Steve Addazio praises running back Montel Harris

There was a lot of uncertainty swirling around Montel Harris when he arrived at Temple in July.

The tailback was months removed from being dismissed from Boston College's football team for a "repeated violation of a team rule." There were also some concerns about his health.

The 5-foot-9, 207-pounder received a medical redshirt after playing in only two games last season at BC with a recurring knee injury.

But Harris made a lasting impression in his lone season at Temple.

"You're dealing with a man [in Harris]," said Temple coach Steve Addazio, whose squad lost, 38-20, to Syracuse in Friday's regular-season finale at Lincoln Financial Field. "We really enjoyed having him.

"I think he set some good leadership examples for some of the younger guys to follow, how to conduct yourself. Yes, we're grateful that we had him here."

After rushing for 106 yards on Friday, Harris finished the season with 1,054 yards and 12 touchdowns.

He became the ninth Owl to rush for 1,000 yards, even without playing a full season. Harris missed the second half of the opener against Villanova and the following week's game against Maryland with a hamstring strain. He also sat out some of the Cincinnati game with a left knee injury.

"I'm happy that I came here," Harris said of Temple. "I would rather be no other place. I started a great relationship with the guys, and I really feel like I made a lot of brothers this year."

Harris said he plans to join tailback Matt Brown and safety Vaughn Carraway at Dual Sports Performance in Atlanta in preparation for April's NFL draft.

Notes. Brown missed the game with a left hamstring injury. . . . Linebacker Tyler Matakevich finished the season with 101 tackles, becoming the first Temple freshman to surpass 100.