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Montel Harris Has Arthroscopic Surgery, Will Miss Syracuse Game

Boston College junior running back Montel Harris underwent arthroscopic surgery for a torn left lateral meniscus in his knee on Monday morning at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, the school announced on Monday.

As a result, Harris has been ruled out of the Eagles' regular season finale against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

Harris injured the knee on the final play of the third quarter in the Eagles' 17-13 win over Virginia on Saturday. He finished the game with 114 yards and one rushing touchdown on 24 carries.

In the game, Harris moved into second place all-time on the Eagles' rushing list with 3,600 yards. Harris is now only 125 yards away from becoming the school's all-time rushing leader. He also became the school's leader in carries earlier this season with 755.

"I say it every week, Montel works hard," said Boston College head coach Frank Spaziani. "He really is a good back. You have to be exactly right with him and they had him contained a little bit in there but he was able to slither through. He did a good job."

The loss of Harris dealt the Eagles a huge blow, as he is their top weapon on offense. Prior to his injury, Harris had rushed for 1,243 yards and eight touchdowns with a career-long run of 72 yards against Florida State.

Harris gained national recognition last season after notching career highs in rushing yards (1,457) and rushing touchdowns (14).

Boston College won't be left completely in the dust, though, as true freshman Andre Williams has proven to be a worthy backup. Williams burst onto the scene on Saturday, rushing for 108 yards on 10 carries in the win against the Cavaliers.

The last time two Eagles running backs had 100 yards in the same game was when L.V. Whitworth totaled 118 rushing yards and Andre Callender had 105 against Duke on Nov. 11, 2006.

Williams' 59-yard scramble was the highlight of the day, setting Harris up for his four-yard touchdown run on the next play.

Spaziani has not named a replacement for Harris as of yet, but it is assumed that Williams will get the nod.