Can Andrew Harris rebound from missed flight, expensive game and lack of touches?

It's been a depressing year overall for B.C. Lions' running back Andrew Harris, and things got even worse this past week. In 2012, Harris was seen as one of the new faces of the league, a rare star Canadian running back and one who could be mentioned in comparison with Calgary's Jon Cornish; he picked up 1,112 rushing yards last season and actually beat Cornish in yards from scrimmage, 1830 to 1795. While Cornish has shot to even higher heights this year and might be the best back in the CFL right now, though, Harris has fallen off. This past week was particularly disastrous for him, as he missed the team's chartered flight to Regina, had to play "for free" after paying his own way there on a commercial flight and then barely touched the ball in the game. From Lowell Ullrich of The Province, here are Harris' comments on what happened with the flight:

Things didn't get much better once Harris arrived in Regina, though. He only picked up eight touches in the Lions' 35-14 loss, including four carries, two receptions and two kickoff returns, while B.C. opted to hand newly-returned import Stefan Logan 22. From Mike Beamish of The Vancouver Sun, Harris didn't seem happy about that:

Everyone has off weeks, but this has been a bad overall season for Harris. Through 16 games, he has 820 rushing yards, which works out to just 51.3 yards per game and puts him on pace to finish with 922, well short of last year's 1,112. Perhaps even more concerningly, his yards per carry average has dropped over a full yard, from 5.9 in 2012 to 4.8 in 2013. He also hasn't been as effective as a receiver; 56 catches for 470 yards isn't bad, but it's a long way from the 75 for 718 he recorded in 2012. Harris has struggled over the last few weeks in particular, and he's going to have to find a way to return to form if he wants to expand his role in the offence.

Don't write Harris off just yet, though. For one thing, he's only 26, so this isn't a case of a team going away from an over-30 running back, something we've often seen. For another thing, while Harris didn't get many touches against Saskatchewan, he was impressive with the ones he received, averaging 7.3 yards per carry and and 14 yards per catch, both much better than his season totals. Even with Logan doing well, too, there's always the chance the two could be partnered down the stretch and in the playoffs, as their games complement each other: Harris is bigger (he's listed at 5'11' and 213 pounds, while Logan is listed at 5'6'' and 180) and more powerful, while Logan is better in space and on the edges. Perhaps most importantly, Harris is still a non-import, and you don't get rid of talented non-imports (especially those with ratio-busting potential to fill a traditionally-American position) lightly in this league. His role may be reduced for now, but down the road, he's highly likely to get a chance to demonstrate that he can be the dominant player he was in 2012 again. The question is if he'll be able to reach that potential.