Running Back Jones Makes Impressive Debut

Eion who?

It's an old joke that was never really funny in the first place, but Harvard fans have a reason to say it based on junior running back Troy Jones' first game of the season.

Harvard knew entering this season that its security blanket was gone. The past three years running back Eion Hu carried the load for the offense.

He ran over 200 times each season, including a school record 250 times last year. He racked up a school record 3,073 yards on the ground over the course of his career.

And when it came to Yale, no one was ever better. He carried 40 times for 177 yards in his grand finale.

But Jones ushered in a new "eion" in the chronology of Harvard football with his 19-carry, 100-yard performance. If the game hadn't been a 45-7 laugher, he might have stayed in and padded his stats even more.

Besides the yardage, he got in the end zone two times on one and 13-yard runs.

Actually, Jones would have had a third score if a kick-off return had not been called back. Nevertheless, his 92-yard run-back demonstrated speed and big-play explosiveness that even the legendary Hu did not have.

"We envisioned when we recruited him that he'd do some of those things," Harvard Coach Tim Murphy said.

"He's got good size, he's got excellent speed, and we haven't had a real fast back in a long time, so it really opened things up a little."

And the return, though it didn't count, was one of the most encouraging signs from the game. Last year, Harvard's special teams were a weakness and Murphy made them an off-season priority.

"Coach has definitely emphasized better kick-off returns and better special teams as a whole," Jones said. "But I was happy that the hole just opened up. It was easy."

By contrast the journey to Saturday's game, Jones's first 100-yard performance, has not been easy. After a promise-filled freshman year, he struggled last year and even spent some time in an experiment at cornerback.

"The biggest thing with Troy is he's been hampered by injuries his freshman and sophomore years," Murphy said. "This is the first time he's really been healthy through preseason."

"I'm definitely happy to be back on offense because that's just my spot," Jones said. "It's where I'm happiest, and thanks to Coach for giving me the opportunity."

Coming into the season, sophomore Chris Menick was slightly ahead of Jones in what was expected to be a running back rotation.

"Troy forced us to give him the ball more, but we also said we'll go with the guy who has the hot hand," Murphy said.

Jones definitely was hot from the beginning. On Harvard's second drive of the game, he opened with a 27-yard run to the left. He then ran up the gut for 10 in the play after. Harvard went on to score and never looked back from that point on.

Obviously, Jones did not win the game single-handedly. No one does when it's a 38-point blowout. He got great blocking from the offensive line, which did not allow a sack while starting quarterback Rich Linden was in the game.

And the defense, as usual, forced turnovers and made big plays to shorten the field for the offense.

"The offensive line blocked extremely well to open up holes and enabled me to do my job, "Jones said.

That quote sounds just like the Harvard running back who for the three previous years always deflected credit to his line. Guess "hu."