Stanton Propels Football to Ninth Straight Win

­No pressure, no diamonds. On Saturday at Franklin Field, the Crimson found its own diamond in junior running back Paul Stanton, who rushed for a career-high 235 yards in a 34-24 thriller victory against Penn.

Stanton started Harvard off strong, running 42 yards to score a touchdown less than two minutes into the first quarter.

Going into the second quarter, the Crimson (9-0, 6-0 Ivy) trailed the Quakers (1-8, 1-5), who already had a field goal and touchdown on the board. For the second time that day, Stanton gave Harvard the lead, dashing 75 yards for another score.

The Crimson again slipped during the third quarter, and Harvard found itself down, 24-17, with 15 minutes left in the game. After a touchdown scored by senior tight end Tyler Hamblin followed by a field goal, Stanton propelled the Crimson even closer to the win with his third touchdown.

“We talk all the time about expecting adversity [and] embracing adversity, the twists and turns a game like this could take,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. “I’ve got to hand it to our kids. They just willed this thing.”

Stanton’s 276 all-purpose yards and 235 rushing yards mark a record in his collegiate career, and his performance represented the fourth highest rushing yard total for a single game in program history.

Stanton’s game-making performances in 2014 are nothing new. Last year, he led Harvard in rushing yards with 936 and scored 17 touchdowns—totals that were good enough for third and second in the Ivy League, respectively.

He has managed to build on those accomplishments this year, with 881 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

“I really have to give credit to my offensive line,” Stanton said in reference to the Penn game. “They blocked great all game long. I really owe it up to them.”

With all his success this season, it is hard to believe that the running back started off the season on the bench with an injury suffered during preseason.

After missing games against Holy Cross and Georgetown, Stanton has certainly settled back into his role, scoring at least one touchdown in every game he’s played since his return.

Stanton has also received numerous accolades for his contributions to Harvard’s success. A headliner performance at Dartmouth on Nov. 1 earned him the Ancient Eight Co-Offensive Player of the Week award—an honor he has taken home multiple times in his Harvard career—as well as the NEFWA Gold Helmet.

But even before the start of this season, after his crucial role last year, the running back was already designated as a key component Harvard’s offense. Stanton was named to multiple preseason watch lists and was one of a number of Harvard players tagged with preseason first team All-Ivy honors.

These accomplishments have earned the respect of rival players and coaches alike, including Penn coach Al Bagnoli, who ranks second in Ancient Eight history with 111 career wins.

“[Stanton is] a terrific player,” said Bagnoli, who will retire at the end of this season. “He gets in the open field, he’s pretty elusive, and he’s a kid that certainly can make you miss [the tackle]. [He] has enough speed that he can take it all the way for a touchdown.”

In fact, such awards and praise go back all the way to high school. As a team captain his senior year, Stanton led Jesuit High School in New Orleans, La., to an undefeated season. He also ranked third all-time in school history for touchdowns in a season (21) and in a game (four).

If Stanton can come even close to a repeat of his Penn performance this Saturday against Yale, he would put his team in excellent position to compete for sole possession of the Ivy League title.

And while the various awards, recognition, and NFL-related bluster accumulated by players like Stanton have led to heightened media attention—including the presence of College GameDay on campus this weekend for The Game—the running back and others have remained focused on the task at hand while helping the Crimson to a perfect 9-0 record thus far.

“Paul’s just so humble,” Murphy said. “He’s an amazing football player, he’s got a lot of talent, but he’s also got tremendous heart [and] tremendous mental toughness.”