Stanton Looks to Continue Strong Play

They say the third time is the charm.

For running back Paul Stanton, the arrival of junior year brings many possibilities to build upon his breakout sophomore season for Harvard.

The 5’9” Louisiana native become the Crimson’s workhorse out of the backfield last season, totaling 936 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in 10 games. His average of 93.6 yards per game landed him third among Ivy League running backs and earned him a spot on the All-Ivy second team.

Throughout the offseason and training camp, Stanton has worked on his ground game, as this year the squad will again look to the junior to take a majority of the carries for the team.

“There’s always room for improvement, and Paul Stanton is one of those people where if you tell him to do something at camp, he’s going to go out and do it,” captain Norman Hayes said. “He’s been working tremendously hard all throughout the offseason and had a tremendous camp, and we continue to look forward to see more from Pauly.”

The success of Stanton’s sophomore campaign was an improvement from his performance in his rookie year, when he played only eight games and recorded 171 total rushing yards on 28 carries. In his first season, the inexperienced back carried second-string responsibilities behind Treavor Scales ’13, who mentored Stanton en route to a 1000-plus yard rushing season.

Stanton’s time in the spotlight came last year when teammate Zach Boden went down with an injury early in the season. The then-sophomore emerged as Harvard’s leading rusher, complementing then-junior quarterback Conner Hempel’s arm to ultimately bring a piece of the  Ancient Eight championship back to Cambridge.

This year, the Stanton-Hempel connection will be just as strong, if not stronger, after the duo spent the offseason working together.

“[Stanton] and Conner Hempel are always on the same page when they’re back there, about to take a snap,” Hayes said. “[Stanton] has a much better feel of where the cuts will be based off of the offensive line blocks and...he does a really good job of setting up the blocks.”

Now in his third year on the squad, Stanton will be a key component of Harvard’s offense.

“The truth is if we’re healthy, we’re as good of a 13 [or] 14 guys we’ve ever had together,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. “Offensive line, tailback, quarterback...to be perfectly honest, realizing our depth is a little precarious, it’s a really good group…. We should be a quality offensive unit, but we have to prove it. We’re not lacking for team speed or skilled athletes that can make plays in space.”

Entering the season as the go-to running back for the defending Ivy League champions is a big role to fill, for Stanton but veteran experience and a new perspective on the game will help the junior.

“He’s become a little more mature in his sense of knowing our offense,” Hayes said. “When the linemen get where they need to be, he makes some cuts off of them. He’s definitely improved in that.”

Offensively, the Crimson has a number of weapons in the backfield that can be used to achieve success this season. Hempel represents a dual threat to opposing teams, having notched 259 rushing yards last year, good for second-best on the team behind Stanton.

And when he is not using his legs to move the chains, Hempel can target fifth-year senior wide receiver Ricky Zorn, junior wide receiver Andrew Fischer, and senior wideout Seitu Smith, all of whom have amassed a wealth of experience.

According to Murphy, the strategy this year is to share the ball as much as possible, making it difficult for an opposing defense to sit on one player and eliminate him as an option.

“The nice thing is [that] one of the challenges we have, which is a really good challenge, is getting everybody their touches,” Murphy said. “We feel like we have to get Paul ‘X’ amount of touches, but…we’re going to do whatever is best for the team.”

Last season, Harvard’s offense maintained a balanced attack, scoring 23 touchdowns through the air and 21 on the ground.

This year, Stanton will play a vital role and provide many scoring opportunities for the team, just as he did last season.

“We pride ourselves on being able to run the ball, so Pauly will definitely be a key aspect of our offense, especially with our very experienced offensive line that make sure they get done whatever they need to get done,” Hayes said.

—Staff writer Ariel Smolik-Valles can be reached at asmolikvalles@college.harvard.edu.