C.D. Goes Platinum

When freshman running back Clifton Dawson transferred to Harvard after redshirting a year at Northwestern, no one really knew what to expect—sure he had the skills, but could he contribute?

Dawson answered that question with an emphatic ‘yes’ last Saturday against Lafayette in the Crimson’s 34-27 victory.

With 218 yards on 26 carries and four touchdowns, Dawson set Harvard’s single game rushing record for a freshman, ran for the second most yards by a Harvard back at home and the fifth most yards by a Harvard back anywhere. His dominating performance earned him Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week honors and helped the Crimson maintain its perfect 5-0 record (2-0 Ivy).

“We knew that when Clifton came into the program that he had a lot of ability,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. “What we found out [on Saturday] was how dependable and how tough he is.”

Dawson seemed to run effortlessly all game, rarely ever taking hard hits by the Leopards’ defense. His most impressive run came late in the fourth quarter. Dawson broke through a hole on the left side of the line and sprinted down the left sideline for a 71-yard touchdown run—sealing the game for the Crimson by putting it up 34-20 with 2:11 left.

With junior quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick out with a broken hand, Dawson picked a good time to step up his play.

“This whole week was all about responding to the challenge that they were going to throw at us,” he said after the game. “I knew that given our quarterback situation, there was going to be a great opportunity to run the football successfully.”

Through the first four games of the season, Dawson had split time with sophomore tailback Ryan Tyler. But with Tyler nursing sore ribs, Dawson played in all but two series of the game.

By the middle of the second half, the Leopard’s defense began keying on Dawson by consistently placing eight or nine defenders near the line of scrimmage. But Dawson fought through tackles and kept piling up the yards, taking valuable time off the clock as the Crimson protected its lead.

“The final stats didn’t particularly surprise me,” Dawson said. “When all 11 guys on our offense put forth the effort they did on Saturday, then stats like these aren’t that extraordinary. Anything less is surprising.”