Jones Rushes Harvard to Victory

After two years languishing as a kick returner and defensive back, junior Troy Jones has found a home at tailback. Saturday against Columbia, Jones decided to throw a house-warming party.

The fleet-footed junior scored two touchdowns, racked up over 100 yards and returned a kickoff for a touchdown (which was nullified by penalty) in his first significant action.

Jones essentially put the game away for the Crimson in the second quarter, rushing for touchdowns of 13 and one yards.

Jones, who brings a big-play ability that the Harvard offense has lacked for a decade, ran behind an experienced offensive line that dominated Columbia in a manner heretofore unseen during the brief tenure of coach Tim Murphy.

"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," Murphy said.

And Jones handled the experience with the poise of a veteran, crediting his offensive line and special teams players, in addition to tossing out post-game quotes worthy of Reggie White.

"I was shocked that [the hole] opened up," Jones said of his 92-yard return for a touchdown. "It was like the Lord parting the Red Sea."

Or maybe it was just Troy Jones, taking Harvard to the Promised Land.