In the Harvard football team’s game against Dartmouth last weekend, tailback Nick Carrington knew that he probably wouldn’t be seeing action until the fourth quarter, if at all. As the backup to sophomore Clifton Dawson, one of the top players in the Ivy League and the holder of several Crimson records, Carrington has grown used to waiting his turn to take the field. If Harvard was up by a considerable margin, if the starters were pulled, if Crimson coach Tim Murphy needed someone to reliably run out the clock, then the senior would get his chance. Until then, he waited.

And in the fourth quarter of Harvard’s eventual 13-12 win, Carrington got the call. But it wasn’t for the usual reason.

Dawson took a hit while blocking for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick with just under a quarter remaining and went down hard. He hunched over on all fours while trainers anxiously rushed out to examine him and help him off the field. Later, the diagnosis was a strained muscle in his side.

The ball was given to Carrington to finish it out, like he had so many other games. Like so many other games, he did his fourth-quarter duty.

But this Saturday, with Dawson most likely still out, Carrington won’t have to wait for the fourth quarter to take the field.

“We’re hoping to get an MRI back on [Clifton],” Murphy says. “But realistically his chances of playing this weekend are very slim. If he’s not able to go, Columbia is probably going to be pretty excited not to see number 33 back there. If we don’t establish the run, we’re going to have a tough day, but I think both Nick and the rest of our team will step up.”

STANDING ON THE SIDELINES

Carrington will lead the Crimson’s running game against the Lions in his first start since last season’s Ivy opener against Brown, and only the second of his career. Starting so few games certainly wasn’t what Carrington envisioned when he came to Harvard four years ago. On the contrary, his high school numbers suggested that he would be the one to rewrite the Crimson record books. In his senior season at McDonough High School in Pomfret, MD, Carrington ran for 1,200 yards and racked up 22 touchdowns. That year, he was named County Player of the Year in addition to being voted First Team All-Southern Maryland Athletic Conference. Why shouldn’t he have dominated on the college level?

“Originally my expectations were really high,” Carrington says. “I knew that there were a lot of great players here, but when I first got here, I figured, why can’t I start right away?”

What Carrington didn’t know was that, when he arrived at Harvard, he would be stuck playing permanent second fiddle. Despite his worthy high school accomplishments, his top-10 speed on the squad and his impressive strength as exhibited by his IPA National Powerlifting Championship, Carrington has had the misfortune to share a depth chart with some truly stellar players.

“Nick is a good football player and a tough, classy kid,” Murphy says. “He’s never been anything but positive and enthusiastic in a situation that would be tough for some people.”

During his freshman and sophomore seasons, a veteran backfield led by Nick Palazzo ’03 relegated Carrington to playing mostly on special teams. Nevertheless, Carrington relished the opportunity to learn from the grizzled veterans of the Harvard backfield.

“I learned so much from the older players when I was a freshman and a sophomore,” Carrington says. “I learned how to be patient, how to put in the work and just how to get accustomed to the system.”

But just when it looked as if Carrington would finally get a chance to start in his junior season, he was struck a tough personal blow that turned out to be an unbelievable boon for Crimson football. Dawson transferred from Division I-A Northwestern to Harvard, effectively ending any chances Carrington ever had of being the number one back for the Crimson.

“Hey, it’s all about the team,” Carrington says. “[Dawson] is just a stud. He’s a great player and I just want to win.”