With two other linebackers going down with injuries, Harvard has relied on sophomore Eric Medes to learn on the job this year.

With a year of experience on the Harvard football team under their belts, sophomores Paul Stanton and Eric Medes have tallied several standout performances this year on offense and defense, respectively.

During the 2012 season, neither player saw much of the field, instead working under the shadow of their elders. For Stanton, that man was then-senior running back Treavor Scales, whom Stanton studied under during a season that saw Scales lead the Ivy League with 1,002 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

“Last year being behind Treavor Scales…he taught me a lot about how to be a leader and what it takes,” Stanton said. “This year, I’ve tried to follow the lead and do all I can for the team.”

The original plan for the Crimson offense was to have Stanton and classmate Zach Boden split the rushing load, allowing each player to contribute to a collective effort. But when Boden went down with an injury early in the season, Stanton was called upon to display the leadership skills he had been taught the previous year.

He has not disappointed. Stanton has led the team in rushing nearly every game this season, compiling 818 yards overall and 13 rushing touchdowns. The baker’s dozen ties him for second in the Ivy League, just behind Princeton quarterback Quinn Epperly.

Stanton is third among the leading rushers in the Ancient Eight, following only Dartmouth’s Dominick Pierre and Brown’s John Spooney.

Stanton also leads the team in average yards per game (90.6), points scored (78), and points per game (8.7).

“This year I’ve had a great offensive line that’s created a lot of holes for me,” Stanton said. “I feel like I’ve gotten a chance this year [to step up], and I’m doing all I can to take advantage of it. Since I’ve been here my goal is to work as hard as I can and do as much as I can for the team.”

This transition from apprentice to offensive threat did not come overnight. During the offseason, Stanton worked on his pass blocking and improved his hands for when the team elects to run a pass play.

“Paul’s improvement level really comes down to comfort level and execution,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. “Last year he was kind of just thrown into it and didn’t really have a good feel for everything, including protection in the pass game and nuances of the running game. But now he really understands what his responsibilities are, what his fundamentals and techniques are, and consequently he’s a much better football player.”

Similar to Stanton, Medes also worked on his game in the offseason, although on the other side of the ball.

The work has paid off for the 6’2” linebacker, who leads the team in total tackles with 65, averaging over seven a game.

“I needed to get stronger and a little bit faster in order to keep up with the game,” Medes said. “[Freshman year], coming from high school to college there were a lot of discrepancies, but once I adjusted to the speed of the game and the scale of it I was able to develop my play.”

With a linebacker core that has been plagued with injuries this year, Medes has been called upon to contribute much more than last year.

This is a role that he and his teammates naturally stepped into, seeing the need to contribute at a time when resources were scarce.

“Everybody who is healthy is ready to play,” Medes said. “If someone goes down, the next person is ready to hop right in.”

For Medes, the highlight of his breakout year was the Sept. 28 game against Brown, which was the Crimson’s home opener. Medes contributed 10 tackles under the lights, leading the team for the night.

“I think he’s much more confident in his role and his assignments in fundamentals and techniques,” Murphy said. “As a freshman he’d run around and make some plays, but he wasn’t always where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there, and that’s the biggest difference. He’s the total package now.”

For both players, being out on the field as a sophomore has encouraged the veteran mentality that they have been there before and know the roots of the program a little bit better than they did a year ago.

Although the excitement to play Harvard football is still there, the mentality of a newcomer has been replaced by the minds of experienced players who have a sense of how the program is run and what kind of performance is necessary in order for it to operate.

“This year I’ve been able to do more for the team because I’ve had they playing time,” Stanton said. “Once you get out on the field more, you have more of an opportunity [to help your team].”