Junior quarterback Scotty Hosch (#3) hands off to senior running back Andrew Casten. Both players turned in strong performances in dominating Georgetown, 34-3.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Starting running back Paul Stanton never made the trip to the nation’s capital. No matter. Even without the junior, the Harvard football team (3-0, 1-0 Ivy) still managed to rack up 265 yards rushing, including four touchdowns on the ground.

The majority of the yards and all of the scores came from senior halfback Andrew Casten, who shouldered the bulk of the running game once more as the Crimson put together what Harvard coach Tim Murphy called the team’s first “complete victory” against Georgetown (2-4, 0-1 Patriot), 34-3.

Casten tore apart the Hoyas’ defensive line for 139 yards at Multi-Sport Field on Saturday, averaging 7.3 yards per rush and providing a reliable cog for an offense with an inexperienced passing game. After Harvard scored on its first two drives, Georgetown held the Crimson scoreless until its final try before the half.

During that possession, Harvard elected to run on eight out of nine plays, including a reverse that saw Casten hand off to junior wideout Andrew Fischer for a 26-yard gain. Casten, who notched 34 yards of rushing himself on that drive, capped it off with a scene that would become familiar throughout the day—a six-yard jaunt into the end zone.

In the red zone, Casten has become the squad’s premier back, using his 210 pounds and experienced offensive line to pave the path to a touchdown.

“Any time the offensive line is clearing paths five yards wide you can drive a truck through, it makes my job easy,” Casten said.

With four minutes left in the first, Casten had already found himself in the Hoyas’ end zone twice. The senior bulldozed through the gap in the line for a two-yard score just two minutes into the game, and on Harvard’s ensuing drive, blazed ahead to convert on a 4th-and-2 before breaking free on a 22-yard dash to record his second touchdown.

Casten isn’t unfamiliar with the starting role—two weeks ago against Holy Cross, with Stanton sidelined by an ankle injury, the back took the lead again, rushing for 153 yards and three touchdowns.

“Paul [Stanton]’s our go-to guy, but when we get down [in the red zone], I take pride in running fast, running hard, and getting those tough yards,” Casten said.

BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY

Stanton wasn’t the only notable offensive starter missing from the field when the Crimson took on Georgetown for the first time in 141 years. Also not making the trip was senior quarterback Conner Hempel, out with a back injury suffered during the first drive of the season opener.

But looking at the stats of backup quarterback Scott Hosch, it certainly didn’t seem like Harvard was missing Hempel on Saturday. After tossing for his first collegiate touchdown last week against Brown while filling in for Hempel, the junior tacked on his second, en route to a 20-for-25, 293-yard passing performance.

“I think the offensive line and our quarterback were very in sync, and the combination [made for] a very solid day offensively,” Murphy said.

On the next Harvard drive after Casten’s final score, the Crimson gave the back some rest, calling seven passing plays on the 10-play drive. Without Casten on the field, Hosch proved that the offense could still score. The junior connected with four different receivers before finding sophomore wideout Joseph Foster wide open in the back of the end zone. The touchdown was Foster’s first in a Crimson uniform.

“Joey Foster, he’s from around [Washington], so a hometown kid being able to come on the trip and being able to get his first touchdown, that was pretty special for me to have a part in that,” Hosch said.