Harvard's Menick will be easy to spot

The Crimson running back has already rushed for 1,000 yards this year. Chris Menick only stands 5'10'' tall, but there is no doubt that he will be the easiest player to spot on the field at Harvard Stadium on Saturday. That's because he'll always be the one holding the ball. The sophomore Harvard running back has been the workhorse of both his team and the Ivy League this year. His 207 carries are 57 more than the second-most frequent ball carrier, Dylan Karczewski of Dartmouth. His workload is more impressive, considering Menick began the year as the co-starter with Troy Jones. "I would have been very concerned that he would tire as the season went on, but he is stronger in the fourth quarter of games than in the first," Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. "I have been surprised how durable he is. When he has 35 or 40 carries, he gets better." All that running has not been for naught. Menick has piled up 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns, both tops in the league for a running back. But the most important numbers for Menick's team are five and zero, its number of Ivy wins and losses, respectively. Despite all of his success this season, Menick will have to prove his merit to the Quakers when the Crimson take the field this weekend. The Quakers defense is ranked third in the country in rush defense -- giving up a paltry 75.9 yards per game, including just six to Princeton last week -- and has yet to encounter an Ivy League running back who can control a game. Even faced with the task of confronting Penn's stingy defense, confidence shouldn't be an issue for Menick, as he is coming off another outstanding performance. Last week against Brown, Menick ran for 201 yards and three touchdowns in Harvard's 27-10 victory. As a testament to his durability, 169 of Menick's yards and all three of his touchdown runs came in the second half. Murphy has enough faith in Menick to not alter his game plan, even though Penn's defense has shown itself to be more susceptible to the pass than the run. While Murphy says that he is committed to a balanced mix of pass and run on offense Saturday, the weather may dictate otherwise. There are nothing but ugly weather reports coming out of Cambridge, Mass. And if it gets so bad that Quakers players wish they were back in Superblock, look for Menick to get the call every play. "Statistically, he is far and away the best [in the league]," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "He's a 1,000-yard rusher and I don't think anyone is close to him. Per game, I think Jim [Finn] is probably in line with him." There's more than a game's worth of pressure on Menick entering Saturday's game, but to add to it, he will have the pleasure of standing on the same field with the only comparably skilled back in the Ivy League. Finn is not shy to say that he wouldn't mind showing Menick who the best back in the league is. "It's always interesting to see what the other guy has been doing," Finn said. "Hopefully I'll be on the positive side at the end of the game. I want to show that maybe I'm better than him. You always want to think that you're the best out there, and that's how you want to play. I think our defense will do a good job in shutting him down." In many ways, Saturday's title showdown will be similar to the World's Strongest Man events ESPN2 is so fond of showing. While both teams swear to the importance of a balanced offensive attack, the reality is that Menick and Finn will be given the task of dragging their teams to victory. The last one standing will have won the day and the season. And the young runners will be back next year to bask in the admiration that will follow.

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