Murphy does his homework and does it with charm, but after a point, his teams need to execute on the field more consistently. A certain former men's hockey coach also was an excellent recruiter and schmoozer, but he never could translate the talent to actual game success after his initial years on the job.
While the 1997 Ivy title still hangs over the mantle, it's hard to argue with his execution. If Harvard could hold on to late leads, however, the outcome of The Game this year would've been irrelevant, and there would be another trophy in Cambridge.
But until Murphy's game calling gets sharper, the preparation tighter and the execution cleaner, fourth quarter meltdowns will remain the norm for Harvard.
Sorry Dan, it will keep ending that way.