"Are we mature enough to win a championship? I don't know, but that's our goal," Murphy said. "On defense, R.D. Kern and Mike Brooks, being the only two seniors, have to bring leadership."

The other returning starter in the backfield is junior Willie Alford, the Crimson's top returning tackler and the only member of the Class of 2002 to letter his freshman year. Alford showed off his quickness that season with a critical 58-yard kickoff return in a 23-22 win over Princeton.

The final open spot in the secondary will go to sophomore Niall Murphy, a local player from Central Catholic who has drawn the highest words of praise from Coach Tim Murphy (no relation).

"Even though he's young, he could be one of the best safeties in the league," Coach Murphy said. "Niall Murphy is just amazing, the number of plays he's made--a great tackler and hitter with great field sense. He's as good as we can recruit at this level in my humble opinion."

It is ironic that Murphy's first collegiate start will come against Holy Cross, a school where his family's legacy dates back to the days of World War II. His grandfather was an All-American tight end in 1943, his father was a three-year starter at wingback in the '70s, and his uncle was a three-year starter at quarterback in the '80s.

After dominating Division 1-AA football in the early '90s, Holy Cross football has fallen on tough times. With Harvard on the rise with an Ivy Title in 1997, donning the Crimson uniform had to be the right choice for Murphy.

"It was down between Holy Cross and Harvard, but I felt that Harvard was the best fit for me," Murphy said. "My grandparents said they will sit right in the middle of the stadium, but my parents will be squarely on the home side."

Murphy's tremendous athletic ability will be a great boon to the secondary. Although he didn't get much playing time as a freshman, he proved himself as a well-rounded athlete in high school, quarterbacking his high school to back-to-back Massachusetts Super Bowl victories and winning state titles in the 55-meter and 300-meter hurdles.

Murphy's versatility makes him fit right in with the rest of the Harvard secondary. Brooks was also starting quarterback of his high school football team, and Alford was the starting point guard for his high school's nationally ranked basketball team.

"I think that brings a lot to a program when you bring in guys who are successful in more than one area besides football," Coach Murphy said. "They have that competitiveness and sense that you know what it takes to win in any situation."

Performance under adverse last-minute conditions is what the Harvard secondary will need to erase the demons from last season. Although one of the Crimson's main goals in the off-season has been practicing the two-minute drill, in the end, it is that desire to succeed that will be necessary for this team to perform in the clutch.

"We definitely have something to prove as a secondary," Niall Murphy said. "But we feel we have the players this year to stop any passing game."