Instead, he singled out the Crimson’s kicking unit—placekicker Anders Blewett, kickoff specialist Robbie Wright and punter Adam Kingston.

“They’ve been a much-maligned group,” Murphy said, before adding, “They’ve put up with a lot of crap.”

Murphy wasn’t kidding. After missing a combined 10-of-14 field goal attempts last year, Blewett and Wright have endured endless torment.

Throughout their travails, Murphy has stuck by them. While some observers wondered why Harvard would ever try a field goal again, Murphy retained confidence in the pair.

As this season progressed, his faith has been restored. Against Dartmouth, it was a Blewett field goal that put Harvard ahead to stay in the third quarter. Wright, with his powerful leg, continues to impress on kick-offs. And against Penn last weekend, Kingston pinned the Quakers in back of its 20-yard line three times.

“Coach Murphy’s done everything I could ever ask him to do,” Blewett says. “I think he’s been more than fair. I think that the way he’s handled this, he could’ve easily turned negative, but he’s definitely done more than a good job just keeping the situation alive. … I think that he’s definitely made… the proper decisions. And he’s had to make a lot of them. And I definitely respect all his decisions.”

Murphy admits that earlier in his coaching career he might have considered a player as star-crossed as Blewett or Wright a lost cause. But times change.

“When I was a young coach, in my mind, I thought I knew everything,”Murphy says. “But there have been cases where I gave up on a player and he proved me wrong. Now, I never give up on a kid.”

Staph might be considered one of those cases that proved Murphy wrong.

Before he became the feel-good story of the fall, Staph was a no-name backup fullback. He almost wasn’t even on the team this year. That’s because when Staph was in his sophomore and junior seasons, Murphy didn’t invite to spring practice.

It was a hard pill to swallow then. Now, Staph understands Murphy’s position.

“At the time, I definitely thought it was unfair,” Staph says. “But looking back, I can’t hold it against him for any decision he made.”

When project starting tailback Matt Leiszler went down with a career-ending injury this summer, Murphy turned to Staph. The fifth-year senior held no ill will because of the way Murphy had handled the situation all along.

“[Murphy], more than anyone, wanted to give me that chance because he knew how hard I worked,” he says.