More than players, what remains the same are the fundamentals of the program. Wake up early and work hard. Exhibit character. And never, under any circumstances, let go of the ball.

That final commandment lays at the center of Harvard’s success. Murphy told the story of the 2003 Crimson, a potent offense that averaged 462 yards a game but finished 7-3 thanks to 19 turnovers. The next season, the coach abandoned all other metrics besides turnovers—and ended up finishing undefeated.

“Really the only benchmark we talk about as an offensive staff is ball security,” Murphy said. “If we have zero turnovers in every game, we will win every single game.”

These days, at the start of every season, all players receive a laminated sheet with personalized instructions for ball security. And since 2000, the team is 32-0 when not committing a turnover.

In 2016, the irony of this turnover emphasis is striking: A program that has nightmares about bad snaps and interceptions must face the greatest turnover of all—the loss of arguably the most dominant senior class of all time.

In the game of football, turnovers hurt because the ball changes possession; in the game of life, turnovers hurt because change challenges consistency.

The central question for the 2016 Crimson is whether the program can weather such a sea-shift. And there is only way to find out: by accompanying Harvard down the eight-game journey that starts at Brown on Friday, in the Ivy League season opener.

“We get everybody’s best shot,” Murphy said. “We’re going to be the team that plays the hardest every week. We’re going to be the team that is the grittiest…. It’s all about our identity as a program.”

—Staff writer Sam Danello can be reached at sam.danello@thecrimson.com.