Despite his amazing ability and several clutch plays
throughout his career, Ryan Murphy ’13
is never one of the first two or three names people mention when fans talk
about the best Columbia Lions of the last decade or so.
Maybe they should start doing that.
That’s because Murphy really was one of the most effective
and explosive pass rushers of the Norries
Wilson era, and he didn’t disappoint despite the coaching change in his
final season.
In what would become the defining game for the Lions in
2012, Murphy made the first important statement of the day when he joined with
fellow senior Will Patterson to sack Penn QB Billy Ragone on the Quakers’
second play from scrimmage and then took Ragone down for another sack all on his own on the very next play.
Columbia wasn’t able to do anything with the ensuing
possession, but Murphy’s two big plays so early in the game sent a message to
everyone in Franklin Field that this was not going to be an easy game for Penn.
For the season, Murphy finished with an impressive 57
tackles, (third on the team), and three and a half sacks.
Whether CU fans noticed him enough or not, replacing Murphy
for the 2013 season will not be easy.
2 comments:
Jake,
I agree. He was always underrated and unsung. Perhaps if we won a few more games; who knows?
Murphy was a great player with great instincts. He'll be missed and hard to replace. Go Lions
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