CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Quarterback Tyler Murphy and offensive tackle Ian Silberman had no intention of playing a single down of football for Boston College.

A gifted but raw athlete, Murphy was mostly spurned by Division I coaches who were wary of taking a chance on him at the quarterback position. Then Steve Addazio, Florida’s offensive coordinator at the time, persuaded then-UF head coach Urban Meyer to give Murphy a shot, and the quarterback joined Silberman as a Gator in 2010.

Their time at Florida didn’t pan out the way they would have liked. But Murphy and Silberman have rejoined Addazio, now Boston College’s head coach, started every game and have led the Eagles (6-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast) to a second straight season of bowl eligibility for a team that went 2-10 just two years ago.

Murphy leads the nation in rushing yards for a quarterback with 1,059 and is 3 yards short of breaking the record for the most rushing yards by an ACC quarterback in a single season. Silberman anchors the right side of an offensive line that paves the way for the No. 2 rushing offense in the ACC.

“I think when you’re rebuilding a program, any time you can plug in guys that can have a real impact, it’s obviously translated into performance and wins,” Addazio said on the ACC coaches’ teleconference Wednesday. “It’s been terrific.”

Though they’ve excelled at BC, neither Silberman nor Murphy really starred during their time with the Gators.

In four years at Florida, Silberman appeared in 20 games, starting in seven. Derek Chipoletti, Silberman’s offensive coordinator at Fleming Island (Florida) High School, said Silberman was frustrated with two shoulder surgeries and a host of coaching changes, which hurt his chances of consistently playing for the Gators.

Murphy appeared in nine games in his time at Florida, starting six times. He injured his shoulder in a loss at Louisiana State in 2013, and tried to play through the pain in the next three games before finally sitting out the remaining three.

“We both had some ups and downs at Florida,” Murphy said. “I know I wouldn’t have had the successful year I’ve had (at BC) without having the struggles or having to go through what I did at Florida.”

Silberman said that the biggest thing he learned at Florida was how to play with power and speed, something he acquired from the guys he played and even practiced against. He hasn’t found a huge drop-off in play from the Southeastern Conference and it’s prepared him for this season as a mainstay on the BC offensive front.

Addazio said his relationships with both Silberman and Murphy gave him an advantage when convincing them to join BC. Having recruited and coached at Florida, there was a level of trust already in place, the head coach said.

Silberman said he was upset when Addazio left to become the head coach at Temple before the 2011 season, but said the opportunity to play for him once again was something he couldn’t pass up.

“My son said he was surprised players weren’t leaving Florida for Temple when Addazio left,” said Peter Murphy, Murphy’s father. “Tyler loved him and jumped at the chance to play for him again at BC.”

Murphy and Silberman weren’t planning to choose the same destination for their final year of collegiate football. After graduating from Florida in December of 2013, both decided to continue playing football elsewhere. The two used each other as a resource as they finalized their plans, Murphy said.

Silberman and Murphy now room together and have developed a close relationship that didn’t exist at Florida. At BC, they have helped each other learn the offensive playbook and study film, while also competing in Madden and NCAA football video games in their free time.

“It’s always nice to have someone there when coming to a new environment and a new program,” Murphy said after practice on Tuesday, laughing. “You can be a deer in the headlights. It’s not too bad when there are two deer, I guess.”

Now, about to play in their final regular season game Saturday against Syracuse, the two graduate students are hardly upset that they’re only starting to enjoy success late in their football careers.

“It’s not what you wanted, to have to wait for your fifth year,” Silberman said. “But now that it’s here, we’ve got to make the most of it.”

Published on November 28, 2014 at 1:18 pm

Contact Liam: lpsull01@syr.edu