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CORAL GABLES — Order appeared lost before Stephen Morris spied Duke cornerback Ross ****rell creeping.
Miami's 3-touchdown lead slipped to 45-38 late in the season-finale when Morris, the Hurricanes' starting quarterback, made a subtle move. ****rell was certainly coming on a blitz and freshman safety Dwayne Norman was playing at least 12 yards off receiver Herb Waters.
The quick audible, quicker screen pass and one move from Waters gave Miami the 65-yard response. The touchdown following consecutive Duke scores helped Miami pull away for the 52-45 win. And for those watching closely, it highlighted the other reason pro scouts are locking in on Morris, the once lightly-recruited quarterback.
Though Morris is largely known for his cannon of a right arm, ****rell first credited the muscle between his ears.
"When he sees a blitz coming, he makes a correction that puts the offense in the right play to beat you," said ****rell, an All-ACC cornerback said. "So what's toughest about him is you need to hold your disguise longer and different things to try to outsmart him."
That won't be much easier this season, though.
Entering his second fall with a full and expanding stable of receivers, Morris is one of the country's hottest college signal callers. One NFL analyst called him one of the most talented quarterbacks in the nation. That's coming off a 3,345-yard season that ranks fifth in a school record book littered with legendary passers.
Morris also appreciates his place in history. "Surreal" is what he calls his school and ACC-record 566-yard passing game against NC State last season. At the same time, he doesn't relish the media attention. At times, he's dismissive of the spotlight while recognizing the importance of using it to promote the program.
Walking the lobby of a Greensboro resort for the recent ACC Kickoff, he carried himself with an understated confidence. His teammates recognize it and feed off the energy. When it was time to loosen the atmosphere during spring practices, it was Morris who organized a team "Harlem Shake" video shoot.
It's his development as the brain trust in the Miami huddle that impresses Golden the most.
"He sees the game conceptually, which is really hard," Golden said. "Sometimes it takes you until your mid-20s or your late-20s to see the game conceptually, which is why you see so many guys that are practice squad guys or go to arena football or Canada, then come back and see the game conceptually."
Golden says Morris skipped those steps for a few reasons. First, his football intelligence is off the charts. Having three different offensive coordinators in four years also forced him to see the game from a big-picture standpoint.
For example, a certain play or route will have different names under different schemes. Instead of getting caught up in the lingo, Morris learned the philosophy of the plays. That way it'll translate into any vocabulary set.
The transition to James Coley, who replaced Jedd Fisch at offensive coordinator, was especially smooth. Golden said Coley brought in his plays, but asked Morris and the offense what they called each concept under their existing scheme.
"And for Stephen to be playing as fast as he was at the end of the spring, it was a credit to coach Coley and his unselfishness," Golden said.
Since beating Duke last November, Morris also worked to improve technique. Touch passes, an occasional weakness last fall, were a priority. Footwork and pocket movement was another focus. Future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning showed Morris a few things about that at his passing camp in July.
Morris' progress in that realm is considerable since injuries forced him into action in 2010.
"And that's expected from a freshman that's got to get used to being in the pocket, stepping up, using the actual drills that you do in practice and taking them to the game," Morris said.
Spending time behind Jacory Harris helped foster that maturity and comfort level. Decision-making improved through 2012 in his first year starting. Morris closed the year with four interception-free games after throwing at least one in four of the first six games.
His all-around production picked up in November. Though he finished the season with the 50th-best passing efficiency rating (138.07), his final three-game average was 197.7.
Avoiding the forced passes comes from his mobility in the pocket. Virginia defensive end Jake Snider remembers Morris "dancing around" to make things happen in November during the 'Canes last-second 41-40 loss.
"You can tell how smart he is," Snider said. "His ability to improvise is a big thing at the quarterback position. If the play breaks down, he can prolong it for a couple extra seconds. He can run around, make time for him and make time for his receivers and then he'll hit a guy deep downfield."
Morris' football smarts were also on display online this summer.
A new daily video series on the UM website breaks down film on a specific scenario or skill from game action. Morris did several segments on topics ranging from quarterback scrambles to throwing a fade route or a deep ball.
Morris describes his technique for fooling safeties with his eyes and how he decides to run for the open field.
"It's a great example how you feel watching it is how anybody that's a GM or an NFL scout or head coach in the NFL would probably feel doing an interview with him," Golden said. "His football intelligence is so high and so specific and his ability to take it on the field is really what separates him. All of that manifests in how he plays."
Golden chose not to speculate where Morris could be picked in the 2014 NFL Draft, but he said you could "read between the lines" with his size, arm and intelligence. While Johnny Manziel made headlines for his premature Manning Passing Academy departure, Morris quietly won the skills competition while competing against the nation's elite passers.
Several 2014 NFL draft projections have Morris as a second-round prospect, and he's an outside contender for the Heisman Trophy.
He quickly brushes off any such talk, though. He insists he's focused on the next few months of football.
Golden loves that.
"You're talking about a guy who's the epitome of when you've eliminated all extraneous distractions from your life, how good you can become in every facet," Golden said. "He's living proof of that."
mcasagrande@tribune.com or @ByCasagrande on Twitter
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/...evelopment-0807-20130806,0,2631161,full.story
Miami's 3-touchdown lead slipped to 45-38 late in the season-finale when Morris, the Hurricanes' starting quarterback, made a subtle move. ****rell was certainly coming on a blitz and freshman safety Dwayne Norman was playing at least 12 yards off receiver Herb Waters.
The quick audible, quicker screen pass and one move from Waters gave Miami the 65-yard response. The touchdown following consecutive Duke scores helped Miami pull away for the 52-45 win. And for those watching closely, it highlighted the other reason pro scouts are locking in on Morris, the once lightly-recruited quarterback.
Though Morris is largely known for his cannon of a right arm, ****rell first credited the muscle between his ears.
"When he sees a blitz coming, he makes a correction that puts the offense in the right play to beat you," said ****rell, an All-ACC cornerback said. "So what's toughest about him is you need to hold your disguise longer and different things to try to outsmart him."
That won't be much easier this season, though.
Entering his second fall with a full and expanding stable of receivers, Morris is one of the country's hottest college signal callers. One NFL analyst called him one of the most talented quarterbacks in the nation. That's coming off a 3,345-yard season that ranks fifth in a school record book littered with legendary passers.
Morris also appreciates his place in history. "Surreal" is what he calls his school and ACC-record 566-yard passing game against NC State last season. At the same time, he doesn't relish the media attention. At times, he's dismissive of the spotlight while recognizing the importance of using it to promote the program.
Walking the lobby of a Greensboro resort for the recent ACC Kickoff, he carried himself with an understated confidence. His teammates recognize it and feed off the energy. When it was time to loosen the atmosphere during spring practices, it was Morris who organized a team "Harlem Shake" video shoot.
It's his development as the brain trust in the Miami huddle that impresses Golden the most.
"He sees the game conceptually, which is really hard," Golden said. "Sometimes it takes you until your mid-20s or your late-20s to see the game conceptually, which is why you see so many guys that are practice squad guys or go to arena football or Canada, then come back and see the game conceptually."
Golden says Morris skipped those steps for a few reasons. First, his football intelligence is off the charts. Having three different offensive coordinators in four years also forced him to see the game from a big-picture standpoint.
For example, a certain play or route will have different names under different schemes. Instead of getting caught up in the lingo, Morris learned the philosophy of the plays. That way it'll translate into any vocabulary set.
The transition to James Coley, who replaced Jedd Fisch at offensive coordinator, was especially smooth. Golden said Coley brought in his plays, but asked Morris and the offense what they called each concept under their existing scheme.
"And for Stephen to be playing as fast as he was at the end of the spring, it was a credit to coach Coley and his unselfishness," Golden said.
Since beating Duke last November, Morris also worked to improve technique. Touch passes, an occasional weakness last fall, were a priority. Footwork and pocket movement was another focus. Future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning showed Morris a few things about that at his passing camp in July.
Morris' progress in that realm is considerable since injuries forced him into action in 2010.
"And that's expected from a freshman that's got to get used to being in the pocket, stepping up, using the actual drills that you do in practice and taking them to the game," Morris said.
Spending time behind Jacory Harris helped foster that maturity and comfort level. Decision-making improved through 2012 in his first year starting. Morris closed the year with four interception-free games after throwing at least one in four of the first six games.
His all-around production picked up in November. Though he finished the season with the 50th-best passing efficiency rating (138.07), his final three-game average was 197.7.
Avoiding the forced passes comes from his mobility in the pocket. Virginia defensive end Jake Snider remembers Morris "dancing around" to make things happen in November during the 'Canes last-second 41-40 loss.
"You can tell how smart he is," Snider said. "His ability to improvise is a big thing at the quarterback position. If the play breaks down, he can prolong it for a couple extra seconds. He can run around, make time for him and make time for his receivers and then he'll hit a guy deep downfield."
Morris' football smarts were also on display online this summer.
A new daily video series on the UM website breaks down film on a specific scenario or skill from game action. Morris did several segments on topics ranging from quarterback scrambles to throwing a fade route or a deep ball.
Morris describes his technique for fooling safeties with his eyes and how he decides to run for the open field.
"It's a great example how you feel watching it is how anybody that's a GM or an NFL scout or head coach in the NFL would probably feel doing an interview with him," Golden said. "His football intelligence is so high and so specific and his ability to take it on the field is really what separates him. All of that manifests in how he plays."
Golden chose not to speculate where Morris could be picked in the 2014 NFL Draft, but he said you could "read between the lines" with his size, arm and intelligence. While Johnny Manziel made headlines for his premature Manning Passing Academy departure, Morris quietly won the skills competition while competing against the nation's elite passers.
Several 2014 NFL draft projections have Morris as a second-round prospect, and he's an outside contender for the Heisman Trophy.
He quickly brushes off any such talk, though. He insists he's focused on the next few months of football.
Golden loves that.
"You're talking about a guy who's the epitome of when you've eliminated all extraneous distractions from your life, how good you can become in every facet," Golden said. "He's living proof of that."
mcasagrande@tribune.com or @ByCasagrande on Twitter
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/...evelopment-0807-20130806,0,2631161,full.story
