NC State QB MJ Morris growing day-by-day after first start of the season

A little over a week ago, NC State coach Dave Doeren named sophomore quarterback MJ Morris the team’s starter ahead of the team’s contest against Marshall. In his first appearance of the season, Morris led the Wolfpack to a 48-41 win over the Thundering Herd.

The Carrollton, Ga., native was not a stranger to starting at NC State after he made a pair of starts last season. But when he trotted onto the field against the Herd, Morris led NC State to its most points against an FBS opponent since the Pack beat East Carolina 58-3 on Dec. 1, 2018.

Morris threw a pair of interceptions within his first seven passes, but he rebounded from it, and threw for 265 yards and four touchdowns. 

Not bad for his first start in 329 days. 

“Boy, that first half was rough with our new quarterback,” NC State offensive coordinator Robert Anae said this week. “A pause and a need to hang in there. We are just developing that young man. Really pleased with the way his teammates responded in the second half, and came out and did some really good things.”

Next comes the bigger challenge for Morris: a road trip to No. 17 Duke on Saturday night — his first start outside of Carter-Finley Stadium in his career. 

Morris was inserted into the lineup to bring a “spark” to the Wolfpack’s offense, which worked in the point output, but also in practice over the past week and a half. 

“He brings a lot of energy every day,” graduate center Dylan McMahon said. “The energy at practice rose up tremendously and it’s a lot of fun because he brings a different level of energy. You hear him out on the field talking trash all the time. It’s just fun being out there.”

Though Morris brings youthful energy to the team, he also has a business-like approach to the sport. 

Sophomore running back Michael Allen, who was in the same recruiting class with Morris, joked that it’s funny to see the signal-caller in a focused form on the field.

“I be giving him hell back there in the backfield because it’s just funny to me seeing him back there all serious because I know MJ as a guy,” Allen said. “But y’all see the leadership he brings, the up tempo he brings, the emotion he brings to the game. It’s cool to have out there.”

For most teams in a season, game one to game two is a time for growth. With Morris, that is expected, but rather than it being a week-to-week growth, it’s day-to-day.

Anae said the approach with Morris is for him to get better one day at a time.

“I think that’s what you do, even if you’re an established vet,” Anae said. “The game is that competitive. To lean back and fall asleep on your laurels, it changes so much. Even the best ones, they don’t live in that world.”

Morris’ showing against the Thundering Herd was his first game experience since he played against Boston College last October.

NC State coach Dave Doeren said it had been a long time since Morris saw a game-like situation, and he will continue to grow each day he spends with the Wolfpack’s starters — and in each game he plays.

“I do expect him to grow, and improve each week,” Doeren said. “Obviously the challenge changes each week as well, but the game does slow down the more you play it. … MJ will learn from the things he wants to be better at. Things he can do with not just his arm, but with his eyes, things he can look at and really put in how I want to respond, how I want to do things.”