The Regression Of Miami’s Stephen Morris

There really is no other way to pose the question, so may as well just throw it out there.

What the hell happened to Miami Hurricanes’ quarterback Stephen Morris between his junior and senior seasons?

The overall stats weren’t worlds apart. In 2012 Morris threw for 3,345 yards, completing 421 passes with 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. This year 344 completions led to a 3,028-yard, 21-touchdown, 12-interception showing, including the recent bowl loss to Louisville.

Numbers aside, the quarterback’s lost his mojo and there was noticeable regression in just about every aspect of his game.

As a freshman in 2010, to Morris’ redshirt was burned at halftime against Virginia after starter Jacory Harris was knocked out of the game. The newbie almost led the Hurricanes back from a 24-point deficit in his first career start.

A week later, Morris tossed a 35-yard game-winning touchdown with half-a-minute remaining in his first-ever start—a thrilling comeback against Maryland. Next up, a crisp 230-yard performance at Georgia Tech for a convincing take-down, Miami’s first in Atlanta since 2004.

Morris played sparingly for the rest of the season and again backed up Harris in 2011, but earned his shot as a junior and appeared primed for a solid senior year.

The most obvious reason for Morris’ regression in 2013—an ankle injury suffered late September, which continued nagging him throughout the season.

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