NC State’s Dave Doeren explains why he elevated MJ Morris to starting quarterback

In the waning minutes of NC State’s 13-10 loss to Louisville at Carter-Finley Stadium on Friday night, the Wolfpack’s student section began chanting for backup quarterback MJ Morris. The sophomore had yet to appear in a game this fall after he led the Wolfpack to a pair of wins as the team’s primary quarterback a year ago.

Less than 24 hours after the Cardinals left with the victory, Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren rewatched the game “a bunch of times” in his office. Shortly after, he sat down with the team’s offensive assistants and watched it again. 

By Sunday, Doeren and the Wolfpack staff had a decision to make: stick with graduate quarterback Brennan Armstrong or make the change to Morris. They chose the latter. 

Doeren spoke with with Armstrong and Morris individually to let them know the change at quarterback was going to happen. The eleventh-year coach said both players handled themselves well in their respective conversations.

But with Marshall visiting Carter-Finley Stadium this weekend, it’s Morris’ team. The move wasn’t because it’s a Group of Five team coming to Raleigh before the thick of ACC play begins. It’s what the team needed, Doeren said. 

“This is the right time to do this for the football team,” Doeren said after making the announcement Monday afternoon. “It had nothing to do with who we’re playing. It’s how we’re playing, not who we’re playing. This is the right time to do this.”

Morris replaced Armstrong after the Virginia transfer was 94-of-160 passing for 971 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions through the Wolfpack’s first five games this fall. He posted a QBR of 41.0 and a 66.8 offensive grade, according to Pro Football Focus.

Doeren said the team’s effort to find a spark on offense led to the change. He also noted that play under center is not the only thing that needs to improve with seven games left on the schedule.

“But let me make this clear, changing the quarterback, everyone has to be better,” Doeren said. “This isn’t throwing Brennan under the bus and pinning it on him, it’s the opposite. It starts with me, and I own that. Everyone has to be what changes. The chemistry is about everyone.”

NC State’s offense failed to record more than one drive longer than 10 plays against Louisville; its lone 13-play journey ended in a touchdown. The Wolfpack went searching for answers, and Morris seems to be the first step in the solution. 

Morris, a Carrollton, Ga., native, was slated to redshirt this season after he appeared in five games during his true freshman campaign a year ago. Doeren was up front about not wanting to play Morris unless he had to, but his time as the team’s reserve quarterback seemed to help him develop.

“We went with experience and wanted to give him a chance where he had an extended period of time to be healthy and develop as a player,” Doeren said. “I think it served him well, he looks really good right now. We’re bailing on [the redshirt] a little earlier than expected, but he’s got an entire offseason, all of training camp, and the whole month of September here under his belt. He feels good, and it’s what the team needs.”

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound signal-caller is not a stranger to starting for the Pack. He was NC State’s No. 1 quarterback for three games last fall after Devin Leary went down with an injury against Virginia Tech. 

In Morris’ three appearances of consistent snaps, he was 50-of-78 passing for 610 yards with 7 touchdowns and 1 interception. He led the Wolfpack to wins over Virginia Tech and No. 21 Wake Forest before NC State lost to Boston College. Morris missed the rest of the year with an injury.

The signal-caller could have transferred after he wasn’t named the starting quarterback in fall camp, but he focused on the bigger picture. He wanted to see his name in the Wolfpack’s Ring of Honor.

“At the end of the day, when I committed here, I said I want my name to be up on that stadium one day,” Morris said during fall camp. “So that thought was never even in my mind in the first place.”

With Morris’ first appearance of the season set for Saturday against the Thundering Herd, Doeren is confident his quarterback would be ready for the moment. 

“He’s got a very calming effect on game day,” Doeren said of Morris. “He’s not a guy where the lights are too big. He just jumped in as a freshman [and] went and played. Some guys, you’d see them shrink in those scenarios, he doesn’t. He’s the same guy in games as he is in practice.”

Morris brings a different set of skills to the Wolfpack’s offense compared to Armstrong. He’s a dynamic passer who can run, but he does not run as downhill as Armstrong can in the open field. Doeren said NC State offensive coordinator Robert Anae tailors the offense to whatever the strengths of the personnel are, and with Morris under center, the Pack will utilize the same approach. 

While the offense is sure to look different with Morris at quarterback, Doeren hoped that the rest of the unit handles the transition as well as the two signal-callers did. 

“That’s their responsibility as teammates: to support the guy that’s in the position that he’s in and go play as hard as you can,” Doeren said. “As a former offensive player, I always took it personal when players tackled my running back or tackled my quarterback. … I would expect it to be no different in our locker room. The expectation and the standard is to go play as hard as you can for your teammates. And I know MJ will bring great energy to those guys.”

That includes Armstrong, who will serve as NC State’s primary backup while Morris is the starter. But Doeren did not have any hesitation as he said Armstrong will be a resource for the offense in its first year under Anae. 

“He knows the offense well,” Doeren said of Armstrong. “He’s been through a lot as a player. He’ll be a great sounding board. He’ll have energy for guys, he’ll cheer guys on. He’s going to be a great teammate down there. I guarantee that.”

The change from Armstrong to Morris wasn’t the expectation at the beginning of the season, but the Wolfpack offense needed something to change. 

Doeren hoped that, while NC State’s offense goes through the adjustment, the Wolfpack fans will continue to support the team. 

“It’s not what our plan was. Sometimes plans don’t go the way you hoped, so you have to adjust,” Doeren said. “As fans out there, I hope that they adjust as well. I think that’s the biggest thing you can say. It’s a long season, a lot of things can happen in the next seven weeks, and will happen in college football. So hang in there, be faithful, cheer hard, and get excited.”

Morris’ elevation to the starting quarterback spot comes with the Wolfpack on what could be a teetering point of the season at 3-2 with the bulk of ACC play on the horizon. And while he played well last season in his five appearances, Doeren said Morris’ approach could be what NC State was looking for in the move. 

“More than anything right now he’s in a really good headspace,” Doeren said. “He’s excited. That’s the spark that we need.”