NC State QB MJ Morris, offense focused on 'stacking days' in late-season push

Moments after coming off the field at Duke, a 24-3 loss for NC State, Wolfpack quarterback MJ Morris was fired up. He, like the rest of his teammates, was not pleased with the performance, and he was focused on improving over the bye week. 

The sophomore said he did not care how long it would take to go over the film or work on the practice field that night. If it took until midnight, so be it. 

Well, after the bye, NC State’s offense had enough in the tank to rebound and knock off Clemson in a 24-17 win — with 122 of its 202 yards coming on two plays. 

While it was an up-and-down offensive performance, NC State’s unit found the end zone twice against the Tigers. That is two more times than it did against the Blue Devils. And it was a result of the team’s mentality through the bye week. 

“That extra work was hard,” Morris said Wednesday. “When we were working, we were working like we were about to play in the national championship. There were no minutes off, no hours off. We were just grinding, watching film just as much as we were on the field so that can translate and we could be ready for when we played against Clemson.”

Though NC State found success out of the bye week, it does not want to rest on its laurels. Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said earlier this week that he wants his team to practice like they lost against Clemson. 

Why? He saw a different fire from his team after its “humiliating” loss at Duke, and Doeren wanted to see that same energy at practice ahead of Miami. 

And so far, it seems like that message was heard loud and clear.

“It motivates us a lot,” Morris said. “We put in a lot of work last week, but we’ve got to put even more in this week and a little bit more the next week. Just keep stacking those days, and we know it’s going to pay off if we keep doing our thing.”

While the Wolfpack offense had 60 percent of its yards come on a pair of plays against the Tigers, its second drive of the contest was its smoothest. Freshman wide receiver Kevin Concepcion broke off a 50-yard run before he caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Morris two plays later. 

It was a seamless drive, for the most part, and the Wolfpack would like to see more of those series against Miami this weekend. 

“Every play is not going to be perfect, the defense might beat you on a couple plays, but our goal is to have 11 men do their specific job so each play comes into one,” Morris said. “Like that drive, it was almost perfect. … We try to get that each drive. Sometimes it doesn’t happen, but that’s what we strive for.”

Morris was 11-of-20 passing for 138 yards with 2 touchdowns against Clemson, his third start of the season. He was blitzed on 80 percent of his dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. While he was able to complete his underneath throws on those opportunities — going 9-of-16 for 118 yards with 2 touchdowns — the 1-on-1 coverage left receivers in favorable matchups deep. 

As the season continues to progress, Morris has been working on his deep ball so he can take advantage of the downfield chances if they present themselves. He had a chance to hit wideout Anthony Smith for a 42-yard gain — which appeared to be a missed defensive pass interference — but Morris slightly overthrew him. 

While it’s been an up-and-down trio of starts for Morris, who has thrown 6 touchdowns with 4 interceptions, the young signal-caller has been mentally steady at the helm of NC State’s offense.

“Mental toughness is everything in football,” Morris said. “People talk about physical toughness, but if you don’t have mental toughness, you might as well not even be in this sport. Once you break down mentally, it’s over for you. Us staying together as a team is what builds our mental confidence, our mental toughness. All that matters is us inside this room, not everybody else.”

As Morris and the Wolfpack focus on themselves, NC State has an opportunity to make some noise within the ACC during the final four games of the season. The Pack hosts Miami before traveling to Wake Forest and Virginia Tech, and it wraps its season up at home against North Carolina.

While it is a winnable slate down the stretch, Morris said the offense has a one-day-at-a-time mentality to close the season.

“We’re just going to take it day by day, game by game,” Morris said. “We’re trying to be our best that week. You can’t win the championship in one week. You can’t get the best season in one week. As long as we play our best each day, it’s going to keep on stacking to get the results we want.”