The Wolfpacker Show: Instant reaction to NC State naming MJ Morris its starting quarterback
NC State coach Dave Doeren made a quarterback change Monday, opting to start sophomore signal-caller MJ Morris this weekend against Marshall over graduate student Brennan Armstrong, who led the Wolfpack through the first five games.
Through the team’s first five games, Armstrong was 94-of-160 passing for 971 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions. He posted a QBR of 41.0 and a 66.8 offensive grade, according to Pro Football Focus, in his five starts as NC State’s signal-caller.
Morris, a Carrollton, Ga., native, appeared in five games last season, and led the Wolfpack to wins over Virginia Tech and No. 21 Wake Forest after starter Devin Leary went down with an injury. In those contests, Morris threw for 648 yards and seven touchdowns on 52-of-86 passing.
Now, it’s Morris’ time to shine in Raleigh as the team’s starting quarterback. He’ll face an undefeated Marshall team that boasts a stout defense on Saturday in his first start of the 2023 campaign.
Following the change at quarterback, The Wolfpacker Show hosts Ethan McDowell and Noah Fleischman sat down to break down what it means to have Morris as NC State’s starter.
In this episode, they talked about:
*** Their initial takeaways from the Wolfpack’s move to start Morris over Armstrong. What does it mean for the last seven games of the season? Why was this the right time to make the change?
*** What did we learn from Morris’ starts last season? He threw for seven touchdowns with just one interception through his five appearances.
*** How can Morris starting now help for the next two seasons? He has two years of eligibility remaining after this fall.
*** What does this mean for Armstrong, who started the first five games? The Virginia transfer is slated to be the Wolfpack’s primary backup while Morris starts.
*** Do Morris’ pros outweigh the cons of his inexperience compared to Armstrong? He does not have the same amount of experience, but Morris is a dynamic passer that can make any throw down the field.
*** To wrap things up, Ethan and Noah talked about NC State’s depth chart changes outside of the quarterback position, and what they mean for this week’s game. (Hint: the offensive line gets a key piece back, while a playmaker was moved to a different spot of the offense.)
All of those topics and more are discussed on Sunday’s show, which is available on audio and video on TheWolfpacker.com’s YouTube channel.
