University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: Speed and Smarts
September 19, 2013 | Football, Featured Writers, Turner Walston
By any measure, Romar Morris is fast. The redshirt sophomore Tar Heel tailback is not only quick on the football field. This spring, he posted the fifth-fastest 60-meter dash time in Carolina history. But now in his second year in Blake Anderson's offense, Morris is learning that playing for Larry Fedora is not just about being 'smart, fast and physical'; it's about being smart about when you're fast.
The natural tendency is to want to go fast all the time, to hit the 'burst' button on the XBOX controller as soon as you're handed the ball. But Morris is learning that, especially behind a still-jelling offensive line, a back has to be patient about when to use that explosiveness. “Last year, I used to just get the ball and then just go 100 miles an hour,” Morris said after practice this week. “With this offense, you don't have to do that.”
Last year, Morris and A.J. Blue backed up Giovani Bernard, now a rookie runner for the Cincinnati Bengals. Bernard displayed his ability to change speeds on Monday night. On his first carry of his team's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bernard patiently set up his blocks before bursting left and picking up eight yards on 2nd and 5. “I thought it was fantastic, the way he was running the ball,” Morris said of his teammate turned Cincinnati speedster. “He looked kind of faster, actually.”
Morris said watching and working with Bernard helped him better understand things like setting up blocks and staying patient with the ball to use his speed efficiently. “He taught me things like going slow and actually looking at what you have in front of you before actually going to the hole,” Morris said. “It's a game of patience.”
The Tar Heel offensive coordinator, agreed. “A lot of times they do have to hold that gear in check,” Anderson said. “To be honest with you, a lot of times [Romar] just wants to go as fast as he can, and I think it's just maturity and experience that will come. It will also help when those guys up front become more of a cohesive unit and really communicated and understand each other better.” Carolina continues to break in first-year starters at left guard and right tackle, and Anderson believes that with experience, those pieces of the offense will operate more effectively. “Time and reps are going to be the things that help those guys come together,” he said.
Anderson said that Morris in particular has long had the speed that makes him dangerous, but he's putting together some of the other traits that will help him become a complete back. “His pass protection has improved a tremendous amount from last year,” he said. “His awareness of what's going on in terms of the entire offense, and knowing how the pieces of the puzzle fit is way better than it was a year ago. I think his vision and his comfort level and feel for how things develop during a play are the things that just time and effort and reps are going to help him with.”
Through two games, Fedora has shown some frustration at the Tar Heel running game. Carolina is averaging three yards per rushing attempt (last year, that number was 5.1) and has just two runs of 15 yards or more. Morris said the bye week gave the backs and the linemen an opportunity to work on the little things that will lead to steady improvement. “We've been working the last two weeks on our footwork and our tracks, and the offensive linemen have been doing the same thing,” he said. “This week should be better, because we've seen improvement in practice.”
This week, Morris sits atop the running back depth chart ahead of Blue and freshman Khris Francis. Each rushed ten times two weeks ago against Middle Tennessee, with remarkably similar results. Morris had 46 yards, Blue, 44, and Francis, 42. The coaches have indicated that it's likely that one back will emerge to handle the bulk of the carries, but Morris said he's happy to split the load if it means the Tar Heels win games. “I'm just trying to get the 'W,'” he said. “If we've got to split carries with three people and we win 11 games this season, I'll be fine with it.”
Tar Heel fans would be fine with that, too. Still, if it's the smartly speedy Morris that becomes the feature back, the offensive coordinator has confidence. “He's a lot better back than he was a year ago,” Anderson said. “He's more of a well-rounded back, he just needs reps. He needs experience, and the only way to get that is Saturday afternoons.”
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