MJ Morris talks spring development, performance, comfort within Maryland’s offense

Saturday gave both Billy Edwards Jr. and Cam Edge a chance to showcase their development within an offense they’ve grown comfortable in over the last two seasons, but it also served as the latest chance for MJ Morris to show his fit within Locksley’s offense.

It didn’t take too long for Morris to get comfortable on Saturday afternoon inside SECU Stadium, using his legs on his second drive to lead the offense inside the redzone for the team’s first time of the day. Establishing and building the run game was a clear focus on Saturday as RB Roman Hemby capped off the scoring drive with a two-yard touchdown, but Morris’ growing comfort was clear as the game progressed.

“Definitely after our first drive, I definitely felt more locked in,” Morris said after the spring game. “I feel like I was seeing the field well, just leading my guys, just working on how well can I do each play, not worried about the final product, but just how well can we do each play, getting drives out, putting the ball in the box. I feel like my performance today, I feel like I know I’m going to keep getting better. I know [there are] some stuff I got to work on. I’m going to go back and watch the film and keep on improving from there.”

After turning to his legs for another big gain in the second half, Morris was able to find Shaleak Knotts along the perimeter for an easy completion while he and TE Dylan Wade connected on a near 30-yard pass midway through the third quarter. On the next drive, Morris threw for his first and only touchdown of the day after connecting with Wade once again in the back corner.

“Of course as the game goes on, you get more comfortable, you get more of feel the game, the plays start coming to you more. You start putting a smile on your face. Yeah, like I said, like after that first drive, I felt like I was more locked in. I was more ready. My feet were more steady. The balls were definitely hitting a little bit more.”

Jayden Sauray was the lone quarterback to not draw reps in Saturday’s spring game while Locksley noted “we’re a long ways away from naming a starter.”

“Like [Locksley] said, it’s a five-man competition. And like he said, nobody won the job today,” Morris added. “It’s still going to come to whoever comes the first game of the season. That’s when he’s going to make the decision. But we’re all competing at the day. Each day we want to keep on going.”

Athletically, Morris showcased himself as a perfect fit in Mike Locksley’s system as the next step is now becoming an expert of the scheme and play concepts. Morris admitted one objective this spring was “just how fast can I learn this system” as he looks to take over the starting job in his first season with the program.

“I would say just still learn the offense, learn like the back of my hand ‘cause there’s a difference. I thought there was a difference between knowing an offense and understanding the offense. I feel like right now I know the offense, but this whole summer, I know I’m going to be in here. I’ve been in here early mornings, late nights, trying to know it. So now that I don’t have to, there’s no thinking involved. I know where I’m going with the ball. I’m knowing the best read, the best option to take to score points.”

As for what Mike Locksley is looking for in his next starting quarterback, Locksley added “the guy that wins the job has to have the mind of a coach, but the skill set of a player.”

“As a coach, there’s down and distance situations, there’s placement of the ball in the field situations. There’s turnovers, how you react after a turnover, and I want to see those guys play quarterback. To me playing quarterback is understand the big picture, when to attack, be risk adverse and I saw some guys take steps today. All of those guys that played today took some steps forward. We’ll get to watch the film and really evaluate it. We’ll progress this competition through the summer.”

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