A late-game hero Saturday, Trey Morrison gladly fills veteran void in UNC secondary
There was no doubt in the minds of North Carolina defenders who Boston College wanted to throw the ball to while attempting a game-tying two-point conversion with 45 seconds left. And when BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec forced from the pocket due to pressure, there was no doubt who was going to make a play for the Tar Heels.
No one in Carolina’s secondary knows how to improvise like Trey Morrison. The 5-foot-9 junior assumed the mantle of the old man of the secondary the moment it was learned that Myles Wolfolk would no longer play. And just like the veteran who has all the answers, he provided the exclamation mark in Carolina’s 26-22 victory on Saturday by intercepting Jurkovec’s pass and returning it 100 yards for two points.
Morrison, like the rest of the Carolina huddle, figured Boston College would try to throw to tight end Hunter Long. He’d already caught nine passes for 96 yards on top of the 16 receptions he had entering the game and had been targeted by quarterback Jurkovec 17 times. But Morrison’s experience kept him disciplined enough that he didn’t overplay where Long was headed, which allowed him to close out when it appeared running back Pat Garwo was open.
“I saw the quarterback go to the boundary and I saw the running back flare out,” Morrison told reporters on a video conference. “Then I just saw the ball in the air and I went to go get it.”
Freshman Ja’Qurious Conley, who was expected to start at nickelback but Carolina instead played its base package, told reporters last week that Morrison jokingly calls him “son” since he’s constantly giving the rookie instructions of how to play in their scheme. Conley goes along with it because Morrison has earned that much respect.
Carolina’s secondary was touted for its depth entering the season, but it’s numbers have eroded faster than any other area. D.J. Ford and Bryce Watts opted out in August. Wolfolk was declared academically ineligible after the first game. Starting cornerback Storm Duck was injured on BC’s final drive and replaced by sophomore Obi Egbuna. All the experience that’s no longer there makes Morrison’s presence that much more valuable.
UNC coach Mack Brown referred to Morrison as a “heady” player in his video call with reporters after the game, before simply adding, “Trey’s such a winner.”
Morrison has lined up everywhere the Heels have needed him over the years. As a freshman, that meant playing nickelback, where he started 10 games. As a sophomore, that meant cornerback, where eight of his nine starts came. It wasn’t until after the Syracuse win that Morrison moved to free safety where he made his first career start against the Eagles.
“Trey’s big for us, I mean, he’s played corner, he’s played nickel and now he’s at free safety so he knows all the spots,” linebacker Chazz Surratt said in a postgame video interview. “He’s able to help the young guys in there and tell them what to do (and) make all the calls. He’s going to be a big part of our defense this year and he made a really big play at the end of the game.”
Morrison put his stamp on the game long before that fourth quarter play. He’s the smallest player lurking in the secondary. Yet it was his crushing hit on the 6-foot-5 Long late in the first quarter that led to a third down stop and forced Boston College to settle for a 35-yard field goal.
That hit left Long on the ground for an injury timeout, although he would return to the game without missing any plays. It may have helped the Heels avoid giving up a touchdown to Long in the second quarter with the Eagles threatening to score from the UNC 10. Long was open on another third down pass inside the 5, but with Morrison closing in fast, he dropped the ball. The Eagles kicked another field goal and trailed 14-6.
“I do feel like the hit kind of did that,” Morrison said. “Every time he was running across the middle he was looking, he was looking more.”
Carolina will be looking for Morrison to make plays more now too.