M.J. Morris: "We've Got to Stay True to Ourselves and Keep Fighting"
NC State quarterback M.J. Morris met with the media ahead of the Wolfpack's upcoming matchup versus Miami.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Morris’ interview.
On Miami’s offense…
They’re a very physical team. They have a lot of speed. They're very disciplined. They have a lot of boys who you can tell love football. They train hard. They practice hard. They watch film just as hard, too. We’re really going to have to be on our A game, play our best football, and not beat ourselves to get after them.
On his extra work during the bye week…
That extra work was hard. We were in there all day. Of course, we got those days off during the bye week; you've got to rest your body, rest your mind, and get a little bit away from football, but when we were working, we were were working like we were about to play a national championship or something. There were no minutes off, no hours off. We were just steadily grinding and watching the film just as much as well in the field so that can translate so we can be ready for the next game we played against Clemson.
On mental toughness…
Mental toughness is everything in football. People talk about physical toughness, but if you don’t have mental toughness, then you might as well not even be in this sport because, once you break down mentally, it's over for you. Us staying together as a team is what really builds our mental confidence and mental toughness, knowing that it only matters about us inside that room, not anybody else, not what their opinions say about us. Some people’s opinions, we might not like, but it doesn't matter to us. We've got to stay true to ourselves and keep fighting day by day.
On the extra work during the bye week motivating the team…
That motivated us a lot. Because we put in a lot of work last week, we’ve got to put even more in this week, and then put even more in the next week and just keep stacking those days. We know the work is going to pay off if we just keep doing our thing, keep doing what our coaches want us to do, keep bonding as brothers, staying true to ourselves, and staying together.
On playing Miami under the lights at Carter-Finley…
We’re really excited. We're always excited to play at night at Carter-Finley. It’s lit over there, so we’re always ready for that one.
On opponents blitzing him…
I do get excited, but I know I’ve got to be a little more consistent on my deep balls. Sometimes, I might throw it a little short, but if they're going to keep giving one-on-ones, I'm going to [keep taking advantage of it]. That's why I was working outside. We're going to be more accurate, be more consistent, getting the ball on my hand quicker since they're starting to blitz a lot more, so I can be ready for when it shows up on film. When I see it on the field, it relates to the game. I’m just ready for it.
On being cognizant of where key defenders are…
The first day when we get the scouting report, I take a good note on who plays these positions and where they play. For the free safety, I know where he's going to be, and the coaches can help me with coverages. Of course, I know [Rueben Bain, Jr.] on this side is a great pass rusher that I could be getting some pressure from this side. It is definitely awareness of where people are on the field at all times.
On getting the sixth win of the season being a motivating factor…
We're just going to take it day-by-day, game-by-game. We’re only focusing, like Coach [Dave] Doeren said, 1-0 each week. We're focused on trying to be our best that week. We can't win a championship or anything in one week. We can't get the best season in one week, so as long as we play our best each day, then it's going to keep on stacking so we get the results we want.
On feeding off of Doeren’s energy…
We most definitely do because he's a leader of all this, so his energy fires us up, and our energy fires him up. It's like a mutual relationship, but he definitely gets us going before the games, after the games, even in team meetings. First thing he does, he comes there and asks us how we’re doing. We say, “We feel great.” He just gets us going, makes sure we're okay, makes sure we're alive, and gets ready to attack the day.
On Keyon Lesane…
You can always trust Keyon to be in the spot where he's supposed to be. You can always trust him to make the play when he's supposed to make it. On that play [against Clemson] — I think it was third-and-nine where we were backed up a little bit — I went through my progression, and the D-lineman actually got my face; I didn't even see Keyon. By trusting him, I knew where he was going to be because I’d thrown to him in that spot so much. Then I see him, I went like that, and he caught it. I was like, “That's my boy right there." Like I said, I can always trust on him, and he can trust me to get the ball to where it's supposed to be.
On seeing all 11 players on offense executing well on offense…
It's definitely exciting, and that's really what we strive for and what we tried to do every single play. Every play is not going to be perfect. The defense might get you for a couple of plays, but our goal is to have 11 men do their specific job in each play so it all comes into one. That drive, it was almost perfect: 50-yard run, then a touchdown wide open on almost the next play. That's what we strive for.