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Friday, December 13, 2002
Notebook: Play of the Year run for Morris?
By Marc Connolly and Andy Latack
ABC Sports Online
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl may or may not present the college football world with a co-national champion when it's all said and done. Miami can put an end to any such notion by the victorious Oregon Ducks with a win over Nebraska in the Rose Bowl Thursday night.
|  | | Maurice Morris' 49-yard TD run broke the game open early in the third quarter. |
But it might have provided the Play of the Year (Hello, ESPYs) thanks to the Barry Sanders impersonation turned in by Oregon tailback Maurice Morris on a breathtaking 49-yard run that combined the finesse of Nureyev, game-breaking speed, power and an unwillingness to go down.
As is the case with Roy Williams' Superman leap against a helpless Chris Simms and Eric Crouch's electrifying TD reception on a trick play against Oklahoma, Morris' highlight-reel play will be one that is replayed long after the Sears Trophy is doled out and recruiting season kicks into high gear.
More importantly for those from Eugene, it also was the key score that helped clinch a 38-16 victory over Colorado at Sun Devil Stadium.
"That play right there broke our back," co-defensive coordinator Vince Okruch said.
Simply looking to keep a productive drive going that started on their 12-yard line, the Ducks called for a run to the left. Morris took the handoff from Joey Harrington and carefully made his way between left tackle Jim Adams and tight end Justin Peelle.
"It was just an off-tackle call," said the senior Morris, who ran for 89 yards on 11 carries. "I just ducked to the outside and tried to get to the corner."
Morris beat cornerback Roderick Sneed to the sideline, and then put on the burners down the left side of the field. When it appeared he was trapped by several Colorado defenders, the 6-foot, 205-pounder sharply cut back to the inside and broke an arm tackle before getting tripped up by linebacker Joey Johnson. But instead of falling to the grass, Morris made like water off a duck's back (or in this case, a Duck off a Buffalo's back), rolled off the would-be tackler, then spun to the inside while somehow staying in perfect balance and kept running before his knees touched the ground.
"I was just trying to keep my feet going," Morris said. "I didn't hear no whistle, so, hey, I just kept running."
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I was just trying to keep my feet going. I didn't hear no whistle, so, hey, I just kept running. " |
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- Maurice Morris |
While Morris rumbled another 20 yards, the black and gold appeared stunned, as he ran in untouched for a touchdown to make it 28-7 early in the second half.
"I saw a bunch of guys stop chasing him," Okruch said. "That is totally unacceptable."
The TD by Morris put Colorado into a situation where it had to throw the ball to get back in the game. As a team that relies on the three-headed backfield monster of Cortlen Johnson, Bobby Purify and Chris Brown, the Buffaloes were never able to mount a comeback from a three-touchdown deficit.
Pesavento couldn't duck Oregon's D
Bobby Pesavento doesn't seek the spotlight. The slow-but-steady substitute quarterback was always content to simply get the job done -- he was never the reason Colorado won a game, but he was never the reason the Buffs lost, either.
|  | | Oregon's defense battered Bobby Pesavento throughout the game. |
But Tuesday night, that spotlight finally shone on Pesavento. Brightly. For the first time since filling in for injured starter Craig Ochs for the home stretch of the season, Pesavento was answering questions after a loss -- a loss in which he played a big part. The Miami, Ohio, native finished the final game of his college career 11 of 27 for just 139 yards and was intercepted twice. Pesavento had completed 61.2 percent of his passes while leading Colorado to a 5-0 record to close the regular season, but connected on just 41 percent against a tough Oregon defense.
"They came at me pretty hard, and I wasn't able to get the job done," Pesavento said. "It's very disappointing."
Colorado needed Pesavento more than ever before in the Fiesta Bowl. When Oregon keyed its defensive scheme on stopping the Buffaloes' running attack, Colorado turned to Pesavento to spark the offense.
"When they shut down the run, we needed to make big plays in the passing game," Pesavento said. "I didn't do that."
At halftime, with Colorado down 21-7, Pesavento had completed seven passes for 90 yards, but three of those passes and 50 of those yards were on simple screens to tailback Cortlen Johnson. Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington wasn't making Pesavento feel any better -- Harrington had three touchdowns and 238 yards at the break.
Parker's emergence went a long way
Finally, the Ducks were able to utilize the speedy talents of sophomore wide receiver Samie Parker. In catching nine balls for 162 yards, including a 79-yard TD, the man who runs a 4.36 40 time was a knife in Colorado's spine throughout the game. Bellotti, who said before the game that he expects big things next year from Parker, got an early gift from his diminutive wide-out.
"Samie Parker is the kind of guy that most defenses look at and are scared about because every time he touches the ball he's a threat to go all the way," said the Oregon coach, who has a 21-3 record the past two seasons. "He can turn a 5-yard hitch into a 50-yard gain, and if you don't cover him, he's going to beat you deep."
That's exactly what he did on a post pattern, running by cornerback Roderick Sneed and past free safety Robbie Robinson, who made a late break to the 5-foot-10, 165-pounder.
"Joey just put it on the money, so it was easy," Parker said of the longest scoring play in Oregon bowl history. "We finally connected on the home run."
Buffalo stampede again in 2002
Get used to seeing Colorado amongst college football's elite. From this season's squad, 15 starters plus punter Mark Mariscal will return.. Their loaded backfield returns sophomore tailbacks Chris Brown and Bobby Purify (the duo totaled 1,862 yards this year), junior fullback Brandon Drumm and sophomore quarterbacks Craig Ochs, who started seven games in 2001 before injuring his ankle and giving way to Bobby Pesavento. Eight of the 15 return on defense, and that's excluding linebacker Jashon Sykes. If the former Butkus and Lombardi Award candidate is granted an additional year of eligibility for medical hardship, the Buffs' D could be one of the best in the Big 12.
Violations abound
All-American tight end Daniel Graham and kicker Jeremy Flores each broke team violations during the week. Graham, a senior, didn't start because of an "undisclosed violation" that wasn't a missed curfew, according to sports information director David Plati. But Graham took over for Quinn Sypniewski after the first series and caught his first pass (five yards) on the team's second series on a day when he caught 10 balls for 89 yards and a touchdown.
Flores missed a team meeting, which meant he had to give way to junior Pat Brougham on the team's first PAT as his "punishment." But he resumed his usual placekicking duties after that, missing a 47-yarder in the third quarter and making a 39-yarder in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach.
Oddly enough, the Colorado officials put in writing that the violations "are of team nature and have nothing to do with the alleged sexual assault investigation in Boulder by the CU police department."
A quacker backer
Gary Barnett, who picked Oregon No. 1 in the preseason and voted for them atop the Coaches Poll six times this fall, said he'd vote Oregon as the No. 1 team in the land if Nebraska upsets undefeated Miami in the Rose Bowl on Thursday night.
"I went into the game and said whoever won this game, I felt if Nebraska won, deserved to be co-champion, and I certainly feel that way," said the Colorado coach. "Oregon played very, very well, with a lot of heart, a lot of speed. If I could vote for them, I would vote for them."
What happened to his knee?
There's toughness, and then there's borderline madness.
First-team All-American Andre Gurode, Colorado's senior tight side guard, had his kneecap pop out of place in the second quarter. But that didn't stop him from returning to the field. His knee was taped up and he returned later in the half.
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Joey Harrington goes deep over the middle to Samie Parker for a 79-yard touchdown (Courtesy: ABC Sports).
The nation's newest Nebraska fan Joey Harrington plans on keeping a watchful eye on Thursday's Rose Bowl